A. D. 1796. 379 



July — ^Though the extenfion of the bufinefs of throwmg, or organzin- 

 ing, filk in this country, begun by the Eafl-India company in the year 

 1794, combined the important advantages of preferving to the natives 

 of Bengal, a Britifh territory, the demand they had been made to es- 

 ped for their raw filk, and affording to the manufadurers of this coun- 

 try a fupply of thrown filk, independent of foreign (perhaps rival or 

 hoftile) nations, with the further benefit of providing employment for 

 thoufands of people, moftly women and children, whom the declining 

 flate of the broad-filk manufa6ture had deprived of their ufual means 

 of gaining their bread ; and it does not appear that it could be de- 

 trimental to any, except the few individuals concerned in importing 

 Italian thrown filk, means were found to ftir up a violent oppofition to 



* the attempt of the Eaft-India company to become manufadlurers in 



* Great Britain *.' But many of the manufadurers, who had been in- 

 duced to join the oppofition, finding that they were adting againft their 

 own intereft, afterwards ufed their own judgement, and bought organzine 

 filk, as it fuited their fabrics, either at the company's fales, or from the 

 private importers or filk-men. At firfl the company's organzine was 

 thought unfit for any weaving, except in ribands : but now, owing to 

 the improved quality of the raw filk, and fuperior fkill in feleding the 

 filk for throwing, and in the operation of throwing, it was found alfo 

 ufeful in the manufadlure of farcenets, florentines, velvets, modes, hand- 

 kerchefs, &c. and a great number of the principal manufacturers, by a 

 letter dated 5'" February 1796, requefted the diredors to perfevere in 

 the meafure of throwing their filk, which, befides the advantages al- 

 ready mentioned, ' may have a tendency to lower the prices of the raw 

 ' material, and in future to fhelter the filk market from the alarming 

 ' fluduations that have repeatedly taken place, and probably increafe 

 ' greatly the confumption of the filk manufadures.' Thus pointedly 

 called upon by the beft judges of the value of the commodity, the di- 

 redors now fent inflrudions to the Bengal government to extend the 

 annual confignment of filk as flir as 4,000 bales, and to pay the moft 

 unremitting attention to the quality. 



The truely patriotic fociety for the encouragement of arts and fciences, 

 nnderftanding that Mr. Wiflett, the principal clerk of the warehoufes, 

 had been zealoufly attentive to the promotion of this great national ob- 

 jed, teftified their approbation of his condud by the honourable reward 

 of their gold medal. 



The Greenland whale fifiiery has long been carried on with great 

 fpirit and perfeverance by the merchants of Hull ; and they have been 

 in general very fuccefsful. This feafon feventeen fhips, which failed 



* In the year 1628 the Eaft-India company ani their manufadlure appears to have been then 



reprefented to parliament that they made thirty efteemed a good fervice done to the nation. See 



barrels of gun-powder every week at tl.tlr civn F. ii,p. 352. 

 powder-mills ^rom the fahpetre imported bv them : 



3B2 



