Part 9

The Cave of Fingal is accessible only by sea, and is formed by ranges of massive basaltic columns, fifty feet and upwards in height. The stone of which these columns are formed very much resembles that of the Giants’ Causeway.

In several parts of the world large masses of basalt are discovered, composing entire insulated mountains, of somewhat conical form. They are considered by some writers as volcanic productions, but the proofs of this are by no means satisfactory.

Amongst the uses to which basalt has been applied, two of the most important are as materials of an excellent and durable kind for building and paving. When burned and pulverized, these stones impart to mortar with which they are mixed the property of hardening under water. They easily melt, without any addition, into an opaque and black glass; and from them, under a certain modification, bottles of olive─green colour, and of extreme lightness, but great strength and solidity, have been formed. Some of the kinds have been advantageously employed as millstones. Basalt is occasionally used by artists for touch or teststones, to ascertain the purity of gold and silver; and goldbeaters and bookbinders, on the Continent, usually make their anvils or beating blocks of it.

Basalt, though harder, more brittle, and less pleasing in its colours than marble, was in considerable esteem among the sculptors of antiquity, on account of its great durability. Many fine works were consequently executed by them in this stone. Pliny, who has described several, states that the columns of it were sometimes so large as to admit of several figures being wrought out of them. The Emperor Vespasian had an entire statue, accompanied by the figures of sixteen children, cut out of a single column of basalt; this statue he placed in the Temple of Peace, and dedicated it to the Nile. The famous statue of Minerva, at Thebes, is described by travellers to have been formed of basalt. Antiques of basalt are always in a much better state of preservation than those of marble. Even such as are dug out of the earth still retain their original polish; and the finest touches of the chisel upon them are still unimpaired.

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ORDER III.—SALINE STONES.

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LIME, OR CALCAREOUS FAMILY.

139. Lime, after it has been freed from extraneous matters by burning, is a mineral of whitish colour, and pungent, acrid, and caustic taste. It has the property of changing vegetable blue colours to green, and of corroding and destroying animal substances.

This mineral is found in nearly every country of the globe: but, in a native state, has not hitherto been discovered except in combination with some acid.[3] The process of purifying lime, or depriving it of the acid with which it is combined, is by burning. This is done in a large kind of furnace, called a _kiln_, where the limestone and fuel are heaped in alternate layers. After it has gone through this process it is called _quick─lime_, and has the above─mentioned appearance and qualities.

Footnote 3:

With _carbonic acid_ (26) it forms common limestone, marble, chalk, and some other substances; with _sulphuric acid_ (24) it constitutes alabaster, or gypsum; and with _fluoric acid_ (27) it becomes that beautiful production, the Derbyshire spar.—All these, having lime for their bases, are denominated CALCAREOUS SUBSTANCES.

The uses of lime are numerous and important. The principal of these is in the formation of _mortar_, or cement for buildings. For this purpose it is first _slaked_, by having water poured upon it: a violent heat is thereby excited, and the lime falls into powder: it is then formed into paste by working it with water and sand. This, when dry, becomes extremely solid, hard, and durable. Various examples might be mentioned of buildings nearly two thousand years old, where the lime is, at this day, as hard as the stones which it cements together. Lime is also used for agricultural purposes: when spread upon land it is supposed to hasten the dissolution and putrefaction of all kinds of animal and vegetable substances, and to impart to it a power of retaining the moisture which is necessary for the vigorous growth of corn or grass. It is employed in the refining of sugar, in the manufacture of soap, in the melting of iron, and by tanners, in a state of solution, for dissolving the gelatinous parts of skins, and removing the hair from them. The manufacturers of glue mix it with that article, for the purpose of adding to its strength, and preventing its becoming flexible by the absorption of moisture. This mineral, if well dried, pounded, and mingled with gunpowder, in the proportion of one pound to two, is of great utility in the rending of stones and rocks: the mixture, it is said, will cause an explosion equal in force to three pounds’ weight of gunpowder. Lime, if swallowed or inhaled, is a virulent poison. Hence persons employed in lime─works are subject to very distressing complaints; and hence, if bread be adulterated with lime, it is extremely injurious. Notwithstanding this pernicious quality, lime is of considerable use in medicine. It is chiefly given in a state of solution, and in the proportion of half a pound of quick─lime to twelve pints of boiling distilled water. This preparation is called _lime water_.

The superb basin of Lampi, one of the principal reservoirs which furnishes the canal of Languedoc with water, was, some years ago, found to leak at the junction of the stones. The engineer who had the direction of the works caused lime to be slacked in the water. This, passing through the apertures betwixt the stones, formed a crust, or very white covering, over its whole surface, of so hard and durable a nature, that it now constitutes one solid and undivided substance, which the water cannot penetrate.

CARBONAT OF LIME.

140. _COMMON LIME is a variety of carbonat of lime, or of lime in combination with carbonic acid (26), which is harder and heavier than chalk, usually of a greyish colour, and is always found in a massive state._

Vast mountains of limestone occur in several countries of the globe; but no where is lime more abundant than in some parts of England and Wales. It forms, in particular, nearly the whole mountainous districts of Derbyshire and Shropshire, and encloses, in its substance, numerous veins of lead ore, calamine, and other important mineral productions.

Its uses have been already described (139).

141. _CHALK is a white or yellowish kind of limestone, too well known to need any description._

It is found abundantly in many of the southern counties of England, and is usually procured from large open places, called chalk─pits, by digging. In some parts of Kent, however, the workmen save themselves, in this respect, much trouble. They undermine the sides of hills to a certain depth, then dig a trench at the top as far distant from the edge as the mining extends at the bottom. This trench they fill with water, which soaks through during the night, and the whole mass is thereby loosened, and falls down before morning.

The harder and more compact kinds of chalk are cut into blocks, and used as building stones. When burned and formed into lime, chalk becomes an excellent mortar: nearly all the houses in London are cemented with chalk mortar. It is also used as lime in agriculture. As it readily imbibes water, it is used by starch─makers, chemists, and others, to dry precipitates upon. With isinglass or the white of eggs it forms a valuable lute or cement. By artists it is in request for the construction of moulds to cast metals in; and by carpenters and others, as a material to mark with. Chalk is one of the most useful absorbents that are employed in medicine: it likewise gives name to an officinal mixture, to a powder, and a potion.

When pounded and cleared from gritty particles, it has the name of _whiting_. In this state it is used for the cleaning and polishing of metallic and glass utensils; for whitening the ceilings of rooms, and numerous other purposes. _Spanish white_ is the same substance cleansed with peculiar care; and the _Vienna white_, which is used by artists, is perfectly purified chalk.

142. _MARBLE is a compact and close─grained kind of limestone; so hard as to admit of being polished. It is this quality which principally distinguishes it from other calcareous substances._

Although nearly all the numerous kinds of marble may be burned, and thus converted into quick─lime, their use in ornamental architecture, &c. is so important as, in general, to prevent their application to the inferior purpose of mortar. Marble has been known from a very early period. The Book of Esther, in the Old Testament, describes the palace of Ahasuerus to have had “pillars of marble,” and the pavement of “red, and blue, and white, and black marble.”

It would be impossible, in an elementary work like the present, to describe, or even to enumerate, all the different kinds of marble which were known to the ancients, or are known to the moderns. But it is, perhaps, requisite that an account should be given of some of the most important of them.

_GREEK MARBLES._—143. PENTELIC MARBLE _is of beautiful white colour, and nearly resembles the Parian marble_ (145) of the Italians; but it is in coarser granulations. Sometimes it is splintery. It was obtained from quarries on Mount Pentelicus, near Athens, and was generally preferred, by the Grecian artists, to Parian marble. The Pantheon was built entirely of Pentelic marble; and many of the Athenian statues, and works carried on near Athens during the administration of Pericles, were executed in it. Dr. Clarke, however, has observed that while the works wrought of Parian marble remain perfect to the present time, those of Pentelic marble have been decomposed by the atmosphere, and sometimes exhibit a surface as rude and earthy as common lime─stone. There are numerous examples of Pentelic marble in those works of Phidias which form the Elgin collection in the British Museum.

144. GREEK WHITE MARBLE.—_The Marmo Greco, of Italian artists, is of snow─white colour, in fine granulations_; and somewhat harder, and consequently capable of higher polish, than most other white marbles. It is found near the river Coralus, in Phrygia.

_ITALIAN MARBLES._—145. PARIAN MARBLE _is of snow─white colour, inclining to yellowish white_. It is obtained from quarries in the island of Paros, is finely granular, and, when polished, has somewhat of a waxy appearance. Parian marble hardens by exposure to the air, and is one of the most permanent kinds that is known. Varro and Pliny each state that it was named _lychnites_, by the ancients, from a Greek word signifying a lamp, because it was generally hewn in quarries by the light of lamps. The finest Grecian sculpture that has been preserved to the present time is of Parian marble. The principal statues of it now extant are the Medicean Venus, the Diana Venatrix, and Venus leaving the Bath. It is also Parian marble on which the celebrated tables at Oxford are inscribed.

146. CARRARA MARBLE, the purest of all the kinds with which we are acquainted, is to this day obtained from quarries near the town of Carrara. _It is of brilliant white colour, has a granular texture; and, when broken, sparkles like sugar._ This marble, which is almost the only one in use by modern sculptors, was also quarried and wrought by the ancients.

It is susceptible of a high polish, and is applicable to every species of sculpture, except when, as is too often the case, dark veins intrude, and spoil the beauty of the work. In the centre of the blocks a beautiful kind of rock crystals, called _Carrara diamonds_, are sometimes found.

During the late war with France, the exportation of statuary marble from the countries under the dominion of Buonaparte was prohibited; and, at one time, it became so scarce in England as to be sold at the rate of more than seven guineas per cubic foot. The block of marble for the statue of his late Majesty in the great Council Chamber at Guildhall, London, was stated by the public prints to have cost twelve hundred guineas.

147. LUNI MARBLE _is a snow─white, compact, and finely granular variety_, which was obtained by the ancients from quarries on the coast of Tuscany. It was preferred by the Grecian sculptors, both to the Parian and Pentelic marbles; and it is usually supposed that the Belvidere Apollo, as well as the Antinous of the Capitol, was wrought out of this marble. There is now found at Luni a white marble, variegated with red spots and dots.

148. GREEN ANTIQUE MARBLE, or VERDE ANTIQUE _of the Italians, is a mixture of white marble and green serpentine_ (132). This is believed to have been obtained from some part of Italy, but the quarries are not now known.

149. SIENNA MARBLE _is of close texture, and yellowish colour, disposed in large irregular spots, surrounded with veins of bluish red, passing sometimes into purple_. It is not uncommon in the vicinity of Sienna, and is in great request, throughout Europe, for chimney─pieces and ornamental furniture.

150. BROCATELLO MARBLE is somewhat like the last; but is also irregularly marked with various shades of red, and, in some parts, with white.

151. MANDELATO MