HISTORY OF SILK. 13 



prosperity and commercial glory, carried supplies of silk 

 from Greece to the whole west of Europe. On the 

 downfall of the Roman Empire, Arabia became the seat 

 and centre of science, of arts, and of civilization. The 

 establishment of the Turkish power in Asia about the 

 middle of the 6th century, and the subsequent wars, 

 caused great interruption to the caravan trade between 

 China and Persia. And after the conquests of Moham- 

 med II. the Saracens or Arabians planted the mulberry 

 and encouraged the culture of silk everywhere, through- 

 out their dominions, both on the islands and on all the 

 shores of the Mediterranean. Silk and the mulberry 

 were introduced to Spain and Portugal by the Arabians 

 or Saracens, on their conquest of those countries in 711. 

 Spain is also indebted to their enlightened conquerors, 

 for their political redemption from barbarism. Those 

 \vise sovereigns, the great Caliph Haroun al Raschid, 

 find his immediate successor, introduced as axioms of 

 policy, the arts of civilization, as essential to the welfare 

 of a nation the practice of agriculture, commerce and 

 industry, being especially inculcated by the Koran it- 

 self; thus elevated to virtues, they are ranked with the 

 good deeds of the believer. 



From Greece the cultivation of silk was introduced to 

 Sicily and Naples. -Roger, king of Sicily, on his inva- 

 sion of Greece in 1146, introduced by compulsion many 

 silk weavers and manufacturers, which he carried to 

 Palermo. In 29 years, the manufactures of Sicily be- 

 came famous, being adorned with various colors and 

 figures, interwoven with gold, and embellished with 

 pearls. Here it long mysteriously remained, and it was 

 not till 1540 that it had extended to Piedmont and in- 

 deed to all Italy. So extensive is its cultivation at the 

 present day throughout Italy, that according to Count 

 Dandolo, two thirds of their whole exports to all coun- 

 tries consist of silk. Its first introduction to France 

 was in 1494 ; but no very important result succeeded, 

 until, in 1564, Traucat, a common gardener of Nismes, 



