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vegetable colours would be decomposed by the
intense heat of the furnace.
Glazing consists in covering the inner or outer
surface, or both, with a coating, which is vtrifed
or changed to glass, by the heat of the furnace in
which the ware is baked. The ingredients of the
glazing are finely ground, and mixed with water,
and in this fluid state applied to the ware, which
mbbcs the water, and leaves the solid ingred-
ents on the surface. The European porcelain
requires to Re partially burnt before the glazing
! is applied, but the Chinese is SO compact as to
suffer no injury from dipping in the fluid glazing,
after being merely sun-dricd
Porcelain is sometimes used for other purposes,
than the fabrication of hollow ware. The Dutch
decorate the lambs and mantes of their fire. la-
ces with painted porcelain tiles, and churches
and other public buildings were often foored in
the middle ages, with varicgated, figured and
glazed tiles of extraordinary beauty. The recent
use of this material for writing tablets or states is
familiar, and it seems capable of profitable appli-
cation TO a vast variety of purposes, for which
other materials have been hitherto used. The
porcelain Of Scvres is sometimes formed into fiat
tablets, on which are executed impershable cop
les of fine paintings, and sold at enormous rates.
At the annual exhibition of the products of French
art at Paris in 1920, round centre table of Sc
vres porcelain was shown, the leaf and foot each
of single piece, the former more than three feet
in diameter, and covered with the finest copies of
some OF inc principal pictures, statues ana otier
works of art in the Louvre executed by six dis
tinguished artists. The perfection, to which
painting on porcelain has attained is chiefly due
to the ingenuity of Madame Jacquotot French
lady, whose productions surpass everything pre-
viously accomplished in this art. The plastic
+, flexbilty of clay renders it a material Of high
value in other arts, and even sculpture owes
much of its perfection to the facility, with which
the artist can model his conceptions in clay, and
thus test the realization Of his ideal, before com
mencing the work in marble, when of course any
considerable deviation from the original design
is impracticable The ancents sometimes made
use of this material in statuary, and statues OF
clay both burnt and unburnt have been found in
many countries. Clay stamped or beaten in
frames is occasionally used for the walls of cheap
houses even in Europe, and it is extensively en-
ployed for the same purpose in India, and other
Eastern countries.
The art of pRIcKMAKrSa, being of great anti
putty, although probably not chronologlcally
next to that of pottery, may, from its similarity
of material, fifty find place here. Bricks
were doubtless first used in some of those warm
| Eastern countries where rain rarely falls, and
the tenacity of the clay being increased by
working in straw or rushes, they did not require
to be burnt. In those climates, houses construc-
ted of such brick would be in many respects
: preferable to those of wood, and would not only
ou'ast their builders, but might endure for cen
, turtles, is proved by the unbaked bricks still
found in the ruins of Babylon These bricks
were moulded as at present, and frequently
stamped with figures and inscriptions. They
are from twelve to twenty inches square, aut
three or four in thickness, and so hard as to ring
like clinkers, when struck. The burnt bricks
5 found in the same ruins of similar dImcn
sions and figure, and of such strength and dura
biliy, that the piers of bridge constructed o
, them, and by antGuares supposed to be
the same mentioned by the prophet Baruch, arc
t still standing. The bricks used by the Roman:
= were somewhat larger than the modern, and the
courses were occasionally bound by tiles not less
, than two feet square | may here mention
Q singular union of the arts Of pottery and brick
making, in ancient architecture. Arched roof:
l and ceilings were often constructed of hollow
clay pots united by cement instead of stone oil
, common brick. This practice seems to have
, been resorted to, for the purpose of Tightening
/. the weight and pressure of the arch but in some
, instances these pots or vases were disposed a!
!, to facilitate the propagation of sound. Bricks
t as is well known, are generally formed by filling
: a wooden mould open on two sides, with TEN
pered clay, but various mechanical contrivance:
| have been proposed for moulding them, none o.
which have been sufficiently simple and e fec
| tive, to supersedc the common mode of filling
the mouds by hand. Pressed brick are much in
r use, and are superior to common brick in weight
solidlty, and smoothness of surface. The pres
sure is applied when the bricks are partly dried
t wet clay approaching too near the nature OF {
fluid to be readily compressbfc. Bricks are ap
Piled to other purposes besides ordinary building
+, and one Of their most important uses is the con
structlon of furnaces, for which purpose they
are moulded from fire clay, sometimes tempered
= with other ingredients Fire bricks have beer
!, made, not only possessing the property of resis
ting the hottest fires, but so light to float il
$ water, and at the same time almost perfect non
conductors of heat. In connection with Thu
n branch of the subject, may mention the use o
t tiles for roofing, Roofing tiles thin curvet
g plates of baked and glazed clay, moulded with
Q lip on one side and corresponding lange OF
the other. They make tight and durable roof
: ing, but are objectionable from their weight
=, which requires strong carpentry for their sup
4 port,
. Whether the art ofbrickmakinc proceeded tina
of urwIyG STONE is not easily determined, bu
it is certain. that the art of shaping hard stone
by some means not now well understood wa
4 one of the Oldest and most primitive arts. In
all rude nations, the earliest cutting instru
4 mcnts, and the first weapons of war and the
Y chase as well as the mortars. which are the
! primitive flour mills. are always of this materi
l AL The kinds most commonly used were fin