Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 7.djvu/308

 212 NOTICES OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL PITBLICATIONS. The 8hakspeare Jug In treating of porcelains, Mr. Marryat gives an admirable and instruc- tive history of the productions of the East, of their early introduction into England, of the laborious endeavours to detect the secret of their fabrication, — the imitations were at first unsuccessful ; at length the combined efforts of men of science having attained to the desired result, led to the establishment of ateliers throughout Europe, under the direct encouragement of sovereign princes and rival electors. The numerous marks of fabrication, long an enigma to col- lectors, had been in greater part appro- priated by Mons. Brongniart, in the course of an actual inspection of all the manufactories of Europe ; they are given here in tabular form, augmented by the researches of the author. Our limits will not allow of entering in greater detail upon this interesting part of the subject, which, indeed, is some- what beyond the true pale of archaeo- logical inquiry. The work concludes with the history of the peculiar por- celain, technically termed " naturally soft paste," comprising the principal fabrications of note in England, as also those in France, Italy, and Spain. We could have desired to see a larger share of attention bestowed upon those sections of the history of fictilia which are national, inferior as the productions of Chelsea or Worcester m.ay be to those of Meissen or Sevres. We are, however, not ignorant of the dearth of such information and the difficulty of obtaining it ; our object in advert- ing to the deficiency is, the hope that some of our readers, who may have specially investigated these branches of national mamifacture, may contribute their store of facts to Mr. Marryat, who with the utmost candour solicits such con- tributions towards the supply, in a future edition, of what may now aj)pear insufficient. Several ex- amples of various periods, specially interesting to the English anti- quary, will be found throughout the volume ; amongst these we may cite the curious old English caudlostick, bearing date 1549, frum tiie cullecliun of the late lamented Mr. jjandinel. We may be here permitted to express the earnest wish that the charming series formed with