Por José Acúrsio das Neves, John VI (King of Portugal), José Manoel Placido de Moraes, José Antonio Gonsalves, Luiz Antonio Rebello · 1829
Typ. a Santa Catharina N° 12, Lisboa, 1829
Exemplar do Corning Museum of Glass, Rakow Research Library, USA
"From 1824 to 1880, Vista Alegre was one of the two most important glass factories in Portugal. It was also Portugal's premier producer of fine porcelain, and maintains that distinction to the present day. Influenced by the success of the Marinha Grande glass factory, José Ferreira Pinto Basto decided to create a 'porcelain, glass and chemical processes' factory. He started, in 1815, by acquiring the mansion Quinta da Ermida, a beautiful place near the town of Ilhavo and by the Aveiro estuary, in a region rich in the essential manufacturing elements of porcelain and glass (e.g., fuels, clay, white and thin sands, and crystallized pebbles). Later he bought the surrounding 100-acre (0.4 km²) premises, where he launched his project. The patent authorizing the operation of the Vista Alegre Factory was granted in 1824 by King D. João VI. Five years later, Vista Alegre was granted the title of Royal Factory, to honor its art and industrial success. The second through fourth leaves of the present work contain royal decrees of 1824 and 1826 establishing the factory. The next three leaves contain documents from 1829, including an application by Ferreira Pinto Basto, followed by nine detailed articles setting out in detail the rules and regulations for the running of the factory. The articles are signed in print by José Accurcio das Neves (1766-1834), a noted economist, who held various government posts; his writing was primarily concerned with the political implications of commerce."