44 Silk Manufacture. 



ly surpassed. Yet while other nations have been rapidly 

 advancing in knowledge, they have remained stationary. De- 

 barred from intercourse with their kind, less by the obstruc- 

 tions which they raised to the ingress of strangers, than by the 

 vanity which led them to make so false an estimate of other 

 nations, this extraordinary people drew upon the resourses of 

 their own intelligence for discoveries the most important, 

 and pursued them to an useful end with industry tl)e most per- 

 severing. 'J'heir industry remains, but the intelligence to 

 which it owed its principal value appears to have been ar- 

 rested. In the faculty of imitating, they are still considered 

 unrivalled; but this is a quality which would seem to place 

 them in the train of other nations, rather than as taking the 

 lead in discovery and civilization.' 



To trace the origin and progress of the manufacture of this 

 delicate luxury, is irrelevant to our present purpose. Our 

 only object is to give its history from the first introduction 

 into this country up to the present time, in order to show the 

 practicability of its being raised and manufactured here. 



The first introduction of the silk culture into the United 

 States was made by James I. ' who was anxious to introduce 

 the silk worm into his American colonies, and several times 

 urged the Virginian company to promote the cultivation of mul- 

 berry trees and the breeding of silk worms. He addressed a 

 letter to them expressly on this subject, in 1622, conveying 

 to them strict injunctions that they shoidd use every exertion 

 for this purpose, and should stimulate the colonists to apply 

 themselves diligently and promptly to the breeding of silk 

 worms and the establishment of silk works ; bestowing their 

 labors rather in producing this rich commodity, than to the 

 growth of " that pernicious and offensive weed," tobacco — an 

 article to which his majesty has recorded and published his 

 violent aversion. 



' The company, thus incited, showed much zeal in their 

 endeavors to accomplish the king's wishes. They lost no 

 time in transmitting his majesty's letter to the governor and 

 council of Virginia, together with particular instructions 

 how the colonists might best employ their labors in the pro- 

 duction of silk. For the furtherance of this object, their 

 instructions were accompanied by several copies of a work 

 on the management of the silk worm, written by Mr. John 

 Bonoeil. This gentleman, who was a member of the Vir- 

 ginia company, engaged warmly in the undertaking ; and was 

 so fully convinced of its practicability, as to assert that, with 

 "^n adequate number of hands, such a quantity of silk might 



