The Sun.
London, England, 1869-03-09 00:00:00

THE IRISH CHURCH TEMPORALITIES

SURPLUS.

It will be of interest to recall some information
obtained at the taking of the last Irish census in 1861.
It was ascertained that there were at that time 4,930
deaf and dumb persons in Ireland—that is to say, one in
1,176 of the population. It appears also that there were
723 persons dumb but not deaf, making, with the former
number, 5,653, or one in every 1,026 of the population ;
and 6,542 other persons were deaf only. Official
returns obtained from 21 countries in Europe and
North America shewed a mean of only one person deaf
and dumb in 1,526 of the population. There were 6,879
blind persons in Ireland, being one in 843 of the popu-
lation ; the mean of the returns from 21 countries was
only one in 1,267. The number of lunatics in Ireland
was 7,065, or one in 821 of the population ; the mean
of returns obtained from 19 countries was only one
in 1,036. The number of idiotic persons in Ireland
was 7,033, or one in 825 of the population ; the mean
of returns obtained from ten countries was only one
in 1,261. Persons who are idiotic and also dumb, or deaf
and dumb, have probably been here reckoned in two
classes ; but it seems plain enough that Ireland Las a
large share of persons in a state of affliction and destitu-
tion, which people of every faith feel it a religious duty to
relieve. There were 4,120 persons in Ireland lame or decrepit,
one in 1,408 of the population ; but it does not appear how
many of them were prevented from earning their living.
There were 28,193 persons sick at their own homes,
being one in 203 of the population ; and 26,699 of them
were prevented by their illness from followina their usual
occupation.

THE DECAY OF THE _HOUSE OF

CO3IIIIONS.

It is very unsatisfactory to find that before the new
. Houses of Parliament have been fully completed, they are
actually decaying in parts ; and the same estimates include
votes for the building itself, and for the appliances to
arrest the progress of destruction. The stone of which it
is constructed was taken from a Yorkshire quarry on the
recommendation of a commission appointed to inquire into
the subject, but almost immediately after being placed in
position, this particular stone began to shew signs of decay.
The facade of the building was marked by large patches,
and the Gothic tracery of the architecture was sadly
disfigured. So far back as 1857 various processes

for preserving the stone were tried on different parts of
the building, and subsequently Professor Faraday and Sir
Roderick Murchison were requested to give their opinions
on the relative merits of such methods. They concurred
in awarding the pre-eminence to the process of M.
Szerelmy, of which the particulars are, of course, a secret.
Pro fessor Faraday, in his report, said that so far as a
judgment could be formed upon two years' experience, he
believed that the process would sustain its character for a
lengthened period of time. "I do not find," said the
learned professor, • "in other parts of the building,
where M. Szerelmy's application is more than
two years old, any signs of exfoliation, or de-
fection of the prepared face of the stone, or any
grounds for fear in that respect." The process has
been applied with equal success to the iron of the roof,
which was deteriorating at an equally rapid rate. Part
of it•had been coated with zinc or galvanised iron. This
had scarcely been fixed when it shewed signs of premature
oxydation. M. Szerelmy's preparation was applied to one
of the affected parts, and also to the gilding of the clock
tower. On a careful examination last year, it was found
that the portion treated with the preservative material
was perfectly sound, while the rest of the roof had suf.
fered more or less from atmospheric influences. The First
Commissioner of Works has accordingly directed that the
remainder of the roof should be covered with the composi-
tion. Meanwhile the stonework shews signs of disintegra-
tion, and there is some ground for the anticipation that, so far
as external appearances are concerned, the new Palace at
Westminster will shortly look as ancient as the venerable
Abbey, which reckons as many centuries as Sir Charles
Barry's costly building can reckon years. M. Szerelmy's
process is capable of application to many kinds of building
materials. Experiments have been tried on stone, brick,
iron railings, and timber, with very gratifying results.
Pieces of timber coated with the preparation have been
sunk for two years in the water at Portsmouth, and are
now perfectly sound. Textile fabrics are also rendered
waterproof and indestructible by it.