\i \xrFAri"ri;i:s of iu'ssia. 



CHAPTER IV. 

 Silk g-oods. 



THE silk goods industry is, as regards quantity, iu a far less developed condition 

 than tlie other branches of manufacture. This admits of an easy explanation, for 

 although silks on account of their beautiful appearance take the first place among 

 spun stuffs, still their high price prevents their being as much used as other fibrous 

 materials. Most of the cotton, flax and woolen goods suffice for the everyday require- 

 ments of the population, and silks may be regarded rather as objects of luxury, 

 ally attainable by the wealthier classes, and therefore they enjoy a more limited sale. 



Historical sketch of the Industry, 



Silk has been used in Russia from the earliest times. In ancient Russia various 

 silk stuffs of eastern make, suchas, bi'ocade, purple, scarlet, damask, oksamite and 

 others were used for holiday and state attire, as well as for sacerdotal robes, and 

 later on, silks were imported from the west. 



The gradual extension of the use of high-priced imported textile fabrics induced 

 the Government to take steps towards establishing the industry in Russia. The 

 first silk-weaving factories date from the time of Peter the First, for in 1714 several 

 establishments for making brocades, velvet, silks and various light stuffs sprang up. 

 These first manufacturers soon found many imitators and the silk industry, as a vil- 

 lage trade, began to spread through the governments of Moscow, Vladimir and Yaro- 

 slav. In 1809 the total number of factories rose to 194, of which 175 were in the 

 government of Moscow ; they contained 4,996 looms and employed about 9,500 hands. 

 The output amounted to 7,110,000 arshines, and 505 pieces of various silk, 400,000 

 arshines of ribbon, 6,400 pieces of lace, and 12,600 pairs of gloves and stockings. 

 During the war of 1812 the number of silk-weaving establishments in Moscow dwin- 

 dled to 105, but the trade rose briskly after the war and in 1818 the number of 



