Sec.[Section] 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That for the purpose of encouraging the culture of silk, there shall be paid out of the treasury of the State a premium of one dollar to every person who shall produce ten pounds weight of cocoons of silk, being the work of silk worms raised by him or her within this State; and in the same proportion for any larger quantity of cocoons.

Sec. 2. There shall be allowed and paid out of the treasury of the State, to every person who shall reel or cause to be reeled, and to every person who shall throw or cause to be

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thrown in this State, from cocoons produced from silk worms raised in this State, a merchantable silk capable of being manufactured into the various silk fabrics, or to the legal representatives of such person, one dollar for every pound of silk so reeled and thrown, and fifty cents for every pound of silk reeled without being thrown.

Sec. 3. The provisions of this act shall not apply to bodies politic and corporate.

Sec. 4. Before any person shall be entitled to receive the bounty as provided in this act, he, she, or they, shall prove to the satisfaction of some justice of the peace of the justice’s district in which such person resides, that the silk worms which produced the cocoons or silk for which the bounty is claimed, were raised by him or her within such justice’s district; and the same shall be exhibited and weighted in the presence of such justice, who shall examine such person or persons, on oath, in relation to the same; and if such justice shall be fully satisfied that the same applicant did raise and produce the cocoons or silk so offered within said justice’s district, such justice shall thereupon give to such person a certificate of the following tenor:

This day, A. B. personally appeared before me a justice of the peace in and for the county and State aforesaid, and exhibited pounds of cocoons ( or pounds of reeled silk, or pounds of reeled and thrown silk, as the case may be) and made satisfactory proof that the same were raised by the said A. B. in said county and State, the present (or past) year; and also made oath that neither the same nor any party thereof have ever before been presented or offered for the purpose of obtaining the premium or bounty thereon allowed by law.

Given under my hand and seal, this day of in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and .

Sec. 5. This act shall take effect on the first day of June next, and shall remain in force five years.

Approved, March 1, 1839.