REPORT. 



The trade of the East-India Company in raw- Report, 

 silk was inconsiderable in extent before the middle 

 of the last century. 



Until the establishment of regular places for its 

 preparation under the management of their own 

 servants, the East-India Company, in common 

 with other Europeans who then had factories in 

 India, or resorted there for the purposes of trade, 

 provided their investments by purchases in the 

 market, or by contracts with native dealers and 

 others. The chief places then producing silk were 

 Cossimbuzar, Commercolly, and Rungpore. 



The description of silk imported from Bengal 

 was of the kind now known by the technical term 

 of " country wound^ being wound from the cocoons 

 and reeled into skeins after the rude manner imme- 

 morially practised by the natives of India, This 

 kind of silk was suited but to few of the articles 

 manufactured in England, the chief consumption 

 being for sewing-silks, buttons, and other small 

 articles of haberdashery, &c. 



(a 2) The 



