In the seventeenth century, however, there were many interesting squabbles with regard to glass-making patents and their infringement, and there are records of petitions to the King concerning them; but from the Patent Roll of King James I. it appears that little was done. Still, we have it on record that permission was given to import glass in 1675, and it is suggested that craftsmen in Ireland attempted to imitate the work of Continental glass-workers, and various sums of money were granted by the Universities and others interested, to assist them in so doing. Some progress undoubtedly was made, for it is clear that by the eighteenth century factories were in existence and glass was being actually made in Dublin, Waterford, Cork, Belfast, and Londonderry. Some examples of early Waterford glass are, as far as shape and size go, replicas of glasses made in England at about the same period, but the reason for the almost immediate popularity of the Irish glass was its perfection of colour. A fine specimen which recently came under my notice is a preserve jar with cover (Fig. 30), about 18 inches in height, handsomely cut and shaped, with a square base and a fine spiked cover. It is undoubtedly one of the finest examples of early Waterford glass which it has been my privilege to inspect. Genuine Waterford glass is characterised by a peculiar bluish tint in its body--due, it is generally recognised, to the presence of lead--but [Illustration: OLD WATERFORD GLASS WATER JUGS. 18th-19th CENTURY. FIG. 30.] attributed by some to some peculiar quality of the flint employed, which was obtained from pits in the vicinity. Personally, I lean to the former hypothesis. Cork glass, on the other hand, is distinguishable by a pale yellow or amber tint--in all probability the result of the presence of iron. These tones are characteristic, for though the colouring of glass has been brought by modern workers to a fine art, yet no one has succeeded in exactly reproducing them so that, to the expert eye, the genuine old Irish glass is unmistakable. About the year 1753 the Dublin Society offered a premium for the establishment of a glass factory in County Cork. There seems, however, to have been some reluctance in taking advantage of the offer, for it was not until 1782 that the first glass factory was established there. Then Atwell Hayes, Thomas Burnett and Francis Richard Rowe demanded assistance from Parliament in carrying on the industry. They proposed to erect two houses, one for bottles and one for window glass and, from their advertisements appearing shortly after in the Irish papers, offering to sell glass at their manufactory, and guaranteeing satisfaction, it would appear that their venture met with considerable success.