176 [SKNAie 



The nominating committee reported as follows : 



For President — Gen. James Tallmadge, of New York. 



For Vice-Presidents— John W. Gill, Esq., of Ohio. -, Dr. D. Steb- 

 bins, Massachusetts ; H. Pitkin, Esq., Connecticut ; G. W. Murray, 

 Esq., New-Jersey. 



For Secretaries — James Harrison, Esq., of Connecticut ; Jacob C. 

 Parsons, New York. 



The following gentlemen were appointed the business committee 

 of the convention : 



Messrs. Barbourof Massachusetts, Smith of Maryland, Gill of Ohio, 

 Conant of Massachusetts, and Danforth of New-York. 



General Tallmadge (upon the election of the above officers,) took 

 the chair, and made some very interesting remarks upon doing so. 

 He would gladly have had another elected to that office, but would, 

 being so honored, do his best to meet the wishes of the convention. 



This was the first national silk convention ever called in this coun- 

 try, and its object was to take into consideration the expediency, as 

 well as the possibility, of making silk one of the staples of the coun- 

 try ; to ascertain whether its culture be or be not congenial to the 

 soil, and then to advise those engaged in the matter to go on with it, 

 if not, to cease their labors. And in these ways the convention, in 

 his opinion, would be able to do a great deal of good. 



Gen. T. then went on to express the opinion that, not only in one 

 part, but in all parts of the United States, the climate and the soil of 

 the country were most admirably adapted to the culture of the silk- 

 worm. And he described the climates of England and the United 

 States, in contrast, as adapted to this culture, and showed to what 

 different uses the mulberry was put in the two countries. This fruit 

 in England grew to a large size, as large as a shell-bark, and was a 

 rich, luscious fruit for the table. It never grew to such luxuriance 

 here j the climate was less favorable to the raising of the fruit, but 

 from the same causes, most favorable to the culture of the silk worm. 



The speaker gav^e a very interesting detail of the mode of raising the 

 worms — the way in which the process of hatching goes on. He ex- 

 plained the mode adopted by some of hatching on paper, by the aid of 

 the warmth of manure, or by contact with the body. &c. He alluded 

 to the statements in the books as to the way in which the process of 

 hatching goes on, all over the world. It would seem that eveywhere, 

 excepting in this country, artificial means are uniformly resorted to. In 

 this country, we need no such means. Natural facilities, in atmos- 

 phere, soil and every other appliance, abound with us, and are solely 

 and exclusively furnished by Providence to this country. All that is 

 needed is the enterprise and industry of the people to bring silk into 

 the list of American staples, by acquiring the fullest knowledge of the 

 means of feeding the worms, and all the other facilities for the pro- 

 duction of silk. The end and aim of this convention, the speaker 

 insisted, are of a kind which ought to recommend it to the favor of all 

 American citizens. Instead of sending money out of the country, and 

 for the purchase of what we can so easily make ourselves, and then 

 sitting down, wondering where our circulating medium had gone, the 



