42 
[Assembly 
quartZj quenching them in water and then reducing them to powder in 
a mill. 
67. Clays of a good quality occur abundantly in various parts of 
Staten and Long-Island, and upon proper trial they would no doubt be 
found to answer the purposes of this manufacture. There are also seve- 
ral localities in Orange county where similar materials may be obtained. 
Near Southfield furnace, in the latter county, is a bed of decomposed 
feldspar known by the name of porcelain earth, which will probably be 
of great value in the manufacture of pottery. This substance is of a 
pure white colour when dry, a little unctuous, and is supposed to be 
abundant. 
68. As for feldspar used in glazing and also in the body of the finer 
kinds of pottery, we have several localities in Orange county, in Warren 
county, near Caldwell, and also in the counties of Jefferson and St. 
Lawrence; while quartz, of a good quality and in sufficient abundance 
for the same purpose, is found in Orange, Columbia and other counties. 
69. Those who are at all acquainted with the history of the arts both 
in this and in other countries, must be aware that their progress has of- 
tentimes been extremely slow, and it will not be surprising if the manu- 
facture in question, although now of so little value to us, should be- 
come an extensive and important one. Previously to about the year 
1760, England depended wholly upon other countries for the finer kinds 
of pottery; — the English w^are being generally of an inferior quality. 
But in a few years after the investigations and consequent improvements 
of Mr. Wedgewood, the current of importation of even the finer earthen 
wares was changed in that country to exportation, and their manufac- 
ture has at length become of such vast extent that it is not easy to cal- 
culate its value. 
So it has been with many of the arts now successfully prosecuted in 
our own country. A great number of articles, for which we were but 
a few years since entirely dependent on foreign nations, are now manu- 
factured by our mechanics and in our own w^orkshops. 
Metallic Minerals. 
In my report for 1837, I described the principal localities of the ores 
of iron and lead in this State, at least so far as I was then acquainted 
with them. Much additional information has been acquired in regard to 
these minerals by the subsequent investigations of those who are engaged 
in the survey. I have myself visited several localities during the last 
