226 THE WEDGWOODS. 



porcelain. The information given him by the American in 

 1745 had never been lost sight of, and he prosecuted in- 

 quiries wherever he went. After many searchings and 

 experiments, he at length discovered the two materials, 

 first in Tregonnin Hill, in G-ermo parish ; next in the parish 

 of St. Stephen's ; and again at Boconnoc, the family seat of 

 Thomas Pitt, Lord Camelford. There is a kind of tradi- 

 tionary belief that he first found the stone he was anxious 

 to discover in the tower of St. Columb Church, which is 

 built of stone from St. Stephen's, and which thus led him 

 to the spot where it was to be procured. At this time he 

 lodged at Carlogges, in St. Stephen's parish, with a Mr. 

 Yelland, and was in the habit of going about the neigh- 

 bourhood with his "dowsing rod," in search of mineral 

 treasures. This discovery would probably be about 1754 

 or 1755. 



Having made this important discovery, Cook worthy appears 

 to have determined at once to carry out his intention of 

 making porcelain, and to secure the material to himself. 

 To this end he went to London to see the proprietors of the 

 land, and to arrange for the royalty of the materials. In 

 this he succeeded; and ultimately Lord Camelford joined 

 him in the manufacture of china, and, as appears from a 

 letter of that nobleman to Polwhele, the historian of Corn- 

 wall, the two expended about three thousand pounds in 

 prosecuting the work. 



Of this discovery, so interesting and important to all 

 engaged in the potters' art, and which ultimately led to 

 immense commercial results, Cookworthy has left the follow- 

 ing account. The importance of the subject a subject which 

 for a long time engrossed the Wedgwoods will warrant the 

 length of the extract : 



" It is now near twenty years since I discovered that the ingre- 

 dients used by the Chinese in the composition of their porcelain, 

 were to be got, in immense quantities, in the county of Cornwall ; 

 and as I have since that time, by abundance of experiments, clearly 

 proved this to the entire satisfaction of many ingenious men, I was 



