In the Boston _Evening Post_ of July 26, 1756, appeared this advertisement: “London pewter dishes, plates, basons, porringers, breakfast bowls, table spoons, pint and quart pots, cans, tankards, butter cups, newest fashion teapots, table salts, sucking bottles, plates & dish covers, cullenders, soop kettles, new fashion roased plates, communion beakers and flagons, & measures.” A vast number of names of other articles might be added from other lists of sales of pewter at that time—“quart & pint jacks,” “bottle crains,” “ink pots,” “ink chests,” “ink horns,” “ink standishes,” and “ink jugs.” Pewter “cans for beer, cyder, and metheglin,” were in every household; pewter mugs and pewter “dram-cups with funnels,” pewter “basons,” cisterns, and ewers graced the “parlour,” which contained also the best state bed, with its “harrateen” or “cheney” curtains. Pewter candlesticks held the home-made, pale-green candles of tallow and spicy bayberry wax. “Savealls,” too, were of pewter and iron. “Savealls” were the little round frames with wire points which held up the last short ends of dying candles for our frugal ancestors. Salt-cellars and spoons were of pewter, while extremely elegant people had spoons of alchymy, or occonny, alcaney, alcamy, occomy, ackamy, and accamy, as I have seen it spelt, a metal composed of pan brass and arsenicum. Forks were almost unknown, and fingers played an important part in serving and eating at the table. A lady traveller, in 1704, spoke with much scorn of Connecticut people, because they allowed their negro slaves to sit and eat at the same table with themselves, saying that “into the great dish goes the black hoof as freely as the white hand.” [Illustration: “The porringers that in a row Hung high and made a glittering show.” ] Pewter porringers, or “pottingers,” of every size were much prized. One family, in 1660, had seven porringers, while another housewife was proud of owning nine, and one silver queen porringer. The smaller porringers were called posnets, a word now obsolete. Posnet was derived from a Welsh word, _posned_, a little round dish. In these posnets posset was served, and they were also used as pap-bowls for infants. Posnets and porringers, when not in use, were hung by their handles on the edge of the dresser shelf. The porringers with flat pierced handles are of English or American make, while the “fish-tail” handles are seldom found in New England, being distinctly Dutch.