13 



forms of use and ornament. The sea and fresh 

 water shells, the husks ot fruit, sliull bones of 

 beasts and birds, the larger egg-s'uells and the 

 horns of many kinds which had been ihe cups and 

 platters most frequently in use durinfj the earlier 

 stages of thd Stone Age, had doubtless long been 

 superseded and supplemented by vessels of basket 

 work among the less barbaric races w ho had \t arnt 

 to make them waterproof. To fold a water leaf 

 cup-wise was one of the first devices that would 

 occur to a thirsty savage, who f ^r any reason found 

 it inconvenient to lie down to the stream to drink. 

 The intervening stages between such a contrivance 

 and one of plaited leaves or rushes made water- 

 tight by greise or bteswax or some natural gum 

 are not ditlicult to follow. When fire became a 

 familiar presence among men and its power of 

 converting clay into a substance capable of resisting 

 the action of water came to be generally recognised 

 it was inevitable that the discovery should influ- 

 ence the manufacture of baskt-ts for holding 

 liquids, evi-n the best of which could not resist the 

 intrinsi<; superioiity of the new substitute. It 

 would be long, however, before the new material 

 would supersede the old, the conspicuous absence 

 ot any perfect or nearly perfect vessels among 

 the njouotainous htaps of potsherds which 

 surround the ancient cities, on the banks of the 

 Tigris, Eufihrates and elsewhere, seems to point to a 

 transition period of immense duration before it 

 became possible to manufacture an efficient substi- 

 tute for the older waie with certainty and success. 

 But though the old would survive, the new would 

 prevail. The manufacturers of vessels for food 

 a.nd drink, hitherto a basket-maker could now 

 start business as a potter as well if he were 

 minded to use clay in prtference to any other 

 material for coating his basket pots and pans. He 

 had only to bu^n his handiwork in the fire and 

 the shape once given would be everlasting in 

 defiance of the elements. After ages might im- 

 prove on the methods of the art, might more 

 heedfuUy select, refine and temper the clay, invent 

 new means of shaping and manipulating the 

 clay, of subjecting it to the ordeal of the fire, or 

 ornamenting, glazing and enamelling ; but a 

 new material and a new process has given birth 

 to a new art. What the exact siaes and shapes of 



the first specimens of ceramic art may have been 

 will probably remain undetermined, they can 

 hardly have been idi^ntical in any two countries 

 where the discovery was indigenous, but theie 

 can be no reasonable doubt that much, if not 

 most, of the earliest pottery was modelled upon 

 some natural, or basket framework. At first sight 

 it might appear strange perhaps that if the 

 shapes of the earliest pottery properly ao called 

 indicate conclusively that those vessels were 

 modelled upon basket-woik that moreot the earli- 

 est known specimens do not bear an impress of 

 the basket work upon which it was modelled ; or 

 more intentional imitation of it by way of decora- 

 tion. As a matter of fact, however, it was only in 

 very rare cases that any such marks were likely 

 to be distinctly apparent. When clay first came 

 into use for the manufacture of pots and pans, 

 the craftsmen would naturally fake for his model 

 a basket ware vessel such as had previously been 

 in use for the same purpose as that to which his 

 earthenware vessel was to be applied. He would 

 not take a mere basket intended to hold tbings 

 dry as his model for a basin to hold things wet. 

 He would take a basket already covered with some 

 material to make it water-tight. His clay therefore 

 would not take the impression of the bc\?ketwork 

 butofthecoatof WAX or whatever substance it might 

 be with which the basket-work was covered. From 

 the first, therefore, the earthenware thus moulded 

 would reproduce only the general contour of the 

 model, all minor features being effectually dis- 

 guised. The earliest efforts of the age of pottery 

 thus reproduce for us not the actual baskets of 

 the immediately preceding age of stfn«, but the 

 vessel for holding water. Much of the oldest 

 pottery comes from the banks of the Nile where 

 917 different shapes have been discovered in the 

 ancient tombs. The lecturer concluded with a 

 description of the various kinds of pottery and 

 porcelain of differett countries, and gave a history 

 of the origin of the porcelain of Sevres. 



A cordial vote of thanks was ac -orded to the 

 lecturer and the meeting having inspected the 

 collection proceeded into the Koyal Museum and 

 inspected the valuable collection which has been 

 gathered together by Mr. Bennett-Goldney's 

 energies. 



EIGHTH WINTER MEETING.— FEBRUARY 24th, 1903. 



LANTERN EVENING. 



The eighth meeting was held on Tuesday, Febru- 

 ary 24, and took the form of a lantern evening; 

 nearly three hucdred slides were shown, being 

 the work of the members, and were mucu 

 appreciated by those present. The President (Mr. 

 S. Harvey) exhibited a pane of glass covered with 

 the dust that fell on Sunday, February -i2, with 

 the rain, and said theie was little doubt that it 

 was of volcanic origin, and probably came from 

 Martinique, where there was a terrible volcanic 

 outbreak last May. The Hon. Secretary (Mr. A. 

 Laui^et) also stated that when taking the 

 meteorological observations on Sunday morning, 



Feb.22, he noticed the roof covered with the dust, 

 and suspecting its volcanic origin he had made en- 

 quiries and found it was noticed all over the south 

 of England. Samples had been sent to the Society 

 from Dover, Bridge, and other places, and these 

 had been carefully examined under the microscope 

 by Mr. Harvey, Mr, W. H. Hammond, and others, 

 and there seemed no reason to doubt its volcanic 

 origin. It was noted that the sun was obscured 

 by a peculiar haze on Saturday, February 21. It 

 is remarkable that the dust should have b. en in 

 the atmosphere for so many moLths, and have now 

 fallen such a great distance from the West Indies. 



