Belleck White Porcelain.
The factory at Belleck, County Fermanagh, Ireland, was established by Messrs. Armstrong and McBirney in 1856-7, and the porcelain was produced from the Felspar clays on the estate of J. C. Bloomfield, Esq. The use of salts of bismuth, resin, and oil of lavender produced the lustrous glaze for which this ware is remarkable, and the colours obtained from metallic oxides. So unique is this porcelain that no mark is required to identify it; but there is one stencilled or painted upon it in brown, green, or red, and the design is a round tower, a harp, shamrock, and greyhound—the former three being characteristic emblems of the country—but I do not know the origin of the latter. Perhaps it is the crest of the Bloomfields of Fermanagh, on whose estate the felspar was found.
[ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS.]
MEDICAL.
Troubled One.—Yours is a complaint which often causes great uneasiness to girls of your age. It is usually of very little import, and its greatest harm results, not from the condition itself, but from the patient’s fixed idea that she is suffering from some serious ailment. Almost anything can cause it. Indigestion and anæmia are among the most common causes. You will probably find that carefully treating your indigestion will cure your trouble. A short course of iron, if your digestion will stand it, will do you good.
Kanowna.—Try washing your face with warm water and sulphur soap. A very little sulphur ointment applied to your face at night-time will help you.
S. D.—1. Yes; vaseline is not a bad preparation for the hair. It is rather messy, and does not suit some persons’ hair. As regards the question, “How often should you wash your hair?” it depends a good deal upon yourself and the condition of your hair. If the hair is quite healthy, it need not be washed more often than once a month.—2. Simply a curiosity. It means nothing.
Mavis.—Read our advice to “Troubled One.” Of course, in a case like that of your friend, the question of a local cause for her symptoms must be considered. A course of iron, or of iron with some astringent, such as aromatic sulphuric acid is often of extreme value when the annoyance is due to constitutional causes. When taking iron in any form, constipation must be carefully guarded against.