28 



Prom H. A. COCKEEELL, Esq., Officiating Commissioner of the 

 Presidency Division, to the Secretary to the Government of 

 Bengal, General Department (No. 77, dated Fort William, 

 30th October, 1869.) 



SIB, 



The only district in this division in which silk is grown is 

 Kishnaghur, and there only to a very limited extent. Mr. Scott 

 Moncrieff, of Salgamoodia factory, has, however, been good 

 enough to favor me, through the collector, with a very complete 

 report on the subject, copy of which I submit for the informa- 

 tion of G-overnment, with reference to your letter No. 3086, dated 

 2nd September. I also forward the two specimens of silk sent 

 by that gentleman. 



From E. SCOTT MONCEIEFF, Esq., to H. LATTMAN JOHNSON, 

 Esq., C.S., Joint- Magistrate, Kooshtea (Dated Salgamoodia 

 Factory, the 4th October, 1869.) 



SIB, 



As requested in your note of 25th ultimo, I have carefully 

 perused the copies which accompanied it of letter of 2nd ultimo, 

 to the Commissioner of the Presidency division, from the Govern- 

 ment of Bengal, and of the memorandum by Dr. Bennett, referred 

 to therein, on the subject of the supply of silk-worm eggs for the 

 Acclimatisation Society of South Australia, and I have much 

 pleasure in submitting the following observations on the subject, 

 premising that my chief authority for them is Mr. P. Veyrin, 

 who superintends my small silk filature here, a gentleman con- 

 versant from his youth with the rearing of silk-worms and manu- 

 facture of silk, and who was employed for some years by a few of 

 the leading firms in Lyons in the purchase of silk-worm eggs in 

 the Caucasus and Persia, and in transporting these to France. 



2. Wild Cocoons. "We have very few in this district, and do 

 not manufacture silk out of them. Mr. Veyrin has personally 

 superintended experiments with them, and has watched the 

 manufacture of silk from them in the districts of Bancoorah and 

 Beerbhoom, and in the province of Assam, in which as well as in 

 many other jungle districts of Bengal they are very abundant. 

 A large quantity of silk is made from them, but entirely for 

 native consumption and of very inferior quality. The value ranges 

 from rs. 2 to perhaps (but very rarely) 5 per seers (2s. to 5s. per Ib). 

 The well known tusser silk cloth of Bhaugulpore is made from 

 silk of the wild cocoons, and is generally in demand for export to 

 Europe. Mr. Veyrin is of opinion that the silk of some kinds of 

 the wild cocoons is of such very desirable quality for certain 

 classes of silk manufactures, that if it could be produced of a 

 quality suitable for the purpose by the same simple and inexpensive 

 process as that followed in spinning ordinary Bengal silk, the 



