RAW- SILK, 



xxxi 



which should make them competent to work off Report, 

 all the cocoons of the silk districts which should 

 be procurable; that as large a portion as possible 

 of this supply should be provided of the fine sizes; 

 and to arrange, as soon as circumstances would 

 admit, that the whole of it should consist of the 

 filature- wound class. At this period, also, in order 

 to promote the great object of improvement, the 

 Court caused the instructions for reeling silk, fur- 

 nished by their Silk Superintendent, Mr . Wiss,* to be 

 printed, and copies of them to be sent to Bengal, 

 for the direction of the different officers concerned 

 in the provision of the investment. 



In 1812 great disappointment was experienced 

 from the deficiencv of the consiornments of raw- 

 silk. The supply from Italy being simultaneously 

 diminished, the prices of the article in the home 

 market rose to an unprecedented height. To 

 alleviate this evil, the Court directed the local 

 Government to purchase private filatures, or take 

 them on long leases, or in the event of its being 

 found more economical to erect filatures, and 

 furnish them with all necessary appendages, so 

 that they should be equal to the preparation of a 

 considerably augmented supply. The Court inti- 

 mated 



* For Mr. Wiss's Instruction see Appendix C. 



