Frederick compelled the Jews to become his customers by refusing to allow them to marry till they had purchased a service of Porcelain from the royal manufactory, from the trade of which he obtained 200,000 crowns annually.

Berlin is celebrated for the manufacture of lithophanes, or transparent pictures in white porcelain. A sister of the writer possesses an exquisite nightlight-holder, and kettle, of the purest transparency; the light within exhibiting the most charming pictures perfect in light and shade. The Berlin Biscuit figures are also very charming.

English porcelain was chiefly of soft paste; that of Bow was coeval with Chelsea, to which it bears a resemblance. A bee is often seen on it, either embodied or painted on the handle or under the spout of the cream-jug.

Chelsea china was manufactured in Queen Anne's reign, but was not then remarkable for excellence. Under the patronage of George II. and the Duke of Cumberland (of Culloden memory) it rose rapidly to excellence; and in George III.'s time quite equalled Dresden china. Its colours are fine and vivid, especially the one peculiar to Chelsea, the claret colour. Paul Ferg, a German artist, and Beaumont painted the best landscapes on it. Foreign artists probably designed the birds, insects and flowers which enrich it.

The manufactory was situated at the corner of Justice Walk, and occupied the house at the upper end of Lawrence Street.

" The factory stood just below the bridge, upon the site of Lord Dartery's house. My father worked for them at one time," said Nolle-kens. "Yes," replied Betew, "and Sir James Thornhill designed for them..... Paul Ferg painted for them. The cunning rogues produced very white and delicate ware, but then they had their clay from China, which when the Chinese found out they would not let the captains have any more for ballast, and the consequence was that the whole concern failed."*

A very curious coffee-pot, supposed to have been manufactured for George II., is in the family of the writer. It has a silver spout and silver edges. It was used daily by the king; but (according to the fashion of those days) became, with all the other china and glass, a perquisite of the captain of his yacht after his Majesty's first or second voyage to Hanover.

Chelsea china is of great value, and sells for very high prices. Its manufacture ceased in 1765, whether from the merchant captains failing to obtain Chinese kaolin for ballast! or by the smuggling in of Dresden china at a nominal duty by foreign ministers, is not clear.

Worcester china is remarkable for its durability as well as excellence. Coalbrook Dale china (Shropshire) was more for use than ornament, but was nevertheless often beautiful.

French porcelain ranks very high. The royal porcelain manufacture of Sevres was patronized by Madame de Pompadour. Difficulties in procuring the kaolin, or clay, for white porcelain at first impeded this manufacture, but the needful material was again discovered by chance, that is, if observation can deserve so to be designated. Madame Darnet, the wife of a poor surgeon residing at St. Yricix, near Limoges, perceived in a ravine through which she happened to be walking, a white unctuous earth. She must have been an intelligent woman, and anxious to reduce needful household expenses, for she thought it possible that this clay might serve as a substitute for soap; so she carried some of it home, and displayed it to her husband. He, in turn, showed it to a chemist at Bordeaux, who having heard of the researches then making for proper porcelain earth, sent the specimen to the chemist Macquer, who at once declared that it was true kaolin.

From that period the manufacture rose to great eminence. Our readers will be glad to learn that the good housemother, whose wise study of economy led to this discovery, finally benefited by it. Madame Darnet was reduced to great distress, living in poverty at Paris in 1825, when she applied to the celebrated M. Brongniart, the director of the Sevres manufactory, for the means of returning on foot to St. Yrieix. The director brought her case before the king, Louis XVIII., who immediately assured her future comfort by granting her a pension from the Civil List.

Sevres china is now the first in estimation. The colours used on it are remarkable for their unequalled beauty - the bleu du roi, bleu turquoise, yonguille, ve?'t pre', and lastly, the exquisite rose du Barry, a very lovely pink, are the principal tints. The paintings on it, by Watteau and other masters, and the jewelled cups† must be tolerably well known to the reader who has visited the South Kensington Museum, etc. Bouquets of flowers (the especial work of women) are ancient Sevres, and of great value.

* Life of Nollekens. † Only genuine when the colour is bleu du roi.

The Capo di Monte china is very beautiful and very easily recognised. It is quite an original china, unlike that of either Germany or France. It is decorated in the very highest relief, and the figures are most exquisitely moulded. The late George Smith, Esq., of 21, Russell Square, well-known for his generous patronage of art, and his skill and judgment in collecting, possessed (his widow still possesses) two Capo di Monte vases of great beauty. The figures are in such high relief that they appear scarcely attached to the side of the vase, and cast light shadows upon it in some places; the paste is of wonderful excellence. The subjects are a vintage feast, dancers, etc.

