600 Professor A. H. Church [April 12, 



mare's nest," and has not furnished a " typical illustration of the 

 reason why what is called ' science ' does not carry conviction when 

 dragged into the concerns of everyday life." 



And now I turn to another criticism of the already-quoted pas- 

 sage from the latest Parliamentary Paper on Westminster Frescoes. 

 It will be found in the Journal of Gas- Lighting for the 21st of 

 August last. The writer, after stating that he is not then disposed 

 to question the opinion that it is sulphuric acid which is the chief 

 destructive agency at work on the Westminster paintings, argues that 

 the greater licence allowed to the gas companies will result in an 

 improvement of the London atmosphere. The line of argument is 

 this — " the use of gas will be extended by the cheapening which the 

 slight increase in the permitted amount of sulphur in the gas 

 involves," and in consequence less coal will -be burnt, and there will, 

 therefore, be less sulphuric acid produced and thrown into the atmo- 

 sphere. For it is admitted on all sides that the burning of coal is 

 the prime source of the sulphuric acid in the general atmosphere. 

 Of course, if gas were made at or near the collieries, and sent in 

 pipes to the big cities, and displaced coal for heating as well as 

 lighting purposes, we should go far to abolish town smoke, and should 

 greatly lessen the sulphuric acid. Unfortunately for the actual 

 cogency of this argument, we find that the three chief gas companies 

 in the county of London have not reduced the price of their gas 

 in the smallest degree since the relaxation of the rule about sulphur, 

 while their gas has, during the twelve months ending September 30, 

 1906, discharged into the air three times as much sulphuric acid 

 (and during the last three months, four times) as it did under the 

 former restrictions. This is, indeed, a retrogade movement. 



One word more on this subject. The wall-paintings in the 

 King's Robing Room at Westminster are, or rather were, true 

 frescoes. Yet the Westminster Gazette stated, in one of its issues of 

 August last, that a representative of the paper was told at the 

 National Gallery that these works " were not real frescoes, but oil 

 (paintings) on soft plaster." No person of experience and authority 

 in Trafalgar Square could have made so absurd a statement. The 

 paintings referred to, five in number, were executed in true fresco by 

 William Dyce, R.A., four of them between the years 1851 and 1.854, 

 while the fifth and largest was completed in 1864. 



Before going further, I would direct attention to the amount of 

 calcium carbonate which the minimum quantity of sulphuric acid 

 yearly produced from coal-burning in London might transform into 

 gypsum : 500,000 tons of this acid might destroy 510,200 tons of 

 CaCOg, evolve 204,080 tons of CO2, and produce 877,544 tons of 

 gypsum. This change is, moreover, accompanied by an expansion, 

 100 vols, of calcite producing 12(1 vols, of gypsum. Happily, part 

 of this sulphuric acid passes away harmlessly, yet the havoc done is 

 everywhere conspicuous, on stone, marble, and mortar. 



