448 MORUS ALBA. 
pain of death, yet, by the liberal promises, and the persuasions of Justinian, they 
were induced to undertake to import some from that country ; and they returned 
from their expedition through Bucharia and Persia, to Constantinople, in the year 
555, with the eggs of the precious insect, which they had obtained in the "far 
country," concealed in the hollow of their canes, or pilgrim-staves. Until this 
time, the extensive manufactures of Tyre and Berytes had received the whole of 
their supply of raw silk from China, through Persia. The eggs thus obtained, 
were hatched in a hot-bed, and, being afterwards carefully fed and attended to, 
the experiment proved successful, and the silkworm became very generally culti- 
vated throughout Greece. 
The silkworm and the black mulberry were introduced simultaneously into 
Spain and Portugal, by the Arabs, or Saracens, on their conquest of Spain, in 
771. In the XVth century, the silk culture of the last-named country, is uni- 
versally allowed to have been in a highly flourishing state ; but it has been in 
a declining condition ever since ; so much so, that, in the year 1833, at the time 
we visited that unfortunate country, it was one of the most neglected branches of 
agriculture in the kingdom ; being almost entirely confined to a few of the south- 
ern provinces. 
The white mulberry was for a long period confined to Greece; but when 
Roger, king of Sicily, in 1130, ravaged Peloponnesus, he compelled the principal 
artificers of silk, and breeders of silkworms, to remove with him to Palermo, with 
the determination to try the culture of this tree in that country. The Morus alba 
was accordingly transplanted from Greece to Sicily, and, flourishing in its fine 
climate, that island became the great mart of nearly all the raw silk required for 
the manufactures of Europe. 
In 1204, the conquest of Constantinople, by the Venetians, led to the introduc- 
tion of the silkworm into Venice, from which, in the course of a short time, it 
extended to Genoa, and other parts of Italy. The white mulberry was intro- 
duced into upper Italy, in 1440, since which time, up to the present day, the cul- 
ture and manufacture of silk have constituted a very important part of the com- 
merce both of Italy and Sicily. 
The white mulberry was introduced into France by Seigneur d' Allan, under 
the reign of Charles VII. ; and it is said that the original tree still exists at the 
gates of Montelimart. Silk manufactures were first established at Tours, in 1 480, 
by Louis XL, who invited workmen from Italy to settle in his kingdom. These 
manufactures, however, were supplied, entirely, at first, with the raw material, 
from Sicily and Piedmont. In 1494, several of the great landed proprietors who 
had followed Charles VIII., in his Italian wars, brought with them, on their 
return from Naples and Sicily, an additional supply of the white mulberry, Avhich 
they planted in Provence, in the vicinity of Montelimart. In 1520, Francis I., 
having taken possession of Milan, prevailed on some artisans of that city to estab- 
lish themselves at Lyons; and, to encourage them to remain there, he granted 
them special privileges and immunities. Henry II., and Charles IX., appear to 
have been the next sovereigns who endeavoured to promote the culture of silk in 
France; and, in the reign of the latter monarch, in 1564, Francois Traucat, a 
gardener at Nismes, formed a large nursery, expressly for raising white mulberry 
plants, from which he supplied all the south of France. Henry IV. was no sooner 
established on the throne, than he exerted himself to promote this branch of 
industry throughout his dominions; and, by his desire, Olivier de Serres, seig- 
neur de Pradel, in 1601, formed a plantation of white mulberry trees in the gar- 
den of the Tuileries, where was erected a large building for rearing the silk- 
worms. In 1603, an edict was passed for encouraging the planting of mulberry- 
trees throughout France; promising to reward with patents of nobility, such 
manufacturers as had supported and pursued the trade for twelve years. Undei 
