38 



Introduction of Bombi/x Cynthia into Malta and Italy. 



Mr. Westwood exhibited a sample of the silk produced at Malta from cocoons of 

 Bonibyx Cynthia, which sample was given by the Governor, Sir William Reid, to 

 Dr. Templetou, and by him forwarded to Mr. Westwood with the following letter : — 



" Valetta, November 10. 



" My dear Westwood, 



" I take advantage of the Governor's kind offer to send you the enclosed silk, 

 umcound from the Cynthia cocoons by Signor Lotteri, an Italian, skilled in silk- 

 wiuding, who declared that his fingers stuck together for a very long time afterwards, 

 so gummy and resiny was the binding inatrix of the silk. The result seems very 

 fine, and is, I believe, very strong, in comparison with the silks of similar thickness. 

 At Casal Zebbourg a gentleman introduced, from the Governor's gardens, some of the 

 worms, got little boys to tear the cocoons to pieces, and native women to sj)in it; and 

 there is now hanging, in the window of Mr. Goodenough's shop, a pair of stockings 

 and some lace-work made from the spun silk : the stockings have a muddy look, the 

 colour of the enclosed, but in other respects appear fine substantial affairs, such as 

 country people would be glad to get ; and I believe they are everlasting. The great 

 business is to get a machine to tear the cocoons to pieces, and that will soon follow, 

 I presume. They have got the worm now into Tripoli in a fine healthy state ; and 

 planting castor-oil plant is now the order of the day everywhere. 



" I trust the packet of live cocoons arrived safe, which were sent to you by the 

 Governor's directions, per last mail. His Excellency was much pleased by the note 

 in the ' Athenaeum ' respecting them. 



" Very truly yours, 

 (Signed) " R. Templeton." 



Mr. Westwood added that he bad received the cocoons referred to, and found that 

 some at least of the pupae inclosed were alive, notwithstanding the long journey and 

 the change of temperature to which they had been subjected. 



The Secretary read, from the ' Journal of the Society of Arts,' November 10, the 

 following extract from a despatch forwarded by Governor Sir William Reid to his 

 Grace the Duke of Newcastle: — 



" We have here in Malta gone through all the operations as practised in Assam, 

 except weaving the silk thread into cloth. For this we have not yet a sufficient 

 quantity ; but the worms are breeding here faster than we can rear the castor-oil 

 plant: they are now (in October) thriving in the open air, and as they consume the 

 leaves of the castor-oil, they travel from plant to plant, feeding upon several, but 

 apparently doing well only on the Ricinus. 



" The French Government have applied, through their Consul, for a larger 

 quantity of eggs, both for J>ance and Algeria, and I have been enabled to supply 

 him with as many as he requires. 



" In consequence of statements published in the ' Journal of the Society of Arts,' 

 I have had an application from the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of Grenada, 

 in the West Indies, for eggs of this silkworm. Some fresh cocoons will be sent from 

 hence to Grenada, and I am not without hope, from the way in which they are being 



