350 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



[No. 6 



was found to cool, and the matter fell to the 

 ground; and was soon as little spoken of, as if an 

 enterprise had been meditated which sensible men 

 ouijht to disavow. Notwithstanding; this implied 

 reflection on the good sense ol' the supporters of 

 the plan, a tew gentlemen shortly after might be 

 found scattered throuirh England, who still che- 

 rished the conviction that the introduction of this 

 insect was perfectly feasible. They planted mul- 

 berry trees and bred silkworms as an innocent 

 source of amusement ; and to this day they con- 

 tinue to occupy their spare time in trying experi- 

 ments on a limited scale, on the best modes of 

 bringing up their favorites; but if the project was 

 eagerly received here, in Ireland it was hailed with 

 enthusiasm as a certain mode of realizing a fortune. 

 The ardent imagination of the Irish easily over- 

 leaped the barriers which inexperience or want of 

 capital threw in the way; and tor any one not to 

 have implicit fiiith in the silkworm speculation, 

 was looked on as a mark of mearmessof spirit, or 

 of total disregard to personal advancement. A 

 joint-stock company was even proposed, and a 

 vast number of names were marked down for 

 shares; but when the day of paying the first in- 

 stalment came round, the absentees were found to 

 be so abundant, "that the company dissolved it- 

 self," as a wag afierwards remarked, "even be- 

 fore it was formed." The zeal of individuals was 

 but little manifested in mulberry plantations or 

 silkworm nurseries. One person only showed that 

 he had been perfectly serious in his enthusiastic 

 advocacy of the enterprise ; he planted some 

 thousands of the trees, and when we passed 

 ihroutrh some dozen or fifteen years ago, we saw 

 the plantations in a most flourishing' condition. 

 The Earl of Kingston it was who had given this 

 proof of his being serious in the silkworm project; 

 and even to the last, we believe he spoke With 

 every appearance of being thoroughly persuaded 

 of the possibility of the plan. Both in this coun- 

 try and in Ireland, the great objection was that 

 the climate was too severe for so delicate an insect 

 as the silkworm. The slightest variations of cold 

 and heat were known to affect it; and sudden 

 changes were frequently found to cause its destruc- 

 tion ; modern discoveries have proved this notion 

 to be hastily assumed, and perfectly erroneous. 

 The insect is now known to be capable, with pro- 

 per management and due precaution, of support- 

 ing our climate; and it is with the intention of 

 showing the truth of this important fact to our 

 readers, that we have determined to lay before 

 them some valuable information which has but 

 lately come to light. 



The source from which we derive this inlbrma- 

 tion, is a treatise by the Chinese themselves, which 

 has been lately translated and given to the public 

 in France. When we consider'the acknowledged 

 advancement of the Chinese in the arts and sci- 

 ences, evidenced by their knowledge of printin"- 



of the mariner's compass— of gunpowder, and 

 many other curious discoveries, long before the 

 inhabitants of Europe, it is a matter of wonder 

 that their literature has not been more carefully 

 studied, and the results of such studies made pub- 

 lic. All that we have until lately known of the 

 Chinese, and their habits, manners, customs, and 

 knowledge, has come at first through the early 

 missionaries, and next through the embassies sent 

 over li"om this country. A third spring of infor- 



mation has now been opened; and we are not over 

 sanguine, in predicting that a most important 

 stream of curious knowledge will be found to flow 

 from it. Should it be asked, how it happens that 

 this particular juncture has had the nieril of mak- 

 ing public the contents of the Chinese work, we 

 answer, that it is the same cause which, in the 

 days of Perseus, caused the Roman parrots, when- 

 hungry, to salute their mistresses in the Greek- 

 words they had been taught, namely, self-interest, 

 a most prolific source ol research and invention. 

 Thus it was that the work was translated. 



The production of silk, at the present day, in 

 France, amounts to a value of more than 60,000,- 

 000 francs a year; which is, however, quite insuf- 

 ficient for the consumption, as the foreiori trade 

 alone reaches 50,000,000 fi-ancs a year. Silk is 

 one of the principal products of China: for not 

 only is it used to a great exient in the fabrication 

 of their clothes, but a vast quantity is exported in 

 the raw state, as well as in the shape of fabricated 

 articles. For forty centuries have they devoted 

 their attention to study, in its minutest details, the 

 rearing of the worm which furnishes them with 

 this source of their national wealth; and as a na- 

 tural consequence, this lon<; experience, alwa3^s 

 stimulated by the sense of self-interest, has caused 

 them to discover a crowd of attputions, of pro- 

 ceedings, and of practices, most likely to procure 

 for them certain and advantageous produce. 



The missionaries were at once struck with the 

 importance of these practices to the European 

 cultivator of the silkworm; and they determined 

 to mark down some of their modes of treatment, 

 for the benefit of their countrymen. Two trea- 

 tises were drawn up, and afierwards published in 

 France. One of them, by Father d'Enlrecolles, 

 gives the extract of an old Chinese work respect- 

 ing the treatment of silkworms; and the other,- 

 composed by Father d'Incarville (or rather, from 

 notes left by him,) describes the treatment given 

 to three other species of worms, which the na- 

 tives designate "wild silkworms," because their 

 nature requires that they should be permitted to 

 live at full liberty on the trees from whence they 

 take their food. Some of the methods of treat- 

 ment described by d'Enfrecolles, were not long 

 ago put in practice by M. Camille Beauvais, a 

 large breeder of silkworms at Senart. He found 

 them to be most serviceable, and most certain and 

 faithful in their results; but above all, he found 

 that the adoption of the Chinese treatment was 

 of wonderful efficiency in preventing accidents, 

 which before had dreadfully puzzled and annoyed 

 him. 



As the abridgment of a work is always incom- 

 plete in details, M. Beauvais thought that it would 

 be important to have the original Chinese work 

 translated. He applied to the Minister of Com- 

 merce on the subject, and laid before him the im- 

 portance of the case. M. Passy was at that time 

 minister; and he applied, in his turn, to M. Stan- 

 islas Julien, as the first Chinese scholar in F'rance, 

 or perhaps in Europe. He directed this eminent 

 savant to undertake the task; and M. Martin (du 

 Nord,) who succeeded to the ministry of com- 

 merce, made the work complete, by desiring M. 

 Julien also to translate the Chinese work on the 

 culture of the mulberry tree, which is always an- 

 nexed to the work on the treatment of silkworms. 

 M. Julien undertook this arduous task; and has 



