Porcelain and Earthenware. 259 
IV. Varieties of ware. 
A short description of some of the different kends of ware will con- 
clude this imperfect account of a manufacture, so abundant in par- 
ticulars of scientific interest, that a volume would be insufficient for 
the details. 
The most ancient specimens which have come down to our own 
times are the Babylonian, the remains of which are the bricks, and 
some vessels of earthenware, found in the ruins of Babylon. The 
bricks are thirteen inches square by three thick, with curious inscrip- 
tions stamped upon their surface, in a character wholly unknown at 
the present day. ‘The vessels are a “fine red earthenware,” but of 
their form or design we have no information. 
The ancient Egyptian is an earthen substance similar to enamel, 
of a deep blue. 
The Persian porcelain is so perfect that the body of the ware is 
like a fine translucent enamel within and without; its grain is so 
compact and so well resists the fire, that for culinary uses it is equal 
to vessels of metal. ‘The best Persian is made at Schiraz, though 
at Yezd in Caramania, and at Ispahan, it is a subject of great inter- 
est and competition. 
The real porcelain of China is an artificial gem, and furnishes 
the most perfect examples of this beautiful art. There is a mystery 
about this fabric however, that has not yet been fathomed by Europe- 
ans. Both Reaumur and Wedgewood ascertained by chemical analy- 
sis, that there is an inherent difference between the Chinese, and 
European porcelains: for while many of the latter, particularly the 
English became perfectly vitrified, and the best Dresden began to 
bend—the real King-te-ching did not even soften, but remained unal- 
tered at the Hietiens possible degree of heat. Whether this infusi- 
bility which is the basis of its superiority, is caused by: different pro- 
portions of the constituent parts, or by some peculiarity in the ori- 
ginal condition of the native earths—or some difference in con- 
ducting the processes, is not known. It appears that when the com- 
bination is such, as that the vitrifiable constituent can be fused only 
by the greatest possible heat, and when the heat of the furnace 
reaches that point, the choicest porcelain is the result. The body 
of the Chinese ware is a compact and shining substance, the in- 
fusible ingredient being enveloped by the vitrified part, producing 
a smooth impenetrable, lustrous semi-transparent texture of great 
Vou. XXVI.—WNo. 2. 34 
