Wedgwood at Work again 233 



greatly limited. We husband what little portion is 

 allotted to us with tolerable economy. We rise before 

 the sun, often before daylight, and pursue our experi- 

 ments until supper calls us away, and even some time 

 after, and yet all is too little for the studies before us. 

 The boys drink in knowledge like water, with great 

 avidity, and quite to my satisfaction. Jack is very 

 deep in chemical affinities, and I have no fear of his 

 making a tolerable progress in the science, for it is 

 much pleasanter to him than grammar! Indeed, I 

 have some fears of the latter being neglected for his 

 new study." Wedgwood gives in his letter some 

 painted colours effected by Prussian lixivium, as being 

 calculated to make the study pleasanter for young 

 people, and easier to be stored up in the memory. 

 Besides, Dr. Darwin and Mr. Walton (the lecturer on 

 chemistry) quite approved of the method. 



In May 1779, Wedgwood had two family pictures 

 modelled by Stubbs, the animal painter, in the following 

 manner : "Sukey playing on her harpsichord with Kitty 

 singing to her, which she often does ; and Sally and her 

 younger sister on the carpet, in some employment suit- 

 able to their ages. This to be one picture. The pen- 

 dant to be Jack standing at a table making fixable air 

 with his glass apparatus, and his two brothers accom- 

 panying him. Tom jumping up and clapping his hands 

 in joy and surprise at seeing the stream of bubbles rise 

 up, just as Jack has put a little chalk to the acid. Joss 

 with the Chemical Dictionary before him in a thought- 



