for many purposes. You may have seen it, for instance, for Seltzer water bottles. "I know what you mean," said Lucy. "This was the safest and best ware we had," continued Mr. Frankland, "before Mr. Wedgwood's time. It is said, that the first idea of using powdered flints was suggested to a poor Staffordshire potter, by accident."

By accident! I am glad of it," said Lucy. "I like to hear of discoveries made by accident, especially by poor people."

"There was a Staffordshire potter, whose name is forgotten, or whose name I forget, he stopped on a journey to London, at Dunstable, in Bedfordshire, where the soil is flinty and chalky. He consulted the hostler of the inn where he stopped, about some disorder in his horse's eye. The hostler advised that powdered flint should be put into the eye; and for this purpose he threw a flint into the fire to calcine, that is to burn it, that it might be

more easily pulverized. The potter, who was standing by, observed the great whiteness of the calcined flint, and being an ingenious, as well as an observing man, immediately thought of applying this circumstance to the improvement of his pottery. He first tried the experiment of mixing finely-powdered flints with tobacco pipe clay; he succeeded to his hopes, and made white stone ware, which put all the brown and coloured stone ware out of fashion. Ugly as you think it, Lucy, it was much approved, till Wedgwood came, and gave us something better that creamcoloured ware, which was called queen's ware, because it was first patronized by Queen Charlotte. It was then, and not many years ago, prized in palaces; now it is used in every cottage, and known in every place where plates or dishes are to be found. After this queen's ware, he invented all the varieties which you have seen, and many more."

Mrs. Frankland rang the bell, and or

dered the servant to bring a plate of cream coloured Wedgwood ware, another of the white stone ware, a crock of the dark glazed kind, and a common red garden pot; these she placed in the order in which they had been made, beside Wedgwood's beautiful vases, to show Harry and Lucy the difference and contrast.

"And all these improvements, or at least the greatest part of them, were made by one man," thought Harry. "Then more was done by him during his life time than had been done in hundreds of years before."

Lucy asked, if any lucky accidents had happened to Mr. Wedgwood? which put improvements into his head, or gave him the first idea of any of his inventions. She said she should like very much to know the story of these, if Mr. Frankland would tell it to her.

Mr. Frankland said, he did not know of any such, and observed, that though one or two fortunate accidents might occur to

the same person, it was not possible that such progressive improvements, as Mr. Wedgwood had made, could have been suggested by accident, or accomplished by any one who had not scientific knowledge.

"I should like very much," said Harry, "to know what he did first, and what he did next, and how he went on from one experiment to another."

"Of all this, I cannot pretend to give you a history," said Mr. Frankland; "for I am not sure that I know it clearly myself. All I can tell you is, that he improved the potteries by the introduction of substances, which had not before been employed in the composition of these wares. It had been found, that some Cornwall granite is as good for making porcelain of a certain kind, as the clay which the Chinese use. Mr. Wedgwood introduced Dorsetshire and Cornwall clays."

"Perhaps you could tell me, sir," said Lucy, "how the delicate blue of the ground of this flower-pot is made."

"That is given by a substance called cobalt," said Mr. Frankland. "But as you have never seen it, the word cobalt teaches you little."

"I wish I knew," said Lucy, "how the beautiful colours of the flowers on the dessert plates, and how the purple and rose colours on this cup are produced."

"The purple and rose colours are given by the precipitate of gold dissolved in nitromuriatic acid: the oxides of iron also produce many of the colours which you admired. But as you are not acquainted with any of the oxides of iron, or with nitric or muriatic acid, or with the precipitate of gold, you know nothing more from my answer than a number of names, which probably you will not be able to remember an hour, and which, unless you learn their properties, could be of no use to you, even if could keep them in your head all your life."

you

"But without telling us all those hard names, sir," said Lucy, "could not you