His apprenticeship he appears to have passed with extreme credit, and on its termination returned into Devonshire, not only with the good opinion, but with the co-operation of his late master, and commenced business in Nutt Street, Plymouth, as wholesale chemist and druggist, under the name of Bevans and Cookworthy. Here he gradually worked his way forward, and became one of the little knot of intelligent men who in those days met regularly together at each other’s houses, of whom Cookworthy, Dr. Huxham, Dr. Mudge, and the elder Northcote, were among the most celebrated. Here he brought his mother to live under his roof, and she became by her excellent and charitable character a general favourite among the leading people of the place, and was looked up to with great respect by the lower classes whom she benefited. In 1735 Cookworthy married a young Quaker lady of Somersetshire, named Berry. This lady, to whom he seems to have been most deeply attached, lived only ten years after their marriage, and left him with five little daughters; and Cookworthy remained a widower for the remaining thirty-five years of his life. In 1745 his attention seems first to have been seriously directed to experimenting in the manufacture of porcelain--at all events, in this year the first allusion to the matter which is made in his letters and papers occurs, and this only casually. In the following letter, written to his friend and customer, “Richard Hingston, Surgeon, in Penryn,” and dated May 5th, 1745, this allusion will be found. “Plymouth, 30th, 5th mo., 1745. “DEAR RICHARD, “My Eastern and South-Ham journeys have kept me of late so much abroad that I have not had opportunities of writing to thee equal to my inclination. “Thy last order went a few days since by Wm. Johns’ barge for Falmouth, which is the first opportunity that hath offered since we received it. I am sorry for the damage which happened to the pill-boxes and party-gold, but am apt to believe it was taken in the passage, as we always keep the pill-boxes in a garrett where no moisture can affect them. “Amos hath, I understand, answered thy question about the beds, which I believe he was very capable of doing effectually, having been formerly concerned in filling them at brother Fox’s. I hope his answer is fully satisfactory. “We have of late been very barren in news. But, a few days since, we had certain advice that Admiral Martin’s squadron had taken a very rich ship from the Havannah, though the captain from whom Chas. de Voigne hath received a letter says she came from St. Domingo. ’Tis allowed, however, that she hath a good deal of money on board, and so ’tis likely she may have been at both places.