The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-10-15

3Ae woeks Of Bernaed Palsy had eivsn me- q
tgssentiment Of the unknovn which perplexsd
~ thoughts. At least I thus began to com.
peshsnd il; but al thst vas osly feeble
germ. To produce itsslf, il must Erst fsrmspt
It'll longer in my head. 40 idea then occurred
70 me, Without doubt a. > step towards the
great work which shouM sftefwards have the
tenerity TO undertake; recolisct that my in.
felligepce was never more alert than when SHE
vent and placed herself 1t the tips of my ten
6ngsrs and took measures to cut out work
II Thought fer dead birds, and stuffed
then Z my attempt succeeded. took q taste
tot it. studied auatomy and little natural
history, and, at the end Of q certain time, I had
made varied collection Of nearly four hundred
birds. They advised me to take shop, and
establish myself; this was in 184l. met by
chance, an old comrade who had booth in the
Place du Carrousel, where be was not thriving
an his business. He let II to me, and left M.
Jules Guerin and opened shop. Nv eolIection
lof birds.was sold in twinkling, and promptly
replaced. My trade prospered, and / began to
acquire certain reputation for ability. Every
MondAE fifteen or twenty specimens we're
brought to me from the country to be stuffed.
High personsges visited more than once my
little cabinet Of natural history. The Prince
% Joinville came often, incogniso, into my
shop, inquired the prices without bargaining,
and Immediately after sent footman to buy
difsFent things. When the Prince shot any
birds Of importance, he ordered them to be car
ried to Pull to be mounted. / have still the
fook of stag which ought TO have prepared
to form q bell.rope handle. was in vogue.
mssried in 1874. In 1851, orders were issued
to asmove all the booths from the Place du
Cafsousel, and opened in the Rue de Seine q
large magazine of birds, stuffed animals, an.
tigtities, curiosities, and Delft-wares.
The prosperity of my business, by inspiring
me with confidence in myself gave the last
step to my ideas. When / recollected the
progress had made, and the knowledge / had
acquired; when reflected that, without having
. notion of anatomy or natural history, had
tried an industry of which I was practically and
entirely ignorant, and that nevertheless had
succeeded, holiness came to me by little and
little. ! said to myself, "The hand which can
give the look of life to these charming little
dead birds, could it not knead, mould, or model,
little rustic figures, and give them the gestures
and the colors Of life?" This thought warmed
and boiled in my head. From the time when
it was in fusion, nothing could prevent the ex.
dared to believe in the possibility of initiating
the works of the master. From this time, my
resolution was firm and unshaken. Prior to
commencing experiments, resolved to make
every imaginable sacrifice, and even to deprive
mysef Of necessaries TO attain my object. The
date of this epoch was l842.
What would be the use of telling all my trials
and attempts, and, above ell, my disappoint-
meDtsf They were innumerable, or, what is
more exact, they were all the result had of all
my days of labor in these first apprentice times.
They are easily understood. It was out of
Paris, in the provinces, and in secluded spot,
that 1 made my 6rst patches, because wished
my experiments to be surrounded with the
greatest mystery. / remained there sometimes
fifteen days, and sometimes six weeks. At
home, in Paris, began studying the argillace.
Qua earths, to find out the secret Of the enamels,
but like . man cropping in the dark. I pounded
IN ne uasssri.i. --Aich Z supposed iihsay tn DC
useful to my projects; mixed them at ran
dom, but took care to note down the substances
and the doses employed. Some of my speci-
mems came ont of the FIRE imperfectly cooked,
and others of them burned. 1 made nothing
of the least value. did not know what to do,
and had always to begin again. I consulted
the works of Bernard Palissy, reading and re-
reading them until had them almost by heart,
but they did not guide me, for / could not as
yet understand anything in them, they are so
full Of hidden meanings. 1t is only now that
the light has broken upon me, and / under
standthem perfectly. Thus employed several
yeass searching for the unknown, paying to hui
mag in6rmity my tribute of moments of dis
enlargement; and sometimes I caught myself
doubling if were in my senses. In the eyes
of by friends and acquaintance I passed for q
visionary; and my wife was told continually
that poor Pull had gone crack. But these
hours of doubt aud encouragement were of
short duration; and, as Bernard Palissy said of
himself, the hope which had made me pro
coed in my business more manfully than ever"
After so many researches, attempts, and mis-.
haps, although had not produced anything
which in the least Satisfied me, and although /
had not as yet found the last word of my art,
an inward voice seemed to tell me that had
found my clay and my enamel, and the only
thing wanting was good method Of baking
them. While making all my preparations, and
taking all my precautions, Judging from the
state of my head, | seemed to be mad, or be.
coming it. But when I saw the earth coming
out of the FIRE clothed in brilliant enamel and
lively. colors, when / saw running lizards,
swimming fishes, leaping frogs, budding plants.
growing grass, upon my dishes, / thought my
eyes we're deceiving me. Not that had OBJ
tanned q complete success, which is not reach
ed at the first throw, but from having obtained
. result which announced to me what should
accomplish when could give myself entirely
up to the fabrication Ct my dear potteries. /
sold my collection of birds and my store of an
Equities, and established myself in April,
eighteen hundred and fffy.six, at Vanguard
Ever since, have tried to improve my pro-
ductiohs, to acquire more perfect models, and
the science and harmony of colors. Moreover,
when / had dared to believe that my work
might be accepted as q happy continuation of
the admirable Debts of the master, when /
thought it was admitted that had re-discover.
ed an art entirely lost, submitted my produc-
tions with con6dence TO men of eminence in
the arts, and subsequently to the public. Their
Judgment has been very favorable to me, and
have found in it my recompense for long and
paisful years of labor. With regard to pub
fishing my mode of manufacture, must upon
this point also follow the example of my cele.
brsted predecessor. His work 10 full of reser.
vations; / also ought to have mine and / say
safer meditating and struggling unceasing.
", after fatiguing body and mind, solving pro
blems patiently, the destiny of the potter Of
Naintes, who carried with him to the tomb the
practice of his best discoveries, one has good
right certainly not to vulgarixe the secret Of his
procees-not to throw to the wind of publicity
the fruit of his pains . man ID quite free to
bury his treasures with himself"
Brilliant propositions have been made to me
to carry my industry abroad but cling TO my
country, and shall not emigrate. Household
Words.
INTERESTING RELIc.-We find in the last
number of the Culpeper Observer the subjoined
letter, addressed to General Washington by o
citissn Of Fauquier county, Virginia, in the
year 1881:
Elk Run, FAuQuIrR Co., Va,
= january 20, 1871.