170 THE MODERN HISTORY OF SILK. 



and on the establishment of the colony of Georgia, in 

 1 732, he directed that a piece of ground should be 

 set apart for propagating the white mulberry ; and the 

 settlers were induced to rear Silk Worms, in which 

 they were pretty successful, and also in the quantity 

 of silk produced. From Georgia the rearing of these 

 insects found its way into the neighbouring state of 

 South Carolina, where it also soon became an article 

 of some commercial interest. 



In the succeeding reign, the government, anxious, 

 if possible, to render England independent of foreign 

 supplies of silk, endeavoured to encourage the pro- 

 duction of it in our colonies. For the furtherance of 

 this object, an act of parliament was passed in the 

 year 1749, for the purpose of encouraging the growth 

 of silk in the colonies ; and a provision of that act 

 was to exempt from duty, on entering the port of 

 London, all silk the produce of Carolina and Georgia. 

 Under such favourable circumstances, these colonies 

 greatly extended their culture of this article ; and the 

 government entertained sanguine hopes of their 

 protection of the trade proving ultimately a source 

 which would supply all the demands of the British 

 silk weavers, if still farther encouragement were 

 afforded to the colonies in question. With this view, 

 Mr Ortolengi, an Italian, well acquainted with the 

 management of the worms, and every other depart- 

 ment of the raw silk trade, was engaged to instruct 

 the Georgians in the modes so successfully practised 

 in his native country. This scheme was at h'rst 

 attended with considerable success, and the hopes of 



