The Shasta courier., 1867-02-16
SH HASTA COU RIER.
The History of Silk--Its Antiquity and
Commerce.

This is the car tion chapter three, of " The
Calf ,rnia Silk Growers Manual" Just
IS ued by L. Provost of San Jose, and the
following is the chapter itself;
Silk, or the splendid material produced
hy the slk-worn was first known In ancient
t nes as ser serica, in China. 1t was
{ ere discovered in its own native forests of
the mulberry trees. In that it was called Sc,
and by transition, ser by the Greeks, and
sericuna bv the Romans, and hence, by the
different nations OF Italy, France and Eng
land it is variousy call seta, sole, and silk,
at the present dag.
The slk-worL or JomJyr mori, is a
precious insect, which is thus denominated
from moru' the plant on which it feeds.
The cultivation of silk commenced in China
seven hundred years before Abraham, and
two thousand seven hundred years before
Christ. The Emperor lIoong Ii. The En-
peror of the Earth, who reigned over China
more than one hundred years, taught the
Chinese to construct houses ships, mills and
other useful works and the Empress 81 Ling
Chi, to contribute also to the welfare of the
Empire, aided by the women of her house
hold, gathered the silk worms from the trees,
took them to her apartments, fed them with
leaves of the malberry, and being shelter
ed they yielded silk superior in quality to
that produced in the forests. She also taught
them its manufacture, and how to embroider.
Raising silk, and its manufacture, and the
weaving continued to be the principal occu-
patton Of the succeeding Expresses. Apart,
ments we're appropriated to tins purpose IN
the imperial palace; and soon, from the
highest ranks of females, it became tie oc
cupation of all ranks of China and ere long
the Emperor, the learned class, the Princes,
the Mandarins. codrties and all the rich were
attired in the splendid fabrics OF silk, until
finally silk became the great and inexhausti.
BILE source of the wealth of China. From
China it was exported to India. Persia,
Arabia, and the whole Of Asia The expe.
dition of Alexander to Persia and India first
introduced the knowledge of silk to the Gre
clans, three hundred and fifty years before
Christ and with the increase of wealth and
luxury in the Grecan Court, the demand for
silk prodigiouslv augmented. Persia also
became rich in the commerce of silk, which
they procured from China The ascient
Phenicians also engaged in the traffic of
silk, and finally carried it to the east of
Europe.
At Rome. and SO late as A. D. $50,
Emperor as luxury too expensive even for
an Empress; it's value being equal to that
Of gold by weight.
In the sixth century two monks arrived at
the Court of the Emperor Justiuiau, at Con-
stantinoplc, from missionary expedition to
China. They had brought with them the
seeds of the mulberry, and communicated to
him the discovery of the mode of rearing the
sik-worms; and although the expectation of
the insect from China was forbidden on pain
of death, yet by the liberal promises and
persuasion of Justlnian, they undertook
another expedition, and at length returned
through Bukaria and Persia to Constantine
pie, 500, with the eggs of the precious insect
concealed in the hollow of their canes or pill
grms' slaves, which they had obtained in
the far and still more distant country. Until
this time the extensive manufactures of the
PbGnician cities Of Tyre and Berytus had
received their supplies of raw silk through
Persia frcm China. Even to the days of
Justinian, according to ancient historians, no
persons at Constantinople knew that silk was
the product of an insect. 1t was generally
supposed to oe produced from the bark or
leaves of trees, or growing like the finest hair
from their branches.
In Greece, the culture and manufacture of
silk soon overspread the country. The
people of Thebes and Athens, from the time
of Justinian, cultivated and manufactured
silk for four hundred years /; and the Vene-
tans, in the hight of their prosperity and
commercial glory, carried supplies of silk
from Greece to the whole West of Eurcpe
On the downfall of the Roman Empire.
Arabia became the seat and centre of sciences
of arts and civilization. The establishment
of the Turkish power in Asia, about the
middle OF the sixth CENTURY, and the subse
quent wars, caused great interruption in the
caravan trade between China and rsia
and after the conquest of Mahommed II. :,
the Saracens or Arabians planted the mul
berry and encouraged the culture Of silk
everywhere throughout their dominions both
on the islands and on the shores of the
Mediterranean silk and mulberry trees
were introduced into Spain and Portugal by
the Arabians, on their conquest of those
countries, in III
From Greece the cultivation of silk was in
troduced to Sicily and Naples. Roger
King of Sicily. in bis invasion of Greece. in
LAO, introduced, by compulsion, many silk
weaver and manufacturers. whom he carried
to Palermo. In twenty years the manufac
lures of Sicily became famous. being adorn.
With gold and embelished with pearls. Here
1t long mysteriously remained and it was
not till 1910 that it bad extended to Piedmont
and indeed to all Italy. So extensive is its
cultivation at the present day throughout
Italy. that, according to Count DandoIo.
two thirds of their whole exports to all coun
tries consist of silk.
Its introduction into France was in 1894.
but no very important results succeeded
until, in l564, Traucat. gardener of Nismes.
established the first foundation of a nursery
of white mulberry trees, with an effect 50
successful. that from this source the cultiva
ton extended within few years. over the
whole of the southern provinces of France ::
but its final, and more complete establish
ment in France. in 1908, is due to Henry ".
who encouraged the formation of nurseries
and the manufactures of silk, even in the
nor, hern as well as middle provinces of the
Kingdom, and whose name is held in per
petual remembrance, for his noble deeds of
goodness, and works of usefulness. Oliver
de Series shares equally with him the glory of