PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS. 

 OBSERVATION. 



79 



This chapter was composed by Tcheou-kong, uncle to 

 the Emperor Tching-wang, about the year 1115 before our 

 era (viz : 2951 years ago). [St. Julien.] 



We read in the Ld-ki, or Book of Ceremonies, (one of the 

 five canonical Chinese books,) in the chapter Youe'i sing : 



" In the last Spring month, the young Empress purifies 

 herself, and offers a sacrifice to the Goddess of Silk Worms. 

 She goes to the fields, situated to the east, and gathers mul- 

 berry leaves herself. She forbids the noble ladies and min- 

 isters' wives all ornamental dress, and she dispenses with 

 the labors of her waiting-women, who sew and embroider, 

 so that they may be able to give all their attention to the 

 raising of silk worms." 



OBSERVATION. 



The Li-ki, (or Book of Rites,) from which this passage 

 has been extracted, was compiled by Confucius, whose birth 

 was 551 years before Christ. 



The work we translate has many similar passages, which 

 relate to the fourth and eleventh centuries before Christ. 

 [St. Julien.] 



In the work entitled Nong-sang-thong-kioue, we read : 

 " The place called kien-kouan, (or the house of cocoons,) 

 is that where the Empress herself raises silk worms. In 

 ancient times, there was a plantation of mulberry trees, be- 

 longing to the State, and a building called Tsan-chi, (or the 

 house of the silk worms,) which had the same destina- 



