210 THE WEDGWOODS. 



arrived from Canton ; one of those artists who make the mandarin 

 figures that are hrought to England, a pair of which you may 

 remember to have seen at Mr. "Walley's shop. He intends to stay 

 here some years, is in the Chinesejdress, makes portraits (small busts 

 in clay, which he colours), and produces very striking likenesses, 

 with great expedition. I have paid him three visits, and had a 

 good deal of conversation with him, for he speaks some English, 

 and is a good-natured, sensible man, very mild in his temper 

 and gentle in his motions. His dresses are chiefly of satin. I have 

 seen him in crimson and in black. The India figures upon the fans 

 are very just resemblances of the originals. His complexion is very 

 swarthy, but the eyelashes almost always in motion. His arms are 

 very slender, like those of a delicate woman, and his fingers very 

 long; all his limbs extremely supple ; his hair is cut off before, and 

 he has a long plaited tail hanging down to the bottom of his back. 

 He has been with the King and Queen, who are much pleased with 

 him, and he is to take the portraits of the royal infantry. I have 

 not time to be more particular now, but he is far the greatest 

 curiosity I have seen. He has ten guineas a-piece for his portraits 

 which are very small." 



The patronage of the King and Queen continued to be 

 accorded to Wedgwood in all his new inventions ; and this 

 fostering care of his arts was of endless and incalculable 

 benefit to him. On the 15th of December, 1770, dating 

 from Chelsea, where their branch works then were, as I have 

 shown, Bentley wrote : 



* 



"Last Monday Mr. Wedgwood and I had the honour of a long 

 audience of their Majesties at the Queen's palace, to present 

 some bas-reliefs her Majesty had ordered, and to show some new 

 improvements, with which they were well pleased. They expressed 

 in the most obliging and condescending manner their attention to 

 our manufacture, and entered very freely into conversation on the 

 further improvement of it, and on many other subjects. The King 

 is well acquainted with business, and with the characters of the 

 principal manufacturers, merchants, and artists ; and seems to have 

 the success of all our manufactures much at heart, and to under- 

 stand the importance of them. The Queen has more sensibility, 

 true politeness, engaging affability, and sweetness of temper, than 

 any great lady I ever had the honour of speaking to." 