The marks by which the china we have described may be known have now to be mentioned.

Oriental china is marked in two ways, either by Chinese characters which fix the reign or dynasty under which the piece was made, or by the marks of the several factories or those of the makers of the pieces; these are various, and the Chinese characters are unmistakeable (several works on the subject give the marks chronologically). The acorus or the sweet rush, the Gladiolus, the numerical 1 ( - ) and 2 (=), fish, a small thin nail, the flower of the plant Lesance, a kind of grain, two lions playing with a ball, two ducks painted in the centre of the vase, grasshoppers or crickets fighting, a hen and chickens, are all marks to be found on Oriental china, and fix with some accuracy its date; but as our limits will not permit us to give them all, we refer our readers for information to Marryat's "History of Pottery and Porcelain," a most valuable and exhaustive work, and to Mr. Bonn's volume on the same subject.

Majolica and Palissy ware (which are pottery and not porcelain) are easily recognisable from their peculiarities.

The marks on Dresden china are A.R., signifying Augustus Rex; K.P.M. (Koniglich Porzellan Manufactur); the caduceus; the Electoral swords crossed. The period when the King was the actual director of the manufactory is marked by the crossed swords having a dot between their handles; sometimes there is a star between the handles, signifying that Marcolini was director when the piece was made.

Berlin porcelain has as marks a W, two strokes of the letter being too short and the centre strokes irregularly crossed like an X; a sceptre in brown, if the porcelain be painted and gilded; in blue, if the porcelain be white. Since 1833 the marks have been the sceptre, eagle, and imperial globe in brown, on painted and gilded porcelain, and the sceptre and letters K.P.M. (Koniglich Porzellan Manufactur), in blue, if the porcelain be white; another is an eagle burnt in colour on the bottom.

Dutch porcelain of the Hague has for mark a stork standing on one leg with a fish in its mouth.

The porcelain of Denmark, which is at present excellent, is marked with three parallel wavy lines signifying the Sound and the Great and Little Belts.

Swiss porcelain is marked with a fish.

Bow china has a triangle.

Of Chelsea - the earliest had no marks - by-and-by came an embossed oval with a raised anchor on it - an anchor and cross, and next the red and gold anchor. The gold anchor signifies the best Chelsea porcelain.

Two anchors were sometimes stamped on it, and three dirty spots without glazing on the bottom of the piece also characterize this porcelain; they were caused by the clumsy tripod on which it stood in the furnace.

Sevres china marks are easily understood, for the na?ne is frequent, and royal cyphers, eagles, crowns, fleur de lis, and N with the crown imperial at once distinguish it.

The Capo di Monte marks are a figure resembling a flower with a short curled stem; a crown with a wide N under it; a tiara like an earl's coronet with N under it. These marks are painted in blue or red, or graved on the moist clay.

Plymouth china has for its mark the astronomical symbol for Jupiter. The wares in household use in England at present are the Oriental, Japan, Dresden, and Sevres, English porcelain made at Worcester and in the potteries of Staffordshire; iron-stone and stone china - a very hard and tough kind with little or no transparency; semi-porcelain made for cooking and chemical operations, and earthenware - which is known as Wedgwood's, delft ware, etc.

Wedgwood ware has been brought to great perfection. Delft is an imitation of the famous Dutch pottery which was in ordinary use in England from the reign of our Henry IV. till Wedgwood's superior production put an end to the delft trade of Holland. The Dutch tiles which were formerly used for lining fireplaces, dairies, etc. are well-known. They came into fashion in England in 1625 - Charles I.'s reign.

The materials for English earthenware and porcelain are silica, procured from the flints of the Sussex coast and from Antrim in Ireland; alumina from different sorts of clay - from Bideford and the Isle of Pur-beck come two pipe clays. A china clay (an extremely white and impalpable powder) is found in catchpools in Cornwall. Magnesium clay, slate and shale clays are also used, and bone earth which is made by removing the gelatine from bones by boiling, and then calcining and grinding them. The process of making pottery is a long one - first the clay is prepared, next thrown, as it is called; turned, modelled, or pressed; baked into biscuit - painted or printed, glazed and ornamented.