after one or many efforts, and perhaps many more simultaneous blows of the bar, used as a sort of battering-ram—the old pot, either wholly or by pieces, is detached from the siege of the furnace.

About six or eight men take afterwards each a bar about six feet long, like a javelin steeled and sharpened at one end; they rush forward in face of the fiery furnace, guarding their faces with their protected arms, and aim a blow at such of the irregular rocky incrustations of clay as adhere to the siege. This operation is repeated until the pieces of partially vitrified clay are wholly removed from the position on which the old pot stood, which should be repaired with clay and sand. The new pot, at a white heat, is then removed from the annealing pot-arch, and carried upon the end of a two-wheeled iron carriage with a long handle, by four or more workmen, who carefully set it or tilt it backwards into its proper position in the furnace.

In the interim between removing the old and setting the new pot, an iron screen is placed before the opening of the furnace, which, having lost much of its heat, is urged gradually to its original high temperature. Seldom more than two pots are set in one week; to do more would endanger the other pots in the furnace, by their getting too cold, through the furnace remaining so long open. The fatigue and exhaustion of the men, who are often detained four hours in this operation, is also very great, and is attended occasionally by severe falls, burns, or bruises, by liability to catch cold, great excitement, energetic exertion, and exposure to the flame of the open furnace. Good pots will average three months each in the furnace, and some are known to last above twelve months; in this case, they