89 



filaments are slightly twisted and aglutinated to form 

 one thread called a " single." 



The specific gravity of silk is 1,300, water being 

 1000. It is by far the most tenacious or the strongest 

 of all textile fibres, a thread of it of a certain diameter 

 being nearly three times stronger than a thread of flax, 

 and twice stronger than hemp. 



SILK MANUFACTURE IN ENGLAND. 



Until the year 1826, the English silk manufacturers 

 in general labored under very grievous fiscal burdens. 

 Foreign " organzine," or twisted raw silk, paid an import 

 duty of 14s 7d per pound ; raw Bengal silk, 4s, and 

 that from other places, 5s 7d; Mr. Huskinson intro- 

 duced a bill at that time, reducing the duty on organ- 

 zine to 5s, and the duty on other raw silk to 3d per 

 pound ; the total prohibition of the importing of French 

 manufactured silks, which gave rise to so much contra- 

 band trade, was also converted into a duty of thirty- 

 three per cent, ad valorem. During the reign of the 

 prohibitory system, English silk weavers had no variety 

 of pattern to imitate and no adequate stimulus to excel, 

 on account of the monopoly which they possessed in the 

 home market. Also, the inferiority of their production 

 was a subject of constant pride and congratulation among 

 the Lyonnais ; and, accordingly, the English could not 

 stand their competition anywhere. At that time, the 

 disadvantage on English silk goods, compared to French, 

 was estimated in foreign markets at forty per cent. ; of 

 late years, it certainly does not exceed twenty, notwith- 



