178 THE MODBKN HISTORY OP SILK. 



merit was soon abandoned, and the experiment proved 

 as unsuccessful as the previous ones made to raise the 

 Silkworm in this country. The highest expec- 

 tations were conceived of this project, and Henry 

 Barham, a shareholder, wrote and published an 

 essay, wherein he attempted to show, that all the 

 former attempts had been rendered abortive from 

 mismanagement ; and gave it as his opinion, that 

 the objections then thrown out, as to the ultimate 

 success of " this glorious undertaking," were not 

 worthy of refutation. 



King George looked with a favourable eye towards 

 the encouragement of the breeding of Silkworms ; 

 and on the establishment of the colony of Georgia, 

 in 1732, he directed that a piece of ground should 

 be set apart for propagating the white mulberry ; and 

 the settlers were induced to rear Silkworms, in 

 which they were pretty successful, and also in the 

 quantity of silk produced. From Georgia the rear- 

 ing of these insects found its way into the neigh- 

 bouring state of South Carolina, where it also soon 

 became an article of some commercial interest. 



In the succeeding reign, the government, anxious, 

 if possible, to render England independent of foreign 

 supplies of silk, endeavoured to encourage the pro- 

 duction of it in our colonies. For the furtherance of 

 this object, an act of parliament was passed in the 

 year 1749, for the purpose of encouraging the growth 

 of silk in the colonies ; and a provision of that act 



