Note 101 — Chapter IX · Birmingham—Matthew Boulton.

Boulton to Wedgwood, January, 1769.—Wedgwood was one of his most intimate friends; the two alike aiming at excellence in their respective branches of production. Their kindred efforts seem to have excited the ire of some satirist, whose effusion against them in the ‘Public Ledger’ is thus referred to in the postscript of a letter from Wedgwood to Boulton, dated 19th February, 1771:—“If you take in the ‘Public Ledger’ you’ll see that Mr. Antipuffado has done me the honour to rank me with the most stupendous geniuses of the age, and has really cut me up very cleanly. He talks, too, that he should not wonder if some surprising genius at Birmingham should be tempted to make Roman medals and tenpenny nails, or Corinthian knives and daggers, and style himself Roman medal and Etruscan tenpenny nail-maker to the Empress of Abyssinia. But see the paper: I believe it is the first week in February, and is one of the better sort of this class.”—Boulton MSS.