King George IV., while Prince of Wales, in 1806 visited Messrs. Davenport’s works in company with his brother, King William IV., at that time Duke of Clarence. On the accession of William IV. to the throne his Majesty gave the order to this firm to manufacture for him a superb service, to be used at his coronation banquet. This Royal Service was completed in a very satisfactory manner, and was the subject of high commendation from the king and his noble guests on that occasion. On this service the crown was first used by the firm. In the earlier years of the Longport manufactory, earthenware alone was produced, but no pieces of Brindley’s make are known. Mr. Davenport at first confined his operations to the manufacture of white, cream-coloured, and blue-printed wares, and these were of good substantial quality; his blue-printed plates with open-work rim of the same general character as those of the Herculaneum Works at Liverpool, are to be seen in most collections. Later on china was commenced, and at the present time this forms an equally extensive branch of the business with the earthenware. In both these, all the usual services and miscellaneous articles are produced, from the plain to the most elaborately decorated, both for the home, the continental, and the Brazilian markets; warehouses having been many years ago established by Mr. Davenport, M.P., at Hamburg and at Lubeck. The china produced by Messrs. Davenport at the present time is of remarkably fine and good quality, both in body, in glaze, and in make, and in all these particulars ranks among the best produced in the district. Their tea and dessert ware is of extreme excellence, and many of the patterns are unsurpassed for richness of colouring and gilding by any other house. Among these specialities, their adaptations of the fine old Indian patterns, and such designs as gave so important a character to the productions of the old Derby works in their palmiest days, are especially good. The deep blues, the rich gradations of red, and the other colours employed, are in some of the patterns laid on with a lavish richness, and being combined with the most elaborate and delicate as well as massive gilding, produce intricate patterns of great beauty and of sumptuous appearance when “set out.” Some of the cups (notably those with sunk panels, and others which are bowl-shaped and supported upon gilt feet) are of elegant form, and are as faultless in manipulation as they are in decoration. In blue and white, whether in pencilled, ordinary transfer printing, or “flown” patterns, Messrs. Davenport are highly successful; and the blues they introduce have all the delicacy and purity of the best Oriental. The same remark as to purity and cleanness of tone will apply to their ground colours--the celadon and the rose du Barry--in both of which they produce charming but simple services, as they do also in white; in the latter the “potting” of some--approaching closely to egg-shell--is remarkably