Hard China is formed chiefly of Kaolin or Cornish clay, felspar, sand, and selenite ; but Soft China, which is more frequently made in England, has a different composition. Bones calcined and ground are largely used in the manufacture of English china, combined with aluminous and silicious earths in such pro portions that they will vitrify together. The mode of mixing the materials, and the general processes of manufacture, are nearly the 'BRDIO as for earthenware.
The decoration of china by enamel colours and gold affords employment to a great num ber of persons, some of whom attain great excellence in their beautiful art. The colours used are all prepared from metallic oxides, which are ground with fluxes, or fusible glasses of various degrees of softness, suited to the peculiar colours with which they are used. When painted, the goods are placed in the enamel-kiln, where the fluxed colours melt, and fasten to the glazed surface, forming co loured glasses. The gold, which is applied in the form of an amalgam ground in turpen • tine, is afterwards burnished with steel bur nishers.
Pottery, comprising the coarsest and com monest wares, involves the use of clay only, and requires much less careful processes than porcelain or earthenware.
The porcelain manufacture has made great advances within the last few years. The Exhibitions of manufactures in this country have afforded room for the honourable emu lation of manufacturers from different dis tricts ; while the excellence of Sevres, Dresden, and other foreign manufactures of porcelain, have shewn our native artists what aro the points in which we are still excelled by our neighbours. The production of statuettes in
biscuit and pariah has lately reached a high degree of beauty; especially in those specimens which, under the name of Art Manufactures, have called forth the inventive skill of Bell, Marshall, and other sculptors, and the prac tical skill of Minton, Copeland, and other distinguished manufacturers. Slabs of highly decorated porcelain are now much used in fire-places, and in many forms of house decoration. The mode of pressing dry porce lain powder into various forms has given rise to many new productions [BUTTON Mx:Nunn rum] ; and the combination of parti-coloured clays has enabled the manufacturers to imitate many of the pavements and floors of the Romans [TESSELATED FLOORS.] In respect to the commerce in these articles, it is the plain, neat, well made, and well glazed earthenware, for which the greatest demand exists in foreign countries ; for no where are such things so excellently produced as in England. The export in the last three years has been 1848 53,286,076 pieces.
1849 61,528,196 „ 1850 76,952,795 ,, Two-thirds of these quantities go to the United States. The more costly porcelain, and the rough stone-ware, are not so largely exported as earthenware.