, 1876-08-26
An Epic---The Japanese Port Of
Yokohama---A Woman ll9
Years Old.
Flora Round About Chicago-.The
Verbena Family.
mud~F ~Fishes-.---Exploratio ations....'Kerguo-
lens-Land Cabbage-.-Brit-
ish Oysters.

SILK,

THE s1LE.1SpusTRy IN AMERICA: \ HIS.
Tonr r,.Er:"En ron TIM CkHTsHS'Ata IT,, t.s''s M
2I7 New York: ArericEn News company
The culture Of silk originated With that most
lncient and ingenious people inhahiting tic &C.
lest!al Empire. The c1act date 1t which 1t was
begun cannot now bc determined; but. accord
'ng TO their national records, the wife o!
IIoangt tho third Emperor ot China, proved
the practlcatlr nf rearing silk.wor1n*, a',u o'
aslug the thread which they spun In the mnl-
lacturc Of dreEs-tabrics. It Il claimed by the
Chinese tint lInaug:l nourishcd about o,'0o Il.
c.; but, by SAFER calculations, Il Is estimated
that his reign commenced LOO Il. c. Aitrr
this reduction Of the term there remains
the cntrmous period Of nearly 3,GOo
ycars during which the Chinese hare
been engaged ia the culture mud
manufacture Of silk. Tie products of Their
looms were early transported by Tartar cara'
vans to the merchants of Pcrs!a a'nl Arabia:
and several centuries before the Christian Graz
the silk-inlusry hatl been introduced Into Japan,
and intp tho provinces Of Northern 1nd!a.
Tic Orcntals jcalously guarded the secret OF
tic manufacture, a,nl, for 1,a00 or 500 years
after silks were imported into Eastern Europc,
the eo.4rec Of tho texture was unknown It was
generally believed To be vegetable product, or
possibly tho web Of some spider OF beetle.
Aristotle ts the Oldest Greek writer WHO lnct'-
tlons sk; hut, hcftrc his t1ny, the raw material
Ind been brought to Cos. nntl ttcrc tlia1iIIae~
turcd into.a gauzc so thin aud lnt tint II wns
,,,Irl uwnycn Winds The webs uf Gus nit! Ut
o,,ns ,,,,,,s ,,f f,rorro ond syrf, were evll for
,'a,a ,san. ,ro:a,t IN rnlI'-tin tnst Of tLc
tte'r Wight III EoA' ~.
being SO excessive. Even ut this
great price the wealthy cftizcns Of Hume
Yerc lurrc consumers OF tue dainty fabrlcs, until
r!berus prohibited their Gclng worn ny n'en.
The sAtlrlsts Of tue time l'ra'iuea "'th shaEhe
:lloso Of either sex who were clad III the trans
,orrut t;ss,,,s of Cos, AurclIan refused lis
ts"' ~. 49, o,,',.,,,,t ~ its .x.ynrn.,art
"he ~" .oni "" "seo'''' - 10 ,s''.
,ost, anl Of the evil inl"cHee upon His SUBJECTS
of s,.cl. Royal lltlulsences.
Wlm, J,stniun. III the sixth century, Engaged,
J., ,..r viii, tI,c p,rs,ans. th,, su,,n,y uf raw
~, "a. ., ".' ,'s to.' ,,n,',',.,,, frn,, r,,in,
'lA, %h,e'l aau pcc. p'uasuS .''.. e'..,, I.'.
through ttciF lntctse'itlo" w ea''iath' ""s ."'
throughout t 10 E1nt,irc. In 555 couple Of
Nns,',r"n ,nonls WIN Ind hrru srryIur us
s,iss,,'n'r;.a y, s,o nr,,,rht IN ,lc En,nrkr
a'1ssioiae'cs ~ As'a, pFouE"t ~ tne ''''p!'o'
packagc of silkworl'l.rggs, which t'cy llatl eol'
sealei In tic Iottom If tleir pllyrim-stavcs,
ind, with tl,o precious consignment, give hin
s,.a, S,ra.a,, ",tr T., I'm u,rr. of sb-r,,,tur.
instruction III .no ''c. C,,.:.a =. ~, .,ho
% prattlccd ny Inc Chhese' ~ l'te
fortunate circumstance ~. Jnttaii y. t,S,a. WIS
clnblt to eBthullsh Inc sllR,lHuustts ~ t.al,'
and by Is revenue t1 res9orn U.S. dsiteI y.
Justiniusl rulsed t.c phtc of SILT to eight times
It's furucreost, ,a, trpricc Of tho Royal p;'Fpcto
twenty-fuur tunes TIC rev!ous Price. I!!o ~.
nuloy CEASED With his dealh, antl ~ Iroauction,
pt Eiik speedily spread through Turkey and
ASH Mhiur.
An inlcrneclne war III Chiua III sia DESTROYED
all Its lureign commerce tor lnore tan sxty
ycars yet soIndcpcndcnt nf thls suurco lIa;! tsie
sllkg Craving countries of Western Asa anu East
ern Europe hceolne, TINT noarprGc!ablc effect w's
telt upou thu prices Of their pEollists ihs rItisa
lry until tlIu twrlftI century. Pr1or to t!s!..,
!lic Arabs llud carried u knowledge o1 s1ik-cul,
lure Into Surttcrn Africa, Spain, PORTUGAL, any
Slrily At the commencement ot tue th'ftccl'tl
.cntMry, Venice uHd Genna !ta;l become
successful competitors In tho enterprise; INT
E1nrr,It... hitulruu. mil HulNralu Buult followed