VI 



Josiah Wedgwood 



commonplace books, and experiments 011 clays, kilns, 

 and colours. 



They show his untiring industry and enterprise in 

 all that he undertook during his active business life. 

 They continue, in many shapes and forms, from 1759 to 

 1794, giving way at the end to that last recipe of all : 

 "Dr. Darwin's prescription for Mr. Wedgwood/' dated 

 a few weeks before Mr. Wedgwood's death. 



The family manuscripts contain much of Wedg- 

 wood's correspondence with his wife, his children, his 

 artists, his agents, and his partners. We have invoices, 

 statements of accounts, extracts from scientific journals, 

 notes of experiments on air, minerals, coals, clays, 

 colours, and glass ; and mixed with these are notes on 

 building, canal navigation, fossils, gardening, farriery, 

 turnpikes, thermometers, vases, travels, and all manner 

 of subjects. 



Of his many letters and manuscripts, no small 

 portion was obtained from Etruria many years ago, 

 being doubtless regarded as no better than waste paper. 

 Some of these got into the possession of Joseph Mayer, 

 silversmith and antiquary, and were bequeathed by him, 

 with his collection of Wedgwood pottery, to the Free 

 Public Museum in the city of Liverpool. 



Through the kindness of the Chairman of the Mayer 

 Collection, I was permitted to take home with me the 



