142 THE WEDGWOODS. 



successful artist in more splendid works ; and hence it 

 happened that most of his forms were found to be useful 

 studies, and they became patterns not only for the manufac- 

 turer in his own way, but for the silversmith and most other 

 workers in metal. They have also been sought for with 

 great eagerness by the conductors of porcelain manufactories 

 on the Continent, and often sent to China as patterns for 

 the manufacturers there. To this last use of them Mr. 

 Wedgwood always thought it right to throw in the way 

 every impediment he could, because the Oriental porcelain, 

 better adapted in its forms to the European table, would 

 very materially injure the sale of English earthenware in 

 many foreign markets, where the former is admitted on low 

 duties, or none at all, and the latter pay very heavy duties. 



" About the same time he adapted to the uses of pottery 

 that curious machine the engine-lathe, heretofore employed 

 only in the turning of ivory, wood, or metals. He first 

 became acquainted with the engine-lathe from a large folio 

 volume on the subject in French, which is now perhaps in 

 his library. It was so rare an instrument that the possessor 

 of one in London refused to let him go into the room where 

 it was for a few minutes without paying five guineas. 



" By the friendly assistance of Mr. Taylor, of Birmingham, 

 he readily got one of them made at that place, and a person 

 instructed in the manner of using it. The first application 

 he made of this machine was to the red porcelain, which, 

 being of a close texture, and without a glaze, was well 

 suited to receive and retain a sharpness of work ; but he also 

 used it to decorate the vases which he made at that time in 

 the green ware, after the antique, and the designs of several 

 ingenious ladies of this country. And it enabled him to 

 introduce so great a variety of new workmanship upon his 

 wares of every species, both for ornament and use, that it 

 may well deserve to constitute an era in the art of pottery, 

 having become so necessary to it that there is scarcely a 

 work without one or more of them." 



The Bell Works are situated at the corner of Brick Street 



