SILK. 



They are broutjht from Aleppo, Tripoli, Sayda, and from 

 the ifle of Cyprus, Candia, &c. But thf principal place 

 of commerce, efpecially for the filiis of Pcrfia, is Smyrna. 

 The filks are brought hitlier in caravans, from the month 

 of Jamjary to September. Tiie caravans in January are 

 loaden with the finell filks ; thofe of February and Marcli 

 being indifferent ones ; the reft, the coarfclt. They all 

 come from the ieveral provinces of Perfia, cluefly thofe of 

 Ghilan and Shirvan, and the city of Schamachia, fituate 

 near the edge of the Cafpian fea ; from which three places, 

 a Dutch author aflures us, there have not come lefs than 

 tlurty thoufand bales of (ilk in a year. Ghilan produces 

 the bell and greateft quantities of filk ; next to this are 

 Shirvan and Erivan, then Mazanderan, and laltly Aftrabad ; 

 but the latter is much inferior, ferving only for a manufac- 

 ture mixed with cotton ; that of Mazanderan and Allrabad 

 is feldom or ever exported. 



Ardeuil, or Ardcbil, another city of Perfia, not far dif- 

 tant from thcfe iilk countries, is the place where filks are 

 laid up, and whence the caravans fet out for Smyrna, 

 Aleppo, Scanderoon, and Conitantinople ; and it is this 

 city, with Schamachia, that have always been cileemed the 

 centre of the filk trade ; which has been feveral time? at- 

 tempted to be removed from Smyrna, and the Mediter- 

 rai>ean, in favour of Archangel, and the White fea, by 

 carrying them acrofs MufccTy, by the Volga and Dwina, 

 two rivers that traverfe the principal provinces of that vail 

 ejnpire. 



This new courfe of the Perfian filks into Europe was firft 

 propofed by Paolo Centurio, a Genoefe, to the tzar Bazil, 

 under the pontificate of Leo X. The French had the fame 

 deii^n in 1628. The duke of Holftein, in 1633, fent am- 

 badadors to the court of Perfia, purely with the lame view. 

 And in 1668, the f/ar Alexis Michael attempted the thing 

 himfelf ; but lie was difappointed by the rebellion of the 

 Coflacks, and the furprife of Aftrakhan. 



In 1688, the commerce of Perfian filks had nearly 

 been removed from Smyrna by an earthquake, whicli almoit 

 overturned the whole city ; and, doubtlefs, the removal had 

 been effedlcd, but for the vigorous means ufed by the Turks 

 to prevent it. Smyrna, however, dill remains in lier an- 

 cient polfclTion ; and the feveral nations of Europe continue 

 every year to fend their fleets, to fetch away the filks. 



Silks, China, Japan, and Indian. Several provinces of 

 China are fo fertile in mulberry-trees, and their climate is fo 

 agreeable to the nature of filk-worms, tliat the quantity of 

 filks there produced is incredible ; the fingle province of 

 Tcliehiang might fupply ail China, and even a great part of 

 Europe, with this commodity. The filks of this province 

 are the mod eftcemcd, though thofe of Nankin and China 

 be excellent. 



The filk-trade is the principal in China, and that which 

 employs the moll hands ; but the European merchants who 

 deal in it, efpecially in wrought filks, are to be careful of 

 the Ipinning, &c. the waile being ufually very great, as tlie 

 French Eall India company have found to their coll. 



Japan would not afford fewer filks than China ; but that 

 the Japanefc, a barbarous and didruflful people, have iii- 

 terdifted all commerce with itrangcrs, elpecialiy with 

 Europeans, excepting with the Dutch ; who are faid to be 

 admitted on certain impious terms, related by Taveniicr, 

 but which, we mull own, we cannot credit. The Dutch 

 have endeavoured to vindicate themlelves from thefe by 

 the pens of feveral famous writers. 



Great quantities of both raw and wrouglit filk arc fur- 

 iiifhed by other parts of Bengal, and by feveral provinces of 



Vol. XXXII. 



Hindooftan, which partly fupply the natives, and afford a 

 very confiderable exportation to Europe. Several thoufand 

 bales of raw filk are annually imported from Bengal and 

 China ; fome of which is, in this ftatc, ufed for making 

 princes' fluffs, but the greater part is prepared for the manu- 

 fafturers by the filk-throwtlers. 



Silk, Laivs relating to. The duties on filks and callicoci 

 being under the fame regulations with thofe on printed 

 linens, the law refpeCling them is inferted under the article 

 Linen. By the 13 & 14 Car. II. c. 15. f. 2. no perfon 

 fhall cxercife the trade of a filk-throwfler, unlefs he hath 

 ferved feven years' apprenticefhip, on pain of 40J. a month, 

 half to the king, and half to him that fhall fue in any court 

 of record, or at the alTizes, or quarter-feffions of the peace. 

 By 9 & 10 W. c. 43. no foreign filks, called alamodes or 

 lutellrings, (hall be imported but in the port of London, 

 on notice firfl given to the commifTioners of the cufloms, and 

 licence had from them, on pain of forfeiture, or the value ; 

 and they fhall be fold, and exported again ; and the offender 

 fo importing, and alfo the receiver and perfon offering to 

 fell the fame, fhall forfeit 500/. Being marked and fealed 

 by order of the commifTioners, any perfon who (hall coun- 

 terfeit the cuflom-houfc leal, or that of the luteilring com- 

 pany, fhall forfeit 500/., and be fet in the pillory for two 

 hours. And any perfon who fhall buy and fell, and have 

 in his cuflody, any alamodes or luteflrings, fealed or 

 marked with a counterfeit feal or mark, fhall forfeit the 

 fame and 100/. 



However, none but cullom-houfe officers, or perfons de- 

 puted by the luteilring company, and having writs of 

 affillance under the feal of the exchequer, fhall feize lute- 

 firings or alamodes within the bills of mortality. (5 Ann. 

 c. 20. ) The penalties fhall be two-thirds to the king, and 

 one-third to iiim that fliall feize or fue in any court of 

 record. 



By 3 Geo. III. c. 21. and 5 Geo. III. c. 48. if any 

 perfon fhall import any ribbands, laces, or girdles, not 

 made in Great Britain, whether the fame fhall be wrought 

 oi filk alone, or mixed with other material-, the fame 

 fhall be forfeited, and may be feized by any officer of 

 the cuflomF, in whatever importers', venders', or retailers' 

 hands they may be found ; and the importer, and every per- 

 fon affifling therein, and the venders and retailers in whofe 

 cuflody they fhall be found, or who fhall fell or cxpofe the 

 fame to fale, or conceal with intent to prevent the for- 

 fciture, fhall forfeit refpeftivcly 200/., with cofls. Half 

 the faid penalties to be to the king, and half to the officer 

 who fhall inform and profccutc. 



But if any officer of the cufloms fhall neglefl or rcfufe, 

 for one month after condemnation, to profccutc to effedi any 

 perfon for any of the faid pecuniary forfeitures, any other 

 perfon may fue for and recover the fame; half thereof to go 

 to the king in like manner, and half to him who fliall fue. 



And when the goods feized (being out ot the limits of 

 the billn of mortality ) fhall not exceed the value of 20/., two 

 juiticfs, on information before them that inch goods were 

 feized, as unduly imported, may hear and determine the 

 fame, and proceed to condemnation or dilch.irge. 



After feizure, until condemnation or difcharge, the faid 

 goods fliall be depollted in one of the king's wareiioufes, if 

 the feizure be within the bills of mortality ; elfewhcrc, in the 

 hands of the chief magiilrate or conflabie | and the fame 

 (h;ill be free to infpcdtion, witii ie.ive of the court, judge, or 

 jufliccs, before whom the profeculion fhall be. 



And after condemnation, the faid gooda fl.all tie publicly 



fold by the candle for exportation ; half of the produce by 



4 Y fuch 



