SILK. 
riantly, afterward endeavoured to procure 
silk worms’ eggs from Bengal : his two first 
attempts were unsuccessful, but the third 
in 1789 succeeded, aud the advantages likely 
to accrue from the culture of silk soon en- 
gaged several pessons on different parts of 
the coasts in breeding the worms. In a letter 
to Sir Joseph Banks, dated 26th January, 
1792, he says, “ I have received accounts 
of the success of the silk worms at Palam- 
cotta and Masidipatam, as well as of the 
recovery of those that had been diseased 
by the late rains at Tritchinopoly ; so that 
a breed of this insect is already established 
in an extent of six hundred miles upon the 
coast, but it wilt rest with the company to 
render it productive.” 
The establishment of the silk manufac- 
toiy in Great Britain affords one of the 
most complete instances in which an art 
borrowed entirely fioin other nations, and 
employed on a material entirely of foreign 
growth, has been brought to such perfec- 
tion in this country, as to equal, and in some 
instances to surpass, the productions of those 
countries from which it was derived. The 
use of silk was introduced into this country 
gradually, being at first confined to small 
ornamental articles. In the year 145.5 
there appears to have been a company of 
silk-women in England, who most probably 
only used silk in embroidering and other 
kinds of needle-work, but their perform- 
ances at least contributed to bring this ele- 
gant material into more general notice. By 
an act of Henry Vllth, entitled “ Silk- 
work,” it appears that about 1504, the 
smaller manufactures of silk were executed 
in England, as it was among other things 
enacted, that from thenceforth no person 
should import into England for sale any 
kind of silk wrought by itself or with any 
other material in any place out of the realm, 
in ribbands, laces, or girdles ; but none 
of the more important branches of the 
manufacture could then have existed here, 
or such goods would certainly have been 
included in the prohibition. Tlie King 
sometimes obtained a pair of silk stockings, 
which were broughtfrom Spain, the making 
of silk hose not having yet been attempted 
in England; it was, liowever, introduced 
about the year 1561, when Queen Elizabeth 
was,' presented with a pair of black silk 
knit stockings, and is said to have been so 
pleased with them, that she never wore 
cloth hose' after. Elizabeth’s fondness of 
dress must have inclined her to countenance 
every branch of this manufacture; but, 
little was done for its improvement till the 
reign of her successor, whose active mea- 
sures for establishing the culture of silk, and 
increasing the importance of the manufac- 
ture in this country, were by no means 
fruitless. 'Ehe broad-silk manufacture was 
introduced here about the year 1620; 
and a Mr. Burlamach, a merchant much 
employed by the King, by his direction 
brought from abroad silk throwsters, dyers, 
and broad weavers ; whose assistance so 
materially contributed to the improvement 
and increase of the manufacture, tliat in 
1630 it was thought proper to incorporate 
the silk throwsters of London, and within 
four miles thereof ; aud in the following 
year the silk-men were likewise incorporat- 
ed: the weavers had been incorporated 
long before. In addition to these favours 
from Charles I. he endeavoured to protect 
the trade from what appeared to be an 
improper practice, by issuing a proclama- 
tion respecting the increase of weight of 
silk dyed black upon the gum, which was 
then considered as a great fraud, and pro- 
hibited accordingly ; but upon better infor- 
mation the King thought proper, in 1638, 
to revoke this prohibition. About the same 
time a new charter was granted to the 
Weavers’ Company, and by a proclamation 
issued soon after, they were empowered to 
admit into the freedom of their company, a 
competent number of such persons, as well 
strangers as natives, as had exercised the 
trade ot weaving at least one whole year, 
before the date of the new charter, “ who 
shall be conformable to the laws of the 
realm, and the constitutions of the Church 
of England.” It has been justly asked. 
What had the constitution of any cliurch 
to do with the trade of weaving.’ Wliat 
other political qualification could be re- 
quisite but that the weaver should be a 
peaceable subject, and, considering the 
times, a Protestant of some denomination 
or other? But many similar instances may 
be found, in which bigotry and party zeal 
imposed injudicious restrictions on trade and 
manufactures. 
In 1661 the silk throwsters petitioned 
parliament, in order obtain the legislative 
sanction to some regulations that were 
thought necessary for the security of their 
trade, which they asserted employed above 
forty thousand men, women, aud children j 
and, in consequence of this application, 
the privileges of the company were ex- 
tended to twenty miles round London, 
and it was enacted that none should set up 
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