The history of silk, cotton, linen, wool, and other fibrous ... - Cd3wd.com

AFTER ITS FIRST INTRODUCTION INTO EUROPE. 69
silk-worm was ever bred there. So far is this from being the
case, that it appears to be a country very ill adapted for the pro-
duction of silk*. It may indeed be true, as stated by Latreille,
that Sir-hind was colonized from Khotan, and it may be men-
tioned as a remarkable circumstance in confirmation of this
supposition, that there is a town called Kotana a httle way to
the North East of the City of Sir-hind. But, supposing this
account to be correct, it is highly probable that the settlement
of Sir-hind as a colony of Khotan did not take place till after
the year 530, when the breeding of silk-worms was according
to Procopius introduced into Europe from " Serinda." Rather
more than 120 years before this time India was visited by the
Chinese traveller. Fa Hian, who on his way passed some
months with great delight and admiration in Khotan ;
and the
special object of whose journey was to see and describe all the
cities of India where Buddhism was professed. The inhabi-
tants of Khotan being wholly devoted to that delusion, the
same system must have been estabUshed in its colony; and,
since this zealous pilgrim crossed India at no great distance
from the spot where Sir-hind afterwards stood, we cannot doubt
that he would have mentioned it, if it had existed in his age.
He says not a word about it ; and the time is comparatively so
short between his visit to India and the date of the introduction
of silk-worms into Europe, that we can scarcely suppose Sir-hind,
the colony of Khotan and consequently the seat of Buddhism,
to have been in existence either at the former or latter periodt.
In another passage of his history {Bell. Pers. 1. 20.) Pro-
copius throws some light upon our subject by stating that in
consequence of the monopoly of the trade in raw silk by the
Persians, Justinian attempted to obtain it throngli the ^thi-
» " The S. W. portion of the Circar Sir-liind is extremely barren, being cover-
ed with low scrubby wood, and in many places destitute of water. About A. D.
1357 Feroze the Third cut several canals from the Jumna and the Sutulege m
order to fertilize this naturally arid country."—Walter Hamilton's Description of
Hindostan, vol. i. p. 465.
t Foe Koue Ki, ou Rdlation dcs Royaumes Bouddiqnes : Voyage dans la Tar-
tarie, dans I'Afghanistan, ct dans ITnde ; traduit du Cliinois et comment^ par
Remusat, Klaproth, et Landresse. Paris, 1836, 4to.