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the Bag bears 36. The latter, therefore, in all Probability, is Eighteen Times thicker than the former; yet is it weaker than that of the Silkworm, which bears a Weight of Two Crams and a Half. So that Five Threads ot the Spider's Bag mult be put together to equal one Thread of the Silk- ixorm's Bag. Now, 'tis impoflible thefe mould be applied lb juttly over one another, as not to leave little vacant Spaces between them, whence the Light will not be reflected; And of Confequence, a Thread thus compounded, mutt fall fhort of the Luttre of a fol id Thread. Add to this, that the Spider's Thread cannot be wound off, as that of the Silk- Worm may; but mull, of neceffity, be Carded; by which means being torn in Pieces, its Evennefs, which contributes much to its Luttre, is dettroy'd. In effect, this want of Luttre was taken Notice of by M. de la Hire, when the Stockings were prefented to the Academy. Aga'in, Spiders furni/h much lels Silk, than the Worms. The largeft Bags of thefe latter, weigh Four Grains; the (mailer Three Grains; fo that 2304 Worms, produce a Pound of Silk. The Spider's Bags don't weigh above one Grain : Yet, when clear d of their Dutt and Filth, lole Two thirds of their Weight. The Wotk of 12 Spiders, therefore, only equal that of one Silk Worm; and a Pound of Silk will require at leaft 27648 Spiders. But, as the Bagsare wholly the Work of the Females, who fpin them to depofit their Eggs in; thete muft be kept 55296 Spidets, to yield a Pound of Silk. Yet will this only hold of the beft Spiders; thofe large ones ordinarily feen in Gardens, g?r. fcarce yielding a Twelfth Part ofthe^fc of the others. 280 of theft, he (hews, would not do more than one Silk-Worm j and 663552 of them would fcarce yield a Pound.
Commerce of Silks.
Trench Silks. 'Tis only in the moft Southern Provinces of France, that Silk is cultivated, Mulberry Trees planted, and Worms bred. The principal, are thole of Languedoc, ■Dauphine, 'Provence, Avignon, Savoy and Lyons. This latt Place, indeed, furnifhes very few Silks of its own Growth; but is the great Staple whence the Merchants of 'Paris and the other Cities are to fetch them : at leaft, they are obliged to have them pafs through Lyons, if they bring them from elfewhere, either by Land or Sea. There are computed to enter Lyons, Communibus Annis, 6000 Bales; the Bale valued at 160 Pound Weight: Of which 6000 Bales, there are 1400 from the Levant, 1600 from Sicily, 1500 from Italy, 300 from Spain, and 1200 from Languedoc, Provence unA Dau- phine. At the Time when the Manufactures of Lyons were in their Profperity, there were reckoned 18000 Looms em- ploy'd in the Silk Manufacture; but they are fo fallen, that even in 1698, there were not reckon'd 4000 The Decay is not Ids notable at -Tours. They had formerly 700 Mills for winding and preparing the Silks; 8000 Looms to weave them, and 40000 Perlbns employ'd in the Preparation and Manufacturing thereof; which are now reduced to 70 Mills, j 200 Looms, and 4000 Perlbns.
Sicilian Silks. The Commerce of the Silks of Sicily, is very confiderable; and the Florentines, Genoefe and Luc- ff/e/arethe People who chiefly make it. Great Quantities are Yearly brought thence, especially from Mejfina; part where- of they ufe in their own Manufactures, and fell the reft to their Neighbours, the French, &c. with Profit. The Italians have this Advantage, efpecially the Genoefe, over other People, That having large Eftablilhments in the Ifland, they are re- puted as Natives, and pay no Duty for the Export. Part of the Sicilian Silks are Raw; the reft Spun and Mill'd; of which laft Kind, thofe of St. Lucia and Mcffma, are the moft valued. The raw, unwrought Silks are always fold for ready Money; the orhers, fometimes, in Exchange for other Goods.
Italian Silks. The Silks brought from Italy are partly Wrought, and partly Raw, and Unwroughr. Milan, Parma, Lucca and Modena, furnifh none but the latter Kind; Genoa moft of the former; 'Boulogne affords both Kinds.
Spanifn Silks, are all Raw, and are Spun, Mill'd, efc. in England, according to the leveral Works they are to be ufed in.
Silks of the Levant, are all Raw. One Advantage we have in the Commerce of the Levant, in Silks, wanting in thofe of Sicily, is, That the latter are confined to a particular Seafbn of the Year; whereas the former are bought at all Times. They are brought from Aleppo, Tripoli, Seydtt, from the Ifle of Cyprus, Candia, &c. but the principal Place of Commerce, efpecially for the Silks of Perfia, is Smyrna. The Silks are brought hither in Caravans, from the Month of January to September. The Caravans in January, are Wen with the fineft Silks; thofe of February and March bring indifferent ones; the reft, the coarfeft. They all come from the feveral Provinces of 'perfia, chiefly rhofe of §Hlilatl and Schiruvan, and the City of Schamachia, fituate near the Edge of the Cafpian Sea; from which three Places, a Dutch
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Author attires us, there don't come lefs than 30000 Bales of Silk in a Year. Ardeuil or Ardebil, another City of Perfia, notiar diflant from thefe Silk Countries, is the Place where the Silks are laid up, and whence the Caravans fet out for Smyrna, Aleppo, and Confiaminople; and 'tis this City. vmh Schamachia, that have always been etteem'd the Centre of the Silk Trade; which has been feveral Times attempted to be removed from Smyrna and the Mediterranean, in favour of Archangel and the White Sea, by carrying them acrofs Mllfcovy, by the Volga and Dviina, two Rivers that traverle the principal Provinces of that vaft Empire. This new Courle of the Perfian Silks into Europe, was firtt propos'd by Paolo Cemurio, a Genoefe, to Czar Sajil, under the Pontificate of LeoX. The French had the fame Defign in 1626. The Duke of Holfiein, in 1633, ftnt Embaffadors to the Court of 'Perfia purely with the fame View; And in 1668, the Czar Alexis Michael attempted the thing himfelf; but was dif- appointed by the Rebellion of the Coffacks, and the furprize of Afracan. In 1688, the Commerce of Perfian Silks had like to have been removed from Smyrna by an Earthquake, which almoft ovetturn'd the whole City : And, doubtlefs, the Removal had been effected, but for the vigorous Means ufed by the Turks to prevent it. Smyrna, however, ft ill re- mains in her ancient Poffeffion; and the feveral Nations of Europe continue every Year to fend their Fleets, to fetch away the Silks; and Matters are like to remain (o, unlefs the Conquefts made by the late Czar, along the Cafpian Sea t enable his Succeflors, as 'tis certain he himfelf had fuch a Thing in View, to put this great Defign in Execution.
Chmefe, Japanefe mi Indian Silks. Several Provinces of China are fo fertile in Mulberry-trees, and their Climate fo agreeable to the Nature of Silk-Worms, that the Quantity of Silk here produced is incredible : The tingle Province of Tcbikiam might iupply all China, and even a great Part of Europe, with this Commodity. The Silks of 'this Province are the moft etteem'd, though thofe of Nanquin and Canton be excellent. The Silk Trade is the Principal ill China, and that which employs the moft Hands. But the European Merchants, who meddle in it, efpecially in Work'd Silks, are to be cateful of the Spinning, (gc. the Watte being ufiially very great, as the French Ettplndia Company lately found to their Coft. — Japan would not afford fewer Silks than China; but that the Japanefe, a barbarous and diftruftful People, have interdicted all Commerce with Strangers, efpecially Europeans; excepting with the Dutch; who are laid to be admitted on certain Terms, related by Tavemier, but which we mutt own we can't credir, fb much Horror they raife. Accordingly, the Dutch have endeavour'd to vindicate themfelves by the Pens of feveral famous Wrirers. — The Silks of the States of the Great Mogul, are brought almoft wholly from Kafem-bazar, a Medirerranean Place, whence they are convey 'd by a Canal of Fifteen Leagues into the Ganges, by which, they are for- warded Fifteen Leagues further, to the Mouth of the famous River of Indoflan. The Silk of Kafem-bazar is Yellowilh; as are alfo thofe of Perfia and Sicily; there being none, that we know of, naturally White, but that of Paletline. The Indians, however, whiten it with a Lye made of the Allies of a Tree, call'd Adam's Fig-tree; but as the Tree is pretty fcarce, the Europeans are forced to take the greateft Part of their Silks in the native Yellow. Kafem-bazar alone, is computed to furnifh every Year Twenty-two thoufand Bales of Silk, each Bale weighing 100 Pounds. The Dutch buy it almoft ail up; not to bring into Europe, no more than they do that of Japan; but to exchange it for other rich. Merchandizes; particularly Bars of Silver, gfc.
S1LLON, in Fortification, is an Elevation of Earth made in the Middle of the Moat, to fortify it, when too broad: It is otherwife called Envelope, which is rhe more common Name. See Envelope.
SILVER, a white Metal, holding'the fecond Place among Metals; being of all others, after Gold, the fineftj puteft, moft ductile, and moft precious. See Metal.
There are Silver Mines in all the Four Quarters of the World. Europe has its Share; nor is our own Ifland quite deftitute thereof, tho' it has none of much Value.
The Mines of Peru, and fome other Parts of America"} are much the richeft, and moft abundant. They appear almoft inexhauftible : Particularly thofe of Potofi, which continue to be dug with equal Advantage as when firtt dif- covered; with this only Difference, That the Veins which were then almoft in the Surface of that famous Mountain^ are now funk ro prodigious Depths, the Workmen going in- to them by a painful Defcent of Four or Five Hundred Steps. Many Millions of Indians hive perimed in them j and prodigious Numbers continue to be deftroyed yearly.
The Ores, or Mineral Stones they dig, ate not all of the fame Quality, Confidence, or Colour; fbme are white, of affi-coloured, fpottcd with red, or blue; and called 'Plata blanca. Others are black, and called Plomc-ronco. Thefe laft are the richeft and rhe eafieft wrought • No Mercury [ U ] being
