Intelligence and Miscellanies. 167 



to their places, and finally cleaned with care, and slightly 

 revarnished. 



5thly. As the accumulation of dust arising from sweeping 

 so large a room, and what is much worse, the filth of flies, 

 (the most destructive enemies of painting,) if not carefully 

 guarded against, renders necessary the frequent washing and 

 cleaning of the surface of pictures, every repetition of which 

 is injurious, I have directed curtains to be placed, which can 

 be drawn in front of the whole, whenever the room is to be 

 swept, as well as in the recess of the Legislature during the 

 Summer, when flies are most pernicious. 



6thly. As nothing is more obvious than the impossibility 

 of keeping a room warm and dry by means of fire, so long 

 as doors are left open for the admission of the external air, 

 I have further directed self-closing baize doors to be prepar- 

 ed and placed, so that they will unavoidably close behind 

 everyone who shall either enter or leave the room. 



When the doors are kept closed, and fires lighted in the 

 furnaces below, to supply warm air, I find the temperature 

 of this vast apartment is easily maintained at about 63° of 

 Fahrenheit ; and the simple precaution of closed doors be- 

 ing observed, in addition to the others which I have employ- 

 ed I entertain no doubt that these paintings are now per- 

 fectly and permanently secured against the deleterious effects 

 of dampness. 



I regret that I was not authorized to provide against the 

 danger of damage by violence, whether intended or acciden- 

 tal. Curiosity naturally leads men to touch, as well as to 

 look at, objects of this kind ; and, placed low as they are, 

 not only the gilded frames and curtains, but the surface of 

 the paintings are within the reach of spectators : repeated 

 handling, even by the best intentioned and most careful, will 

 in the course of a few years, produce essential damage. But 

 one of the paintings testifies to the possibility of their being 

 approached for the very purpose of doing injury : the right foot 

 of General Morgan, in the picture of Saratoga, was cut 

 off with a sharp instrument, apparently a penknife. I have 

 repaired the wound, but the scar remains visible. If I had 

 possessed the authority I should have placed in front, and at 

 the distance of not less than ten feet from the wall, an iron 

 railing, of such strength and elevation as should form a com- 

 plete guard against external injury by ill-disposed persons ; 

 urjless they employed missiles of some force. 



