New-York tribune., 1879-10-29
LIMOGES AND IT'S PORCELAIN.
FAMOUS OLD CITY OF FRANCE.

IRON An OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TmfINE.
LIMOGES Oct 10.-I defy anyone 10 sleep here
later than o'clock in the morning until he has
completed sojoun of n week Most Of the
trains of importance arrive at night. The tired
stranger is whisked away from the depot to his
hotel in "a bus and retires with the blissfu hope
of wrapping the drapery of his French bed around
him. and lying down to pleasant dreams, not
to be disturbed earlier than 10 o'clock next
morning. Deluded man! In the midst of that
sweet matuimal repose which is supposed
to he the very crowning glory Of good
nights slecp-thcro suddenly breaks upon his a
combined hubbub of drum and buge that makes
him for moment fear there has been another Prus-
sian INVASION. and that the garrison is suddenly
called to arms to rspulse an assault The unfortu-
nate stranger turns over in bed. rubs his eyes,
strikes match, looks at his watch, finds 1t Is u
O'clock, and then. during momentary pau'e IN the
hubbub, concludes il is all over. and prepares TO 20
to sleep again. Not much About that time the
echoes from the reveles in the different barracks,
north sOuh east aud west of the city come pouring
in-thc very air seems to rain with " tooi -a-toot
tOot " and " rub-a-dub-dub." This lasts for fifteen
minutes, and then there Is a vacation Bnt, alas
1t is miscrably brief. No sooner has the awakened
sleeper commenced on his next Tnsialment of forty
winks when, "ncarcr, clearer, dcadeT than before.
blarc of hundreds Of bugle IN the schools OF insrnc
lion which the military authorities have estab-
lishcd, il appears, at an hour early and in
locality near at hand n TO prove highly condu-
GIVE to habits of early rising among the good people
of Limoges. 10 make sure they don't 90 to sleep
again, either, every five minutes or 80 a dciach-
mcnt passes almost any given point IN town, witha
bugie and three drmmcrs 10 herald Its coming.
The amount of n all - that after vaniy hiding his
head under the pillow or be-coveTs at intervals 40
ny ana forget the racket, the unfortunate stranger
bounds out OF bed in hui1, perhaps says bad
word or two, soito rOce and suddenly rings for his
coffee. | couldn't understand when | first got to
Limoges why SO many people went about with their
ears stuffed full of cotton NOW the mystery Is un-
vccd. There about 10000 soldiers in town.
But Notwithstanding Its morning trials for the
tympauum. Limoges Possesses many charms for
the American visitor. One finds two or three dis
tiact STYLES of ciie. rolled into one There are
tous where one could well imagine himself in Rich
moud. Washington or Baltimore. as they Used to
look before tine war, 80 frequent are the blocks Of
those great. caunf. three or iour-story bindings,
with long slopng roofs and shuttericss windows.
familiar 10 those who have been IN the Maryland
or NirIinia towns; then one siumbles suddenly
ou some sT3cr, boulevard hlnkcdby granite srnc-
lures gard. ems, parks ana statHary, and two min
utes laior nlly be stroiug through some little rar-
rou crooked. uphill street, with rckciy rookcrics
un either side rohng thcir gable ends ont over his
head. as If looking down i'm surprise at an ntrudcr-
ion Limoges is drcadfully Old. Caesar stopped here
AMI paid his respect 10 the Lmoy.cos when he went
through Gaul. In the frs. century Roman bishop
c.nc here and Established CArs ian church where
the Cithcdr r. now stands that IS, on the site of
fmuer PAGAN tcmple. Richard C@ur dc Lion got
a. n q
CAalu-. Edward the Black Prince slaughtered
nearly all the people Of Limoges in his time.
Coliguy and the Duke of Anjou had battle here in
1869 Henry " OF Navarro. WHO was always
hard-up, made the Llmousns pay him a good round
sum in return for the honor OF visit. In short.
without stopping 10 give you all the many interest
ing details of the history If this attractive city Of
10000 souls. let me sum up by saying that Limoges
has always preserved the characteristics of an in
dusTious. enterprisng and orderly community
Itis generally supposed that the porcelain indus
tres of this locality date from 4 very remote pc
Rod, but such Is not the case. Tie error arises
from the fact that prior to the manufacture Of
porcelain at Limoges he city had already acquired
a great reputation for enamcllng work and dccoia-
ton. which was probably introduced by Venetian
merchants q company of whom settled here in 077
and did an extensive trade with the Orient. II was
in this art that Palsy attained such a worldwide
fame in the sixteenth century. But il Is only
little over hLndT,d JeaTs ago that the discovery
OF kaone in inoxhaustiDle quantities In tins vicin
ity gave birth 10 the manufacture of those pOrce-
Iains which lave carried the name of Lim0ge,
10 every quarter of tie world In 17GJ,
physician named Darnct Darnay made the
discovery of the existence of these Quarries of
porcelain clay at n point called st. YrielX, few
miles east of the city. and seven years later the
lrst porcelain manufactorY was established at
Limoges To show the growth of the business
since that 1t is only necessary 10 state that to-
day Ierc are 10 less ihau 14J establishments. en-
plo,lug nearly G,00O hands, engaged either in the
preparation of the kaOlin or the manufacture of
purceiIin- az Limoges.
whcr. the magnificent service for the White House
ri " ashington j. III process Oi manufacture. HE
IavIands J VIII here say, are an Institution at
Limoges. II would no longer be the same
city without them. About twenty i've years
ae0 Mr. Charles lIaviland ST.. an American, came
here and established the extensive works which
bear his name HIS SON Charles llayIland jr.. who
married daughter OF the editor oi La Atpa6iiqgc
FrGpcase. has now succeeded 10 the control oi tue
husi,i,ss Two others of his sons are also connected
with the honse. and "a fourth son i captain Of
Chasseurs i'll the French Army. Nj. Havands two
daughters have also married into wealthy and aTls-
tocratlc families III the Charcnic. In short, the
Havands universally hOnorcd and respected
here. "And,' adds every one. "tncy Dor. thcui-
selves handsomely during the dhcm"ns 0f lcIu.'
Their gTcats porcelain work, on The kur de III
CIucifx are worth VISIT especially when an op-
portunityIs courteously Accorded the NslioI ~ IN
the case of yOur correspondent 10 follow tie pro-
cess of manufacture through all It's numerous
stages. from the rough chunk of clay Il comes
from the quarry Ia the exqulsltclv decorated PaqHe
or tcacup, "A, II appears IN the museum connected
with the establishment. | Will us to sketch the
process III as few words rs possible. without being
tedious. The clay pounded puivriz Il, mo. ned
and made up INTO paste of dough as piiablc "a
putty and much softer. Ia TIN, shape n Is handed
10 the mouldcrs. whO with inconcciNabe defines
and ceicTitY turn II into an, required shape upon
plaster mouds previously prepared. once shaped
the pecc-ict us suppose II ttacup. lOr instance,
is handed IL the gGrpissoHr. generally woman,
who attaches the delcatrly moulded piece OF clay
Isttts lie tgp ~ .sI