MATTHEW BOULTON, OF THE SOHO WORKS. 129 



and other vases, with gilt or coloured foliage, mouldings, 

 and handles ; jardinieres ; white-ware medallions, and other 

 goods of a similar kind. He also made much green-glazed 

 earthenware, and designed and produced some tea-services, 

 in which the different vessels were formed and coloured to 

 represent various fruits and vegetables, as the apple, pine, 

 melon, pear, cauliflower, &c., and these novelties took so 

 well that they soon had an abundant sale. These, like all 

 his other designs and inventions, were speedily caught up by 

 the other potters in the place, and so became a part of the 

 general trade of the district. Some of these pieces which I 

 have seen, and indeed possess, are of great excellence in 

 design, and are well painted in imitation of the fruit sought 

 to be represented. 



His connections and reputation rapidly increasing, and 

 his health improving, Josiah Wedgwood soon found it neces- 

 sary to increase his establishment, and therefore he entered 

 upon fresh premises, not far from the Ivy House ; and thus 

 he held at one and the same time three distinct manufac- 

 tories in his native town. 



One of the greatest difficulties he had to contend against 

 was the irregular habits of the workpeople and the conse- 

 quent want of order in the workrooms. To these matters very 

 little attention had hitherto been given in these manufac- 

 tories. They might probably be more easily dispensed with 

 in small works, but are essentially requisite when the com- 

 munity becomes too considerable to be always within the 

 compass of the master's eye. " He had to combat in this 

 reform the force of customs that had the authority of ages, 

 but which had tended very much to check improvement, and 

 to injure the morals of the people employed. He made 

 himself acquainted with what had been done in this respect 

 in the great manufactories of other parts that had already 

 been reduced to a state of some discipline. His worthy and 

 ingenious friend, Mr. Boulton, had lately formed his 

 establishment at Soho, near Birmingham, under nearly the 

 same circumstances, and Mr. Wedgwood adopted such parts 



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