RAW-SILK. 



XXXV 



The trial now sanctioned by Government of the Ueporu- 

 " neez," or domestic cultivation at Santipore, was 

 approved at home, and the experiment was con- 

 tinned until 1830. It was then found that the 

 results attained were not equal to the expense in- 

 curred, and the plan was consequently abandoned.* 



In 1827, the Board of Trade having received in 

 that year proposals for bringing into use at the 

 Company's filatures a new reel for more perfect 

 winding of filature raw-silk,']' for which a patent 

 had been granted to the inventors, Messrs. Heath- 

 coate and Co., of Tiverton, Devon., recommended 

 to Government that a trial should be made of it at 

 the Rungpore and Santipore filatures, in the hope 

 that it might be the means of effecting important 

 improvement in the quality of the silk. The 

 recommendation was approved by Government 

 and thirty-six bales were wound by means of this 

 reel, and consigned to England in the years 

 1828-9. 



The silk so reeled, however, was not considered 

 by the buyers at all superior to that prepared by 

 the former process, nor did it command higher 

 prices at the Company's sale. 



The agent of the patentee, Mr. Wilkinson, 



having 



* See Appendix G. t Appendix H. 



(c2) 



