8 Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. 



petitioner is willing not only to communicate all the secrets of his business 

 to any person setting them up, but also to assist them in the construction 

 of their kilns, etc. That the petitioner laid specimens of the ware made 

 by him before the Dublin Society, who were of opinion that they were as 

 good and some of them better than any imported into Ireland, and found 

 on experiments made that they stood boiling water without breaking or 

 cracking. And as it can be made near twenty per cent, cheaper than it can 

 be imported, he apprehends a great benefit will arise not only by preventing 

 large sums from going out of the Kingdom for said manufacture, but also by 

 exporting it to foreign markets, and prays for aid to enable him to carry on 

 said manufacture." 



On November 8th, 1753, it was resolved that £1,000 be given to Henry 

 Delamain to enable him to carry on the manufacture of delft ware. 



In this petition of Delamain's two interesting statements are made, the 

 one referring to the use of coal for heating the kilns, and the other to the art 

 of printing upon earthenware. Coal does not appear to have been generally 

 used for firing purposes until much later. Is is said to have been employed 

 in France about 1784, and in Delamain's petition to the English House of 

 Commons in 1754, he states that wood " has always been and is now " used 

 for firing porcelain and earthenware, so that he was probably the first who 

 introduced coal for this purpose. With reference to the art of printing upon 

 earthenware, there appears to be some doubt as to the exact period of its 

 introduction. About 1750, however, is mentioned as the probable date 

 though whether first used on Battersea enamel or on Liverpool pottery is 

 uncertain. John Sadler, of Liverpool, intended to take out a patent for the 

 invention in 1756 ; but it was never enrolled, and in it he stated that, together 

 with Guy Green, he had been working at the art for the last seven years. 

 According to the statement in Delamain's petition, he was aware of the 

 process in 1753, having purchased the secret probably in Liverpool. 



As a proof of the quality of the Irish delft the following petition to the 

 Irish House of Commons may be quoted : — " November 1st, 1753. The 

 manufacturers of block-tin in Ireland state that, owing to the great 

 importation of Eouen, Burgundy, and Marseilles earthenware, the trade 

 of the pewterers is at a standstill. That the great uses now made of said 

 French delft (which the petitioners apprehend is not better than the delft 

 of our own manufactures) is prejudicial to this Kingdom." 



On January 21st, 1754, Delamain presented the following petition to the 

 English House of Commons : — 



" A petition of Henry Delamain gent., setting forth that porcelain and 

 earthenware have always been and now are burnt and glazed with wood fires 



