In witnesse, &c. Witnesse Ourselfe at Westm, the Twelfth day of June. By Writt of Privy Seale.
In 1694[40] Houghton thus, in his “Letters on Husbandry and Trade,” wrote[41] while speaking of the tobacco-pipe clays, “gotten at or nigh Pool, a post-town in Dorsetshire, and there dug in square pieces, of the bigness of about half a hundredweight each; from thence ’tis brought to London, and sold in peaceable times at about eighteen shillings a ton, but now in this time of war is worth about three and twenty shillings,” And again he says: “This sort of clay, as I hinted formerly, is used to clay sugar; and the best sort of mugs are made with it, and the ingenious Mr. Daught of Fulham tells me that ’tis the same earth China-ware is made of, and ’tis made, not by lying long in the earth, but in the fire; and if it were worth while, we may make as good China here as any is in the world. And so for this time, farewel Clay.” Again, on “March 13, 1695,” he thus writes: “Of China-ware I see but little imported in the year 1694, I presume by reason of the war and our bad luck at sea. There came only from Spain certain, and from India certain twice. ’Tis a curious manufacture, and deserves to be encourag’d here, which without doubt money would do; and Mr. Dowoit at Fulham has done it, and can again in any thing that is flat: but the difficulty is that if a hollow dish be made, it must be burnt so much that the heat of the fire will make the sides fall. He tells me that our clay will very well do it; the main skill is in managing the fire. By my consent, the man that would bring it to perfection should have for his encouragement one thousand pound from the publick, though I help’d to pay a tax towards it.”
Although no specifications are preserved with Dwight’s patents,[42] I am enabled, through the extreme kindness and courtesy of the present owner of the works, C. I. C. Bailey, Esq., to give recipes for the manufacture of porcelain, &c., in Dwight’s own words, and copied from his own private pocket-books. These two extremely curious books were recently discovered among some old account books and their discovery throws considerable light on the history of the plastic art at this period. One of these books, which is bound in vellum, contains on its outside front cover the words:—
“All that is in this
book was enterd since
9 ber 15 1695;”
but the other contains many earlier entries, from 1691. Both the books are in Dwight’s own handwriting. Among the number of curious recipes are the following, which possess more than ordinary interest.
“To make transparent Porcelane or China Cley.—Take fine white thirty pounds. Best cley sifted twenty pounds. Mingle & tread. This works strong and may be wrought thin vpon ye wheel.
“To make another transparent porcelane or China Cley.—Take fine white thirty pounds. Best Cley fifteen pounds. Mingle and tread. This works weaker and thicker but burns very clear with low fire.
“To make red porcelane Cley.—Take Cley sifted twenty pounds. Ffine dark Earth fifteen pounds. White ꝑ. Cyprus five pounds. Mingle & tread.