rnamental part, however, the Dutch fell immeasurably short of the
potters of Florence; blue seems to have been the only colour employed by
them; and their favourite patterns appear to have been either copies of
the Chinese, or European and Scripture subjects treated in a truly
Chinese manner and taste.

"It is about two hundred years ago since some Dutch potters came and
established themselves in Lambeth, and by degrees a little colony was
fixed in that village, possessed of about twenty manufactories, in which
was made the glazed pottery and tiles consumed in London and in various
other parts of the kingdom. Here they continued in a flourishing state,
giving employment to many hands in the various departments of their art,
till about fifty or sixty years ago; when the potters of Staffordshire,
by their commercial activity, and by the great improvements introduced
by them in the quality of their ware, in a short time so completely beat
out of the market the Lambeth delft manufacturers, that this ware is now
made only by a single house, and forms the smallest part even of their
business.

"The articles of delft ware, for which there still continues to be an
effective demand, are plain white tiles for dairies and for lining
baths, pomatum pots, and a few jugs, and other similar articles of a
pale blue colour."

(_To be continued._)

* * * * *

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

* * * * *

NON-PROPOSALS, OR DOUBTS RESOLVED.

I wonder when 'twill be our turn
A wedding here to keep!
Sure Thomson's "_flame_" might quicker burn,
His "_love_" seems gone to sleep!
I wonder why he hums and haws
With 'kerchief at his nose:
And then makes one expecting pause,----
Yet still he don't propose.

I wonder whether Bell or Bess,
It is he most admires,
Even Mistress Match'em cannot guess--
It really patience tires.
He hung, last night, o'er Bella's chair,
And things seem'd at a close--
To-day 'twas Bess was all his care,
But yet he don't propose.

He's gone to concert, play, and ball,
So often with them now,
That it must seem to one and all
As binding as a vow.
He certainly _does_ mean to take
One of the girls, and close
The life he leads--the flirting rake--
But yet he don't propose.

I often wonder what he thinks
We ask him here to do--
Coolly he Cockburn's claret d