3oo Voyage of the Novara. 



The cliief silk districts lie in the northern part of the pro- 

 vince of Tsche-Kiaug, and the principal silk marts are the 

 following cities : Hoo-chow-foo, Hang-chow-foo, Keahing-fu, 

 Nantsin, and Shoo-hing, which lie in a sort of semi-circle 

 about 150 miles from Shanghai. 



The silk is not grown in China by wealthy landed proprie- 

 tors, and "thrown" in hage establishments, but by millions 

 of husbandmen, each of whom calls but a small patch of land 

 his own, and plants it with mulberry trees, thus, like the bee, 

 contributing his own share towards increasing the universal 

 stock. During the season specially devoted to the silk- worm, 

 old and young, lofty and lowly, throughout the silk districts, 

 are busily and earnestly engaged night and day in tending 

 the worms and winding off the silk. When the crop is being 

 gathered in, the chief merchants send their agents to all parts 

 of the chief silk districts, in order to collect and buy up these 

 small quantities (varying greatly in value, as may be readily 

 imagined), and depositing them in regularly assigned ware- 

 houses, where they can be sorted according to quality. This 

 done, the silk is packed in bales of 80 catties^ or about 106 lbs. 

 weight, and conveyed to Shanghai for sale, where it is once 

 more subjected in each mercantile house to the examination 

 of the special '' silk Inspectors," or " Testers," after passing 

 through whose hands, it is sorted according to quality for 

 shipment to Europe. 



(July), Han-tschin in the seventh month (Angust), Sze-tschan in the ninth month 

 (October), and Hau in the tenth month (November). 



