368 Account of the Origin of the Art 



then to Lipswick; and from thence to Draisden, the duke of 

 Saxomes Court, where we had notice of the place where the 

 plates were made ; which was in a large tract of mountainous 

 land, running from a place called Seger-Hutton, unto a town 

 called Awe, being in length about twenty miles ; the tin-works 

 being there fixed upon a great river running clear along the valley, 

 and also upon some little rivulets that run out of the mountains 

 of Bohemia and Saxony; and coming to the works, we were very 

 civilly treated, and, contrary to our expectation, we had much 

 liberty to view, and see the works go — with the way and man- 

 ner of their working and extending the plates, as also the per- 

 fect view of such materials as they used in clearing the plates, 

 to make them fit to take tin, with the way they use in tinning 

 them over, when cleared from their rust and blackness. And 

 having (as we judged) sufficiently obtained the whole art of 

 making and tinning the plates, we then came for England, where 

 the several persons concerned in the affair thought fit to make 

 some trial in making some small quantities of plates and tinning 

 them, which was done; and all workmen that wrought upon 

 them agreeing that the plates were much better than those which 

 were made in Germany; upon which, preparation was making 

 to set this beneficial thing at work; — but, it being understood 

 at London, a patent was trumpt up, and the patentee was 

 countenanced by some persons of quality — and what with the 

 patent being in our way, and the richest of our partners being 

 afraid to offend great men in power, who had their eye upon us, 

 it caused the thing to cool, and the making thereof was peither 

 proceeded in by us, nor possibly could be by him that had the 

 patent; because neither he that hath the patent, nor those that 

 have countenanced him, can make one plate fit for use*." 



This enterprising individual, who spent the greater part of his 

 life in promoting schemes for the good of his country, and who, 

 in the opinion of Bishop Watson, ought to have had a statue 

 erected to his memory f, proceeds to inform us, that before 



they 



* England's Improvement, &c. page 149-152, Part II. 



t The following particulars which I have collected respecting Mr. Var- 

 ranton, will tend to justify the good Bishop in this opinion. He was bound 

 as an .apprentice, early in life, to a linen draper, but after some years he left 

 that situation in disgust. In the year 1C52 he took some iron works, which 

 he carried on forseveral years; and during this period, he made regular 

 surveys of the three great rivers in England, and by means of associations 

 which were formed by himself, lie rendered three other rivers navigable — 

 he studied agriculture vi'ith such effect, that many of the arable estates in 

 the midland counties were rendered doubly productive by the new methods 

 of husbandry, which he either brought from abroad, or discovered ; — he laid 

 a plan for the junction of the Thunics and Severn nt that sput where of late 



yean 



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