rattle—we have crossed the Hamoaze by the
steam floating-bridge at Devonport — we have
rolled along well to Liskeard the straggling,
and have gone thence to Bodmin of the single
street; we have turned south for Bodmin
towards St. Austell, and we are now crossing
one of the dreary granite regions which
remarkably characterise Cornwall.

While looking out sharply for anything
new on this Bodmin and St. Austell road, we
find that the steam-engines and above-ground
tackle of the copper and tin mines are
generally speaking the most conspicuous
objects; but, about half way on the route,
when surrounded by unmistakable granite,
lo! there is a white region dazzling the eye.
White buildings, white heaps, white dust on
the ground, white pap in white tanks, white
water running in streams, white men carrying
about white lumps, white railways and
white roads bearing white carts filled with
white bricks of white earth. The White
Lady, or La Dame Blanche, might be queen
of such a place. It lies on both sides of our
road, and extends over acre after acre of
space. It is a china-clay establishment,
belonging to a company; and it is not an
uninteresting fact to reflect that china-clay
should be sent from the centre of Cornwall
to the centre of Staffordshire, and should pay
well for the cost of carriage.

By the good permission ot our smart
Jehu we will alight hereabout, and ferret out
the rationale of this china-clay affair. It
appears that the locality for working is
selected with reference mainly to these two
points — that the rock or material shall
contain as little as possible besides the decomposed
felspar of the granite; and that there
shall be available streams of water at hand.
The decomposed rock always contains some
quartz; and to remove this, the stuff is
exposed on an inclined plane to a fall of a
few feet of water, which washes it down to
a trench. From the trench, the pulp,
or paste, is conducted to the catch-pits, a
series of tanks succeeding one another at
lower and lower levels. The quartz and
other unwelcome components are in great
part retained in the first catch-pits; or,
are captured in one or other of the
following pits; insomuch that that which
finally flows out, is water-charged with very
fine white earth, free from gritty particles.
The creamy liquid is allowed to settle in a
pond or large tank; and when so settled,
the supernatant water flows from it through
holes left for the purpose. This process
is repeated with fresh portions of the white
mixture, until the tank is filled with fine
white clay, which is left until stiffened
and thickened sufficiently to be cut into
blocks of nine or ten inches cube. These
blocks are carried to a roofed building through
which the air can freely pass. When dry,
the blocks are carefully scraped on all sides—
for the potters are mighty particular in respect
to the quality—and they are then in a state
to be transported in carts to St. Austell, and
thence to Charlestown, the little harbour of
St. Austell. From Charlestown it finds its
way be sea, to Liverpool; and from Liverpool
to the Staffordshire Potteries, either by
canal or railway. There is also a goodly
quantity sent to Worcester; one of the
headquarters of the fine porcelain manufacture.
Some eight ot ten thousand tons are this
shipped in a year.

Besides the first-class china clay, which our
Magnet ride reveals to us, there is an
inferior kind found in Devonshire, and
which receives very little preparation. It
exists at Bovey Tracey, and is shipped at
Teignmouth, in much larger quantity than
the finer kind is shipped from Cornwall. It
is supposed that decomposed granite has been
washed down from Dartmoor, leaving the
grosser particles at the higher end of the
descent, and allowing the finer sediment to
accumulate below. The mode of collecting the
earth is very simple. A large rectangular pit
is sunk, and the sides are supported by wood;
the men cut out the earth or clay in cubical
masses of thirty or forty pounds each, and
hand these up by means of pointed tools, or
prongs, until they reach the surface; it is
carried to clay cellars, dried, and then packed
off to the Potteries without any further
preparation. As a matter of pounds, shillings,
and pence, the china-stone, containing quartz
as well as felspar. is the cheapest of the three;
the natural china-clay of Bovey Tracey is
the next in value; and the prepared china-clay
is the most expensive.

THE IRISH LETTER-WRITER.

THERE are few more curious and original
compositions than the genuine letter of a
half-educated Irishman. Instead of
philosophising on the subject, I will copy verbatim
a letter received some time since by a friend
of mine from a poor man, to whom he and
his sister had occasionally shown kindness.
The original document, dirty, smoke-begrimed,
and torn, lies before me. I do not change a
single letter in transcribing, and it is totally
innocent of stops:

MOST WORTHY SIR  All Be it inutil For me To
attempt to delineate my Foudre as no Vocabulary of
words can furnish me with ideas Adequate to the
Vehickle of My much persecuted feelings yet i adulate
thou will not Deem it indecoroccus or impune Me
with boldness or too much Presumption in addressing
thee Most worthy sir as an operative Cabinet maker
that has done some Work for your most respectable
Brother captain w——of the Royal navy a most
sincere friend And benefactor whom is to bee Valued
with the deepest gratitude And most renovated respect
with Profound sincerity and loves Under this head
worthy sir I made bold as being out of Imploy at
present and most sorrowfully situated with 4 in family
perishing for want of food and fire i made bold To
request if you had any Thing to be done in repairing