§ MR. BUTLER-JOHNSTONEasked the Chief Commissioner of Works, Whether it is a fact that in August 1870 seven different preparations for preserving the stone were tried upon the Houses of Parliament; and, if so, whether any report as to the relative merits of those preparations has been issued; whether it is a fact that, with one exception, all those preparations have failed, and, whether there would be any objection to mark those several experiments with numbers, with a printed reference to the names of their respective inventors, for the information of Members and others viewing them?
§ MR. AYRTON, in reply, said, that in 1870 eight different preparations for preserving the stone of which the Houses of Parliament were built were experimented upon. But sufficient time had not elapsed up to the present to enable a satisfactory report to be made as to the result. He did not think it would be desirable to convert into a sort of advertisement these experiments of the parties who had applied their various substances to the Houses of Parliament. But if anyone interested in the question desired accurate information there would 872 not be the least objection that the Clerk of the Works should point out what had been done, and give any explanation that might be required. But it should be understood that such facilities would be limited to persons interested in the subject.