476 [Senate 



per never to answer my letter, while our custom house officers here 

 acknowledged it was a glaring fraud. 



Mr. Barbour resumed the reading of letters, beginning with one 

 from Mr. Swinney. 



By request, Mr. Swinney made some additional statements respect- 

 ing his method. He said that he had continued to feed in shanties 

 after the third moulting, and prefers it. Feeds on branches, because 

 it saves much work in collecting foliage ; and shanties save also 

 much expense usually incurred in the erection of cocooneries. His 

 worms are the sulphur. 



Mr. Barbour read other letters ; when, on motion, it was 



Resolved, That the letters be referred to the Business CommitteCj 

 with discretionary power to insert them in the report. 



The President having invited the members to attend the Fair of the 

 Institute, the Convention adjourned till to-morrow morning at 10 

 o'clock. 



EVENING. 



The assemblage at Niblo's, in the evening, was immense. So 

 great was the throng, that thousands were unable to hear a word of 

 the address, which was delivered by Rev. I. R. Barbour, of Oxford, 

 Mass., and is reported by the Tribune as follows. His remarks were 

 both retrospective and prospective. He said that the feasibility of 

 the growth and manufacture of silk in this country, had been amply 

 demonstrated. Our soil was adapted to the growth of the mulberry, 

 and our climate to the healthy condition of the silk worm ; and it 

 has been shown by actual experiment, that while the loss of worms 

 in the silk growing countries of Europe, was from 20 to 25 per cent, 

 here it need not be more than 5 per cent. Our silk too, was, or 

 might be, of a better quality than that produced in other countries. 

 Mr. B. stated, as an illustration of the rapidity with which silk may 

 be manufactured, that in June last, a mulberry tree stood on the 

 banks of the Ohio, the seeds of which, being planted, produced other 

 trees ; and the leaves of those trees were used in feeding worms, and 

 articles manufactured from the silk thus produced, were on exhibi- 

 tion at the Fair ! He would challenge any silk growing country to 

 beat this. 



The extensive difficulties which surrounded this enterprise, had 

 been surmounted. Every one who remembered the Mulberry bub- 

 ble, of 1836, knew what those difficulties were. Since that period, 

 the friends of the cause had been silently at work, settling elementa- 

 ry principles, and it would yet be seen that the cause did not follow 

 the bad fortunes of the speculators in morus multicaulis. Intrinsic 

 difficulties had been overcome, and it was proved conclusively, that 

 silk-worms might be raised with as much certainty as chickens. Those 

 who had embarked in the cause, having been for a time deluded by 

 false ideas, were under the necessity of unlearning many things that 

 had been taught them, and this also, they had successfully accom- 

 plished. The great object before them, was to extend the growth of 



