The result: the oil penetrates into good dry stone probably 1½ inches, making the stone hard and flinty, as any stone cutter will soon find out if he tries to trim it.
It keeps the damp and therefore the frost out of the stone, as will be seen any foggy day, the damp running down in streams on the oiled stone, and the unoiled stone absorbing the dampness. It is therefore necessary to oil during dry weather.
The oil is especially beneficial to balustrades and carvings, as they are generally got out of soft stone. It is also beneficial underneath balconies and porches, as the sun never has a chance to dry the stone in such situations before the frost flakes it.
This I send in part payment for the great deal I have learned from your paper.
T.H. Rilley
New York City.
Interesting Correspondence from China.
Messrs. Editors:--Your paper seems to increase in interest. I brought the back volumes from Madras to Pekin, and am glad to refer to them here where I must depend upon myself.