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Still, however, it was thought 'to be in vain to attempt to rear this tender infect in the less genial climates of Italy or other European countries ;-and Greece enjoyed, for a good many centuries, a monopoly of this lucrative manufacture, till, at laft, the Normans, by vigorous exertions, obtained poffeffion of Sicily. This daring people, who had been fuccefsful in fo many enterprizes, which had been by others deemed impoffible, were destined to open the eyes of their fubjects, in regard to this article, as well as others. Roger, king of Sicily, about the beginning of the 12th century, imported the eggs of the filk-worm into his dominions, where they were foon found to profper abundantly.— From thence, they spread gradually all over Italy;-and Here, again, their progress was stayed for several ages.

Italy has been long deemed the garden of Europe, and its climate has been accounted the most falubrious. Men were accuftomed to look towards it with a kind of religious veneration ;-nor did those who inhabited northern climates, even venture, for a long time, to think they had the leaft reafon to fufpect it was poffible they could rear any of those products which had been peculiar to it.-At laft, however, Henry the Fourth of France, whofe mind was endowed with too much vigour to be led in the trammels that entangled the vulgar, turned his thoughts to this fubject, and faw reafon to believe that it would not be impoffible to rear filk-worms even in France itself. This extravagant idea, as it was then thought, was ftrongly combated by the fagacious Sully, who, though a man of great taJents, was incapable of entering in this particular, into the more liberal views of his illuftrious fovereign. Henry, in spite of the oppofition of his minifter, perfifted in his refolution of having the experiment tried; and the fuccefs of two hundred years has abundantly teftified, that he judged wifely; for the rearing of filk in that country has been from that time till the pre

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fent, a principal employment to a great proportion of the people of that fine country.

Here, however, the progress of the filk-worm was once more interrupted; nor would they have found their way farther northward, perhaps for some centuries yet to come, had not another hero appeared upon the borders of the Baltic, who, like Henry of France, had his mind unshackled, and his judgement clear ;—the great Frederick of Pruffia, whofe warlike exploits have been heard of through every part of Europe, but whofe beneficent internal regulations to promote the profperity of his dominions in peace, are little known, with a keennefs of perception peculiar to himself, obferved the erroneous ideas that had univerfally prevailed for fo many ages in regard to this article, and boldly refolved, at once, to introduce the culture of the filkworm on the banks of the Oder, where he faw it would furnish a lucrative and healthy employment to many thousands of his fubjects, who would otherwife have been, in a great measure, unprovided for. The experiment fucceeded;--in a few years, this valuable branch of business was fully established ;-and though he was not a young man when he formed this project, he had the fatisfaction, before his death, to see this improvement firmly rooted and fpread over a confiderable extent of country, and giving bread to a great many thousands of women and children, who would other wife have been deftitute,-and fill fpreading wider and wider every year.

This fhort hiftorical sketch of the progrefs of rearing filk-worms, will probably tend more directly to weaken the prejudices against the attempt to introduce it into this country, than any reafoning could have done. The facts above ftated are all well known, and fufficiently authenticated. It may perhaps, however, prove ftill more fatisfactory, to add a few other obfervations, sending to fhew that there cannot be the smallest rea

fon to doubt of the fuccefs of the undertaking in this country, whenever it shall be fairly attempted.

Without at present entering into the queftion of the practicability of rearing filk-worms on any other food than the mulberry leaf, my aim fhall be to fhew, that this approved food can be at pleasure raised in abundance in any part of this island for the purpose required. It is the leaf of the mulberry alone that this infect requires; therefore we have no occafion to concern ourselves about the fruit. But that the mulberry plant lives in this climate, and refifts its fevereft cold, cannot be doubted, as there is fcarcely a nursery, or an old garden in any part of the country, where the proprietor has been curious in trees, that some of them are not to be found; and I do not remember ever to have seen one plant of it that had been in the smallest degree injured by cold. It is indeed a flow growing tree here as in every country; nor does it put forth its leaf eárly in the feafon. This, however, in the prefent cafe, is a matter of no fort of importance; for as the filkworm lives only a few weeks, and as it is very easy in this climate to keep the eggs from being hatched till the very day we incline, it is always in our power to prevent the worms from coming forward, till we shall have plenty of food provided for them; so that it is a matter of indifference whether these leaves attain their full perfection in May, in June, or in July. Whenever the food is ready for them, and no fooner, we can bring the worms into life; an advantage we do not enjoy in respect to any other live stock whatever.

In regard to the preservation of the worm itself, as refpecting climate, it has been found by dear bought experience, in the countries where they have long been reared, that nothing is fo much to be dreaded, or fo difficult to guard againft, as fuffocating heat, which renders the worms fo weak and languid, as to be un-. able to spin their cocoons properly; or violent thup der, which, in one hour, is frequently known to kill

the whole stock, fo as not to leave a fingle individual to propagate the fpecies. Thefe are grievous calamities, which tend greatly to abridge the profits, and to render the bufinefs precarious and dangerous. For thefe reafons, the worms dare not be entrusted with fafety, without doors, in warm regions; though neither can they be fo conveniently managed within doors. But in Britain this inconvenience could not be experienced. Our heats are never fo exceffive as to be in danger of weakening this animal; nor are our colds during the fummer months ever fo intenfe, as to prove in the fmalleft degree dangerous to them. And as to thunder, it fo feldom happens, and it would be fo eafy here to protect them from danger when it did come, that our advantage over others in this refpect is very great.

The effects of climate on this infect, as above reprefented, are so different from what will be in general apprehended, that I fhould not have dared to mention them, except upon very good authority. The Reverend Mr. George Swayne of Pickle-church near Bristol, who obtained the filver medal from the Society of Arts in London, for his communications respecting the rearing of filk-worms, invented a cheap portable cafe for keeping the worms (a description of which, with improvements, shall be given in fome future number of this work) with a view to enable the poor who might engage in this employment to manage them with propriety. To afcertain what may be the effects of keeping them in the open air in this climate, he tried the following experiments.

"In the latter end of May laft (the 28th 1788) I put a number of filk-worms (fewer than a hundred) which were then juft hatched in the frame (the frame is quite open on all fides), and placed it in my garden. The weather at that time was cold and windy: In the evening, the frame was removed into an out-house, and returned to the garden next morning. This was

continued for a night or two; for a few nights longer, it was covered with a baffmat; and afterwards was fuffered to remain in the garden by day and night, without covering. At the time I placed these in the garden, I placed others (a fomewhat greater number) in the dwelling houfe; both colonies were fed with the fame kind of food, which was moftly the leaves of the white mulberry, at the fame time, and in a proportionable quantity, and were treated alike in every par ticular. During their growth, there was no discernible difference between them; they went through their feveral changes, and began to fpin about the fame period; indeed the first that they spun was in the frame in the garden.

"The weather, during the last three weeks, was very wet, and during the whole time unfeasonably cold. As foon as I obferved one of them in the frame begin to fpin, I took the frame within doors, as the weather was fo wet; that had it remained in its former fituation, I fhould not have been able to have attended to the fpinning of the worms, without great inconvenience."

No difference in the quality, &c. of the filk produced was remarked.

By means of this portable frame, therefore, filkworms, in this climate, can be allowed to enjoy the benefit of the open air, which is so conducive to their health, as well as to that of the perfons who attend them, while, by having a proper place provided for their reception, they can be removed thither with ease, whenever circumftances fhall render it neceffary. In thefe frames, a perfon could with ease remove twenty thousand of them at once; and by a proper apparatus, with handles, two perfons could take away at least a hundred and fifty thousand; so that in cafe of a thunder ftorm, the whole might be removed into a place of fafety in a few minutes.

On fome future occafion, this fubject fhall be refumed.

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