KAOLIN, the name of an earth which is used as one of the two ingredients in oriental porcelain. A quantity of this earth was brought from China, and examined by M. Reaumur. He found that it was perfectly infusible by fire, and believed that it was a talky earth; but M. Macquer conceives that it is more probably of an argillaceous nature, from its forming a tenacious paste with the other ingredient, called petuntse, which has no tenacity. M. Bomare says, that by analyzing some Chinese kaolin, he found it to be a compound earth, consisting of clay, to which it owed its tenacity; of calcareous earth, which gave it a mealy appearance; of sparkling crystals of mica; and of small gravel, or particles of quartz crystals. He says that he has found a similar earth upon a stratum of granite, and conjectures that it may be a decomposed granite. This conjecture is the more probable, as kaolins are frequently found in the neighbourhood of granites.