432 
near three thousand worms spinning. A German pamphlet from Berlin 
served me for instruction, and to make a spinning-wheel, for my Pomeranian 
model was lost. I had such a great call for cocoons, that, instead of near a 
pound, which I might probably have had, I got but ten ounces of Silk, 
taking eight or nine cocoons to a thread. I sent some of the Silk to her 
Imperial Majesty, of glorious memory, she being a great promoter of all 
sorts of Industry. I received a most gracious letter of thanks from her hand: 
I sent likewise some Silk to the Society of Economy at Petersburg, whose 
President, Count Anhalt, wrote to me a letter of thanks and approbation. 
Por myself, X got a pair of knitted white silk stockings, having no loom for 
weaving in this neighbourhood. 
The two following years abut the same number were reared, though more 
might have been so. The sucklings of my old trees transplanted beginning 
to give a pretty deal of leaves, this year I expected to have had eight thou¬ 
sand ; but being obliged to make a journey in the beginning of May to the 
southern parts of Russia, beyond Kiovia, which journey took up the whole 
summer, the young lady I intrusted with rearing my Silkworms, full of 
eagerness for the trial, exposed the sheets with the eggs to the sun too 
soon, when the leaves had scarce begun to break. Overjoyed at the prodigi¬ 
ous number that crept out, she forgot my prescription, and counted more 
than sixteen thousand at the onset; but the trees were then almost bare 
of leaves; she could not resolve to throw one half away, to save the other; 
so most of the poor Silkworms died, and scarce two thousand remained, 
which gave much smaller cocoons than in the former years. I am even in 
danger of losing my old trees, for they seem weakened by being stripped 
too much. Most of my old trees, which are rather bushes of about six, 
seven, or eight feet, branching from the ground, are of the black sort, bear¬ 
ing very small fruit, much smaller than in England: but those I take to be 
such, because they suffer somewhat more by the frosts, and the little creatures 
eat their leaves more eagerly than from the others. 
No insects I ever observed on either: the Rev. Mr. Swayne’s remarking 
some earwigs, is a phenomenon I never heard of in Italy, nor this summer 
at Kiovia, nor have I found it in any book. 
Prom these premises, Sir, we may perhaps venture to draw the follow¬ 
ing outlines of what might be proper to come nearer to the useful and 
extensive aim of the Society. 
