Jacob Barker letter to Thomas Rotch, New York, 8 Mo 19th 1813

              A-50-16
page 1

    Thomas Rotch                        New York 8 Mo 19th 1813
       Dear Uncle,
                               Thy acceptable letter of the 9th ult came to hand a few days past, & thy draft for $530 has appeared and been duly honored. I am very sorry to observe that the sheep and lambs suffered last winter and should have been gratified to have had a more particular description from thee. Please to recollect that thou hast not, since thee took the sheep over the mountains, informed me how many there had been lost, how many lambs had made thier appearance, what quantity of wool had been sheared, what price it sold at, how much the expences of keeping amounted to; & infact thou has not given me such information as would enable me to guess any where near the state of our sheep accts, and I thought I should have been very much gratified to have known the particulars, yet I have always been satisfied that every pains was taken on thy part to increase the flock, to economize in their expences, & to make the most of the wool. My views continue the same as when I first began to purchase sheep, which are to get as large a flock as possible, never to sell a Ewe, and as soon as Bucks fall to a low price to turn them into wethers & thus increase the flock rapidly.  The fever for merino sheep rages very high, so that ewes will command one hundred dollars a piece by the whole clock & the wool is very much demanded: at