98 1EAE-E00K OF FACTS. 



quarries to determine -which beds of the stone would resist the 

 London atmosphere, and which would not? Mr. Grissell denies that 

 any practical mason, even Mr. Smith himself, had he been the party 

 selected for the purpose, could have undertaken to decide this point. 

 Thereupon Mr. Smith replies that — 



He and the other Commissioners did strongly recommend, " at the onset," not 

 only that some fit person should occasionally inspect the quarries, but also that a 

 properly-qualified individual should frequently, perhaps two or three times a 

 week, examine the stone at Westminster, with lull power to admit or reject any 

 of the blocks. But such recommendation was entirely disregarded by the Go- 

 vernment authorities at Whitehall-place. There might have been some diiliculty 

 in finding a duly-qttalified man to undertake BUch supervision : no mere chemist, 

 mere practical Btonemason, nor mere anybody else, could have performed the 

 duties with credit to himself and advantage to those who employed him : it must 

 have been a man possessing a certain amount of general scientific attainments, 

 conjointly with long practical experience in the selection of different kinds of 

 stone, and actual handling of the mallet and chisel. >"o doubt many such per- 

 sons were to be found, had they been sought after. 



.Mr. Smith continues : By far the greater portion of the stone appears to be of 

 a good and durable quality ; and it is worthy of especial notice that the carvings 

 show scarcely a trace of decay. Along the whole length of the river front there 

 is a series of heraldic sculptures, executed in stones originally weighing perhaps 

 five tons each, with rampant animals as, supporters, carved in very bold relief, 

 consequently, more exposed to all the severities of frost and thaw, rain and Ban* 

 shine than mouldings or plain surfaces j yet all these large shoes are 

 from decay as when they were just left by the carvers. This may seem to infer 

 that the workmen, or the principal carver, exercised considerable discrimination 

 in the choice of the blocks ; that is, to take such as would cut and work freely, 

 or appear to be of one uniform quality throughout their entire mass : and we now 

 have positive proof that such stones are amongst those of the least perishable 

 quality. 



Mr. Smith then refers to the Parliamentary Report of March, 

 1839, after his first tour of inspection to the newly- discovered quarries 

 in the neighbourhood of Bolsover Moor. 



He likewise, in August, 1843, proceeded with Sir II. T. De la Becheto examine 

 and report especially upon the Anston quarries. On each of these occasions, 

 fair average sample blocks were, procured, forwarded to London, minutely 

 examined, and mechanically ami chemically experimented upon, in order to com < 



} tare their physical properties with samples from other quarries, and from old 

 inildings in the neighbourhood, in a manner precisely similar to the mode 

 adopted on all former occasions connected with the Parliamentary Comr. 



Mr. Grissell then quotes in justification the statement of Trofessor 

 Ansted that — 



To all outward appearance the stone which hasfa'led was, before being <licd in 

 the building, as sound an. I SB I Oitable as that Which remains Bound ; and up to 



the period when he (Mr. Grissell) oeaaad to be concerned for the Government, 



ace, the only stone which hod showed symptoms i 

 was thai which ha.! been used in the under surfaces of string-courses and oornioes, 



while that which had been thoroughly exposed to wind and weather, particularly 



tho plain surface, was perfectly sound. 



We now return to Mr. Grissell' s own defence, in] which he states 

 that — 



Solotv IBI were crystallized they were the best stones that could hi> 



taken, and the tneni examined In the enurohea in the neighbourhood of the 



quarry selected wen) to prove this j but, unfortunately, the quarry from which 



i I n taken was not found to be in such a State as to BU] 



large a quantity us was required for the Houses of l'arliauicnt, and they were 



