BAD STATE OF THE ROADS. 153 



perforated, and are each supported by three exquisite figures 

 on bases. They are of large size, and must have been among 

 the best and most costly productions of the works. 



The manufacture of Queen's ware, as I have said, soon 

 became general throughout the district, and numerous manu- 

 facturers sprang up around the great centre, Wedgwood, 

 ready to adopt whatever improvements by his great skill and 

 his indomitable perseverance he should from time to time 

 make, and to build their fortunes on the results of his 

 labours. The consequence was that, as we have seen he 

 said, there were one hundred manufactories of Queen's ware 

 instead of one, and ten thousand workmen employed instead 

 of one hundred. At this time Wedgwood bestirred himself 

 to have the roads improved and made more passable for 

 wares ; but in this he was met by a strong opposition from 

 the potters, who thought that if the roads were made more 

 passable, their trade would be carried away, and ruin 

 would await them! The roads, however, were mended, 

 and the- trade of the district has gone on increasing ever 

 since. , 



In the " Burslem Dialogue," to which I have on a former 

 occasion referred, the following amusing allusion to the state 

 of the roads, and of Wedgwood's plan of sending his Queen's 

 ware to Liverpool to be printed, occurs, and I cannot refrain 

 from giving it as a fitting close to this chapter: 



"Z. Oi'd summat t' doo t' get dahn t' L'rpool wi' eawr caart, 

 at th' teyme as oi fust tayd Mester 'Siah "Wedgut's wheit ware for 

 t' be printed theer. Yu known as hae ther wur noo black printin' 

 on ware dun i' Boslem i' thoos deys. 



" T. Oi remember 't varry weel. Oi s'pose as 'Siah wur abaht 

 th' same age as thiseln, Rafy, wur he no' ? 



" L. Ya, oi rek'n he wur tew year yunker til me. 



%> m When he started i' bizness fust, he made spewnes, knife 

 hondles, an' smaw crocks, at th' Ivy hahs, close to where we're nah 

 sittin'. 



" L. Ay, oi weel remember th' toyme ; an' arter that he flitted 

 to th' Bell "Workhus, wheer he put up th' bell-coney for t' ring th' 



