Porcelain and Earthenware. 935 
now made of various kinds, and of superior quality in England, not 
only for home consumption, but largely for exportation. . 
It could not have been Jong after the discovery of the plastic qual- 
ity of clay; and that by drying or burning it became impervious to 
water; before the wants and ingenuity of man suggested the appli- 
cation of it to vessels for domestic and culinary uses. Earthenware 
being peculiarly adapted to keeping water pellucid and cool, jars and 
vases for holding it, soon became articles of first necessity, where it 
was not plentiful, as in Syria, and many of the middle and eastern 
parts of Asia. Allusions to earthen vessels—to the potter’s clay and 
the potter’s wheel, occur in the most ancient writers. ‘The plastic 
properties and consequent uses of clay are noticed in the book of 
Job, the most ancient book now extant; and the potter’s wheel is re- 
ferred to by Homer in his description of Achilles shield.* Earthen 
vessels were in use among the Hebrews when they received the law 
from Moses; and the prophets often refer to the power of the potter 
over that most ductile material the clay, as illustrating the relative 
position of man in the hands of him, who moulds our purposes at 
his will. 
The arts flourished soon after the deluge, to a surprising extent 
in Sidon the capital of Phenicia, a narrow country, between mount 
Lebanon and the most eastern coast of the Mediterranean sea. 
This city was nearly coeval with Babylon, being founded soon 
after the confusion of languages, more than 2000 years before 
Christ. It excelled in manufactures of fine linen, embroidery, ta- 
pestry, metals and glass; of the latter there were many varieties; 
such as colored, figured, turned by the lathe, painted, cut or carv- 
ed, and even mirrors; but no mention is made, at this date, of por- 
celain, unless the article named as painted glass was a species of 
that manufacture. To this people is ascribed the invention of 
boats—of navigation—of the application of astronomy to nautical 
purposes—of book-keeping—of writing—of arithmetic and of weights 
and measures. ‘They sent colonies to Greece, and Italy, and with 
their little boats of wicker work, covered with leather, they coasted 
the Mediterranean, and made various setilements in the south and 
west of Europe, and on the northern shores of Africa. At a very 
early period a colony of Phenicians settled on the west coast of Italy, 
and carried the perfection of their arts and manufactures to Etruria 3 
* Moses wrote 1452 B.C. Homer in 907 B. C. 
Vou. XXVI.—WNo. 2, ol 
