5°2 
Cornish China Clay. 
[October, 
with Lord Camelford and others, secured by patent* the 
exclusive use of the Cornish china clay and stone, and with 
these materials carried on the porcelain manufacture for five 
or six years at Plymouth, that town, of course, being able 
thereby to boast that it is the place in England where por- 
celain was first made. The adventure, however, ultimately 
proved a commercial failure, and in 1774 Cookworthy sold 
his patent to Richard Champion, a merchant of Bristol, and 
his works were transferred to that city. Soon afterwards 
Champion, in conjunction with other eminent potters, re- 
moved the undertaking to Tunstall in the Potteries; and 
thus raised to the zenith of its completeness our present 
wonderful and extensive British earthenware industry. t 
Cookworthy is said to have made several improvements in 
the details of the porcelain manufacture, and old Plymouth 
china is now held in high esteem by connoisseurs. 
Of late years, also, the Cornish china clay has been 
applied to a variety of purposes besides that of making por- 
celain, and doubtless ere long many more channels of 
usefulness may open up for it, and Cookworthy's discovery 
even yet attain a still greater importance among our English 
commercial products. Indeed it is calculated that only 
about one-third of the quantity now annually raised is em- 
ployed in the home manufacture of porcelain, and more 
than another third of the total quantity is exported to 
foreign countries. The clay, on account of its bleaching 
properties, is used for “ sizing ” cotton goods in the Lanca- 
shire and Cheshire districts, and also very largely among 
paper-makers. It is also used in France in the preparation 
of ultramarine, and in Germany in connection with the 
manufacture of gilt mouldings. It has also been alleged 
that on the Continent the kaolin is widely used for adulte- 
rating flour; although, if this be true, for the comfort of 
consumers it is well to know that the clay is perfectly 
harmless when taken in small quantities. 
The district of Cornwall in which the largest deposits of 
china clay have been found is in the neighbourhood of 
St. Austell, in the parishes of St. Austell, St. Mewan, 
St. Stephens, St. Dennis, St. Enoder, Roche, and St. Blazey, 
and there are deposits on a smaller scale in the eastern part 
* It may be remarked that Wedgwood violently opposed this patent, as he 
himself, notwithstanding his many improvements in pottery, would never en- 
tertain the idea of one for his own discoveries. 
t Pottery had been made in Staffordshire many years previous to this, and 
Wedgwood had commenced his improvements about 1760, but only used in- 
ferior clays, until Champion introduced the Cornish kaolin to the Potteries. 
Coarse butter-pots were made at Burslem so early as 1630. 
