NOTES ON THE LATE COLLECTING SEASON 



CANADIAN BLUE MARBLE. 



MAGNIFICENT LONDON PALACE TO HAVE SIXTY TONS 

 OF SODALITE CORNICES. 



The Princess of Wales has to her credit one of the 

 greatest sensations in building material in nian}^ years, 

 nothing less than the re-introduction of " blue marble " for 

 interior decoration. It is used in the outer entrance liall of 

 Brock House, the great Park Lane palace that Sir Ernest 

 Cassel bought two years ago from Lord Tweedmouth, and 

 that he has fitted up in marble and with a richness of detail 

 that even the Caesars never dreamt of. The work now 

 nearing completion makes London stare. The main stair- 

 case contains 800 tons of statuary marble from Sarravezza. 

 Michael Angelo, sent from the Vatican in 149c to prospect, 

 was amazed at the beauty of this material, and it is said his 

 report to the Pope deprecated its quality so that he might 

 obtain a monopoly of the mine for his own sculptures. 

 From that date all Angelo' s masterpieces were chiselled 

 from these Tuscany marbles. 



In contrast with this dazzling white marble is the 

 great outer entrance hall, pilastered with unique blue 

 marble, knowdedge of which had lapsed for many years. 

 Credit for the rediscovery of this marble belongs entirely 

 to the Princess of Wales, whose attention was drawn to 

 some fragments of the blue stone presented to her at the 

 time of her voyage with the Prince to Canada. 



When Marlborough house was undergoing overhauling 

 and improvements, the Princess showed her specimens to 

 Mr. AUom, expressing great enthusiasm as to their beauty 

 of color, and her desire to have the quarry found and the 

 beautiful blue Sodalite made use of. Mr. Allom set out to- 

 prospect for the blue marble, and with the able help of the 

 Geological Survey Department of Canada, discovered the 

 mine in Hastings County, in the centre of Ontario. 



