Page:A tour through the northern counties of England, and the borders of Scotland - Volume II.djvu/179

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Along, uniform, and neat village, inhabited en- tirely by the workmen of Mr. Wedgwood, intro- duced us to the manufactory, which is as pictures- que as a building of that kind can well be; the Staffordshire canal here resembling a river, rolling its waters between it and the elegant mansion of Mr. W. the banks shaded with trees, and rising beauti- fully on each side. Here upwards of two hundred people are employed in making the various beautiful productions of this classical manufactory; particu- larly that durable and compact ware, richly glossed, undergoing every vicissitude of heat and cold unin- jured, combining the desiderata of elegance and cheapness, emphatically and properly denominated Wedgwood' sor Queen s -Ware; which, with a triumph almost unique of utility over fashion, has banished from the table the costly products of China, of Saxony, of France; and instead of their hideous and tawdry patterns, has introduced articles that blend simplicity with splendour, and taste with beauty. The process observed is similar to that already de- scribed of Worcester and Derby the materials are the whitest clays from Cornwall, Devonshire, and Dorsetshire, and ground flint. From this compo- sition the following exquisitely beautiful articles fexclusive of the table ware) are made, great abundance of which may be seen at the ma-

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