National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

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suffisante de cocons : contrevenir à cet ordre était, disait le décret, à révolter contre la lumière et renoncer à la protection des dieux."

The quality of Khoten silk has always been considered superior ; owing, however, to an inferior method of reeling, it cannot compete with the silk of Khokand, and Khoten manufactured silk is valueless as an article of export ; it is, however, largely used by women in chogas, and a mixed cloth of silk and cotton, known as silk chakman (mushroo), is very commonly worn by both sexes.

The wearing of garments, made entirely of silk, by men, being prohibited by the Sheriat, such have been discontinued as articles of men's apparel since the expulsion of the Chinese.

As a rule, the silk manufacture is a purely domestic business ; that is, both reeling and manufacture are carried on in the house where the eggs are hatched and the worms reared ; there is, however, a sale for cocoons in the market, the purchasers being regular traders, who sell again to reelers ; spun silk being again bought by Andijani merchants and others. Silk weavers laboring apart are usually employed by Andijani merchants, one of whom, last year, made some improvement in the reeling process, and arranged for the working of 15 reels by the turning of a single wheel. I refer to this in order to show that the introduction of machinery would be readily welcomed in Khoten.

In a note on sericulture placed in the Appendix, I have detailed what I have been able to gather on this subject.

Although manufactured silk is not exported, it is found profitable to send spun silk to the markets of Khokand, and the waste silk of Khoten finds a sale at Almati (Vernoe) . (The paper used for the note currency in Russian Turkestan is said to be made from this.)

This year, at the request of Mr. Christie of the Sujanpiir Filature (near Gnrdaspizr in the Punjab), an order was given in Yarkand for cocoons of Khoten silk to be brought down to the Filature; it was further arranged to send a certain number of cocoons to the Filature of His Highness the Maharaja of Kashmir as an experiment. It is hoped that the money these cocoons will fetch in the markets of Kashmir and Umritsur will fully repay the cost of carriage.

Mr. R. B. Shaw, in his Trade Report of 1873-74, as British Joint Commissioner of Ladakh, paragraph 63, indicates further au opening in England for the sale of refuse silk and pierced cocoons from Khoten.

"The trade in refuse silk and cocoons also promises well. Pierced cocoons (that is, those out of which the grub has eaten its way) are considered utterly worthless in Central Asia, yet in England these same pierced cocoons are in great demand, as they are treated by carding machinery and spun into threads which are used in various fabrics. There is no silk reeling industry in England, I believe, to utilise entire cocoons. The probable price mentioned for the pierced ones in Khoten is such as to leave a hundred per cent. profit after paying all expenses when compared with the rate offered in England. When a demand springs up the Khoten rate will most likely rise, leaving only a more moderate profit."

The carpets of Khoten are celebrated for the excellence of their manufacture, and for the variety of their patterns : they are made at three places in the province, Sumpûla, Yungkdsh and near Khoten itself : they are made either of silk or of wool, and gold thread is often introduced into the pattern.

The wool made use of is chiefly obtained from the Kirghiz settled in the mountain districts south of Khoten, by whom it is spun and sold in the weekly bazaars ; the dyeing is carried out by the carpet manufacturer. Madder, indigo, and cochineal are amongst the imported dyes, the mordants employed being alum in the case of browns and yellows, and grape juice for blues and mixed colors.

The cost of labor in the Khoten district is very slight, and the carpet-makers are hired as required by those who are rich enough to purchase the material and set up the frames. There are two kinds of frames, the standard frame which is placed perpendicularly, and a horizontal frame which is placed near the ground ; the latter is generally used with large carpets, but the perpendicular frame allows of the work being better done.

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