Salt Glaze.
It is said that the delft-ware potteries were preceded by a maker of salt-glazed stoneware—a German named Wrede or Read—and a curious story is told in connection with him and the difficulty he had in establishing his works. It appears that the people being surprised at the glaze he produced on his ware, and at the secrecy he endeavoured to preserve regarding his pottery, and noticing the dense clouds of vapour which every now and then arose from his kiln (caused, of course, by the throwing in of the salt through the fire holes when the ware had arrived at a certain degree of heat), believed that he had called in supernatural aid, and that the fumes which ascended were caused by the visits of the devil. He was “mobbed” by the people, his place injured, and he was forced to fly the town.