MEMOIR OP PALLAS. > 6S 



and In English in 1802. The plan pursued, and 

 the style of these Tolumes, are very similar to those 

 of his earlier " Travels," already dwelt upon. As 

 this is the only work of our author, which we have 

 seen, to which the English reader can have access, 

 we shall quote a paragraph which may help him to 

 form his own estimate both of the original and the 

 translation, which, upon the whole, is excellent : — 

 *' The Asiatic method of rearing silk-worms is pre- 

 ferable to the Russian. The Persian rears his mul- 

 berry trees to about six feet high, which they attain 

 in four or five years. He then begins to lop their 

 tops and branches, which are given to the insects, 

 as soon as they have sufficient strength, by placing 

 them gently on their beds. By this means the 

 shoots remain fresh and succulent, and the worms 

 devour them even to the woody fibres, so that no 

 part of the nutritive foliage is wasted. As these 

 insects are every day supplied with food, the leafless 

 branches gradually form a kind of wicker-work, 

 through which the impurities pass; so that the 

 cheerful worms preserve the requisite cleanliness 

 without trouble to the cultivator, and speedily 

 attain a vigorous state. In this manner they are 

 continually supplied with leaves till they prepare 

 to spin, when small dry brushwood is placed in all 

 directions over the leafless branches, and on this the 

 worms spin their silk." — (Vol. i. p. 190.) 



But Pallas did not wish to incur risk by remain- 

 ing among a people who are no less dangerous than 

 they are interesting. He ere long, then, proceeded 



