“The monastery of Lou-che (_occupied by Buddhists_) is to the south-west of the royal city. Formerly the inhabitants of this kingdom had neither mulberries nor silk-worms. They heard of them in the East country, and sent an embassy to ask for them. The King of the East refused the request, and issued the strictest injunctions to prevent either mulberries or silk-worms’ eggs from being conveyed across the border. Then the King of Kiu-sa-tan-na (_i. e._ _Koustana_, or _Khotan_) asked of him a princess in marriage. This having been granted, the king charged the officer of his court who went to escort her, to say, that in his country there were neither mulberry-trees nor cocoons, and that she must introduce them, _or be without silk dresses_. The princess, having received this information, obtained the seed both of mulberries, and silk-worms, which she concealed in her head-dress. On arriving at the frontier, the officers searched every where, but dare not touch the turban of the princess. Having arrived at the spot, where the monastery of Lou-che was afterwards erected, she deposited the seed both of the mulberries and worms. The trees were planted in the spring, and she afterwards went herself to assist in gathering the leaves. At first the worms were fed upon the leaves of other plants, and a law was enacted, that no worms were to be destroyed or sacrificed until their quantity was sufficiently great. The monastery was founded to commemorate so great a benefit, and some trunks of the original mulberry-trees can yet be seen there[80].” [80] It may be observed, that the folds of the turban are not unfrequently used in the East to convey articles of value. See Journal of a Tour in Asia Minor, by Charles Fellows, London, 1839, p. 216. In the following passage (_Règne Animal, par Cuvier, tom._ v. _p._ 402.,) Latreille mentions Turfan as an important city as far as it affected the early silk-trade. In other respects his account coincides with that already given. “La ville de Turfan, dans la petite Bucharie, fut long-temps le rendez-vous des caravanes venant de l’Ouest, et l’entrepôt principal des soieries de la Chine. Elle était la métropole des Sères de l’Asie supérieure, ou de la Sérique de Ptolémée. Expulsés de leurs pays par les Huns, les Sères s’établirent dans la grande Bucharie et dans l’Inde. C’est d’une de leurs colonies, du Ser-hend (_Ser-indi_), que des missionaires Grecs transportèrent, du temps de Justinien, les œufs du ver à soie à Constantinople.”