“Silk，“saidanoldwriter，“doesnotimmediatelycomehitherfromtheWormthatspinsandmakesit，butpassesmanyaClimate，travelsmanyaDesert，employsmanyaHand，loadsmanyaCamel，andfreightsmanyaShipbeforeitarriveshere；andwhenatlastitcomes，itisinreturnforothermanufactures，orinexchangeforourmoney。“[2]ItissaidthatthefirstpairofsilkstockingswasbroughtintoEnglandfromSpain，andpresentedtoHenryVIII。Hehadbeforewornhoseofcloth。InthethirdyearofQueenElizabeth’sreign，hertiringwoman，Mrs。Montagu，presentedherwithapairofblacksilkstockingsasaNewYear’sgift；whereuponherMajestyaskedifshecouldhaveanymore，inwhichcaseshewouldwearnomoreclothstockings。WhenJamesVI。ofScotlandreceivedtheambassadorssenttocongratulatehimuponhisaccessiontothethroneofGreatBritain，heaskedoneofhislordstolendhimhispairofsilkenhose，thathe“mightnotappearascrubbeforestrangers。“FromthesecircumstancesitwillbeobservedhowrarethewearingofsilkwasinEngland。
Shortlyafterbecomingking，JamesI。endeavouredtoestablishthesilkmanufactureinEngland，ashadalreadybeensuccessfullydoneinFrance。Hegaveeveryencouragementtothebreedingofsilkworms。HesentcircularletterstoallthecountiesofEngland，stronglyrecommendingtheinhabitantstoplantmulberrytrees。Thetreeswereplantedinmanyplaces，buttheleavesdidnotripeninsufficienttimeforthesustenanceofthesilkworms。
ThesameattemptwasmadeatInneshannon，nearBandon，inIreland，bytheHugnenotrefugees，butprovedabortive。Theclimateprovedtoocoldordampfortherearingofsilkwormswithadvantage。Allthatremainsis“TheMulberryField，“whichstillretainsitsname。NeverthelesstheHuguenotssuccessfullyestablishedthesilkmanufactureatLondonandDublin，obtainingthespunsilkfromabroad。
Downtothebeginningoflastcentury，theItaliansweretheprincipalproducersoforganzineorthrownsilk；andforalongtimetheysucceededinkeepingtheirartasecret。Althoughthesilkmanufacture，aswehaveseen，wasintroducedintothiscountrybytheHuguenotartizans，thepriceofthrownsilkwassogreatthatitinterferedveryconsiderablywithitsprogress。
OrganzinewasprincipallymadewithinthedominionsofSavoy，bymeansofalargeandcuriousengine，thelikeofwhichdidnotexistelsewhere。TheItalians，bythemostseverelaws，longpreservedthemysteryoftheinvention。Thepunishmentprescribedbyoneoftheirlawstobeinflicteduponanyonewhodiscoveredthesecret，orattemptedtocarryitoutoftheSardiniandominions，wasdeath，withtheforfeitureofallthegoodsthedelinquentpossessed；andtheculpritwas“tobeafterwardspaintedontheoutsideoftheprisonwalls，hangingtothegallowsbyonefoot，withaninscriptiondenotingthenameandcrimeoftheperson，theretobecontinuedforaperpetualmarkofinfamy。“[3]