30 
MAGAZINE OF SCIENCE AND ART. 
varies so much in quality it is impossible to fix an ave¬ 
rage ; the roarers are generally very poor people, and 
the larger portion of them rarely produce over 100 lbs. 
of cocoons each bund; many even less, and they too 
often exceed their means, and stint their worms in ac¬ 
complishing this. The tendency of the larger rearers 
is the same way; they rarely calculate their means, 
and attempt to rear a larger quantity than thoy have 
either apace or food for, and satisfy themselves with 
quantity rather than quality; barring these few excep¬ 
tions, the majority of silk rearers are in the hands of 
money lenders, wlro charge them from 30 to 40 per cent, 
for tho accommodation, which would absorb all the pro¬ 
fits, if instead of employing their families, they had to 
hire labour r few or none of them, as you may suppose, 
reel off their own cocoons, and as they have no means 
to hear tho loss, should any arise from 'attempts to im¬ 
prove upon the present system of rearing, they do not 
trouble themselves about "it,_ and if we (Europeans) de¬ 
sire to see anv improvement in the cocoons, we must be¬ 
stir ourselves to effect it, and when the extra profit is 
palpable to tho natives, tlroy will doubtless come in and 
reap it. With cocoons, such as wo now have, and treated 
as they now are, we cannot reel a better silk than I have 
produced, my best having already reached 35s. Gd. per 
lb. I have seen our cocoons reeled at a first-rate filature 
in France, and a better thread was not obtained there 
than we can command here. Our operatives are not at 
all inferior in ability, but they are not half so tractable 
or careful, and in this is our greatest misfortune, and 
being a national failing, it is most difficult to surmount; 
tho rich native reelcrs encourage it; their great aim, as 
jn all other things, is the largest quantity for the smal lest 
price; they have no regard or estimation for quality, 
and the cocoons from which 1 get barely 1 lb of silk, thoy 
would get 14 at least, and at much less expense for reel¬ 
ing. There are so few Europeans in Calcutta who know 
any thing of silk, that the natives find no difficulty in 
selling their trash at profitable prices, and are conse¬ 
quently formidable competitors with us for cocoons, and 
create opposition from the operatives, who would far 
rather take employment where they can reel carelessly 
than come to oar better regulated establishments, whore 
strict attention is demanded from them ; however, we 
cannot complain of the native filatures: if manufacturers 
at home will buv their trash at profitable prices to them, 
they are qnito right in attempting no improvements. 
The general treatment of cocoons in this country be¬ 
fore reeling them, is also bad in tho extreme. They are 
usually sunned till they are as dry as chips, then halted 
and sunned again, the gam undergoing baneful changes; 
the colour becomes faded, tho fibre reduced in strength, 
elasticity destroyed, and the worms so dried up ns to have 
no weight to keep down tho cocoon at the time of reel¬ 
ing, and the thread consequently comes off less clean 
than it might; and as to sorting tho cocoons or taking 
off the floss, that is quite neglected, it would reduce the 
produce; this praeaco lias been handed down from ge¬ 
neration to generation, and I have had the greatest dif¬ 
ficulty in altering it in the Surdah filatures; and other 
Europeans, I fancy, have found the same difficulty with 
their establishments. Europeans never rear cocoons in 
Bengal; this department is entirely confined to tho 
natives, and we are obliged to purchase them through 
middle men, who go from house to house for tho purpose 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE PHIIO 
SOPHICAL SOCIETY OF NEW 
SOUTH WALES. 
Ik the pursuit of our intention to furnish 
a record of the proceedings of this Society 
we herewith present our readers a brief 
abstract of a valuable paper read by the 
Hon. E. Deas Thomson, C.B., at the meet¬ 
ing held on June 13th, 1856. The special 
interest attaching to this paper has rather 
subsided since it was read, for there is now 
established a direct steam communication 
ia the overland route, by which it is fully 
expected that mails, passengers, anil light 
cargo will be delivered in Sydney within 
50 days fr.nn England. Arrangements are 
also pending for another line of communi¬ 
cation via Panama, by which it is probable 
that the passage from England will he made 
even more rapidly. Neither of these routes, 
however, will be available for heavy mer¬ 
chandise, or ordinary passeiigers, so that 
the shrewed and practical observations 
made by Mr. Deas Thomsou still retain 
considerable importance. 
Mr. Thomson remarked, that from ob¬ 
servations made on his voyage to England 
in 1854, and on his return voyage in the 
commencement of 1856, he hail been 
strongly impressed with the persuasion 
that the application of auxiliary steam 
power to passenger ships engaged in the 
Australian trade,' might, under judicious 
arrangements, be adopted with marked ad¬ 
vantage to the Whole of the Australian 
colonies, by reducing, in a material degree, 
the length of time otherwise necessary for 
the voyage. He pointed out that certain 
portions of the voyage might he calculated 
on to be performed with - great speed and 
regularity, from the uniform direction and 
force of the wind. The portions where 
the greatest delay occurred, are at the com¬ 
mencement, and on reaching the variable 
latitudes lying between the 10th degree of 
north latitude, where the north-east trade 
generally ceases, and the 3rd degree of 
north latitude, where the south-east trade 
begins. 
It is in this intermediate) space where calms, intense 
heat, heavy rain, and occasionally heavy squalls are 
experienced. This is undoubtedly the most uncomforh 
able, as ■well as the most unhealthy, portion of tho 
voyage, occupying frequently ten days, a fortnight, o; 
even sometimes longer; whereas tho distance, about 
400 miles, might with ease be performed by means of 
auxiliary power in from 2 to 3 days—with this ad¬ 
vantage, also, that the ship might be impelled to the 
most favourable position in ■which to take advantage of 
the South-east trades. Tile wear and tear of the sails, 
which during calms is very considerable, would also 
bo avoided ; for they wouldj of course, bo furled when 
the slap "was under steam. It is probable that the 
best course in such a case would be to the eastward of 
the Canary and Cape de Verd Islands, so as to cress the 
Line about tho 20th meridian of west longitude. I 
have little hesitation in saying, that in such a position, 
a ship would be enabled to make from 30 to40 miles 
longer runs each day, when crossing the south-eas*. 
trades, than if compelled, as is frequently the case with 
sailing ships, to adopt a more westerly course, and to 
sail close to the wind, in order to weather the eastern 
capes of the continent of South America, and subject io 
