230 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 4 



reeling the silk, and of employing it to make gar- 

 ments." 



It is through gratitude for so great a benefit, 

 says the history, eniitied Wai-ki, that posterity 

 has deified Si-Hiig-chi„ and rendered her particu- 

 lar honors, under the name of the Goddess of Silk 

 Worms. (Memoirs upon the Chinese. Vol. 13, 

 page 240.) 



It is written in the chapter la-hong, of Chou- 

 king, one of the five canonical books of China: 



" The mulberry trees may be planted and the 

 silk worms raised." 



Observation. — According to the annals of Chi- 

 na, this chapter was composed about the year 

 2205 before Christ, (4041 years ago.) See the 

 Cliou-king, translated by P. Gaubil, page 45. 

 [St. Julien.] 



It is written in the Book on Worms, one of the 

 five canonical books, chapter Pin-fong, ode 1 : 



"In the month, when the silk worms are fed, 

 (in the fourth month,) the leaves of the mulberry 

 trees must be gathered." 



Observation. — This chapter was composed by 

 Tcheou-kong, uncle to the emperor Tching-ivang, 

 about the year 1115 before our era (viz.: 2951 

 years ago.) [St. Julien.] 



We read in the Li-ki. or Book of Ceremonies, 

 one of the five canonical Chinese books,) in the 

 chapter Youei-sing : 



" In the last spring month, the young empress 

 purifies herself, and offers a sacrifice to the God- 

 dess of Silk Worms. She goes to the fields, si- 

 tuated to the east, and gathers mulberry leaves 

 herself She forbids the noble ladies and minis- 

 ters' wives all ornamental dress, and she dis- 

 penses 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, for Cook 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 pas- 

 sages, which relate to the fourth and eleventh cen- 

 turies 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 plan- 

 tation of mulberry trees, belonging to the state, 

 and a building called Tsan-chi, (or the house of 

 the silk worms,) which had the same destination 

 as that which is now designated by the expres- 

 sion, kien-kouan, namely, the house of cocoons. 



" The young empress purifies herself, and offers 

 a sacrifice to the Goddess of the Silk Worms, as 

 an example to the whole empire, and to promote 

 the general culture of silk. The empress repairs 

 to a mulberry plantation. She first cuts a branch; 

 an attendant, who holds a basket, receives the 

 leaves of the mulberry trees; afterwards, the em- 

 press cuts three branches. A maid of honor, en- 

 dowed with the title of Chang-chnn, (or Presi- 

 dent,) throws herself on her knees, and says : It 

 is enough. The attendant who holds the basket 



receives the leaves, and carries them to the silk 

 worms. It is forbidden to carry the leaves of the 

 mulberry tree to that part of the palace called 

 Ken-chi, or the golden house." 



In the history of the emperor Iliao-iven-ti, 

 whose reign began in the year 163, before Christ, 

 it is observed : 



" By a decree, the empress was commanded to 

 gather the leaves of the mulberry trees herself, to 

 feed the silk worms, and to furnish the garments 

 destined for sacrifices." 



The -year 156, before Christ. — The emperor 

 King-ti, made a decree, and commanded the em- 

 press to gather some mulberry leaves herself, in 

 order to set the example to the whole empire. 



TVte year 48, before Christ. — The mother of the 

 emperor, Yonen-ti, visited the house of cocoons, 

 (or of the silk worms,) and followed by the em- 

 press and the ladies of the palace, she went and 

 gathered some mulberry leaves. 



The year 58, anno Domini. — Under the reign of 

 Ming-ti, of the dynasty of Han, the empress and 

 her attendants raised silk worms. 



The year 220, anno Domini. — Under the dy- 

 nasty of Wei, the wife of the emperor Wenti, 

 raised silk worms, in a place situated to the north 

 of the city, so as to conform to the ritual of the 

 dynasty of Tcheou. [Work composed in the 

 tenth century before Christ.] 



Betiveen the years 265 and 275 anno Domini. — 

 Under the reign of Wou-ti, of the dynasty of 

 Tsin. in the years of Tha'i-khang, the emperor 

 built a house called Tsan-kong, for the silk worms. 

 The empress went herself, to gather mulberry 

 leaves, in order to conform to the ancient customs 

 of the dynasty of //an, and those of Wei. 



Betioeen the years 454 and 457, anno Domini. — 

 Under the dynasty of Song, the emperor Hiao- 

 wou-ti had a house constructed for the silk worms. 



The empress gathered, hersellj the leaves of 

 the mulberry trees, conformably to the usage of 

 the dynasty of Tsin, 



The author of the work entitled N'ong-sang- 

 thong-kiouc, continues to (juote some analogous 

 facts, which he had gathered from the history of 

 the emperors, from the years of Thien-pao, (from 

 968 to 976,^ of the dynasty of Song, under which 

 he lived, so as to show, that from the highest an- 

 tiquity, the empress raised silk worms as an ex- 

 ample to the whole empire. 



In the work entitled Tsan-lan, or Considera- 

 tions upon the Silk Worm, we notice : 



" Every species of tree requires a particular 

 soil, except the mulberry tree alone, which grows 

 every where; and, consequently, there is not a 

 single place in the empire where silk worms 

 cannot be raised." 



The book on worms says, in chapter Pin-fong^ 

 (composed about the year 1115, before Christ :) 



" A young girl takes her elegant basket and 

 follows die concealed paths, to gather mulberry 

 leaves." 



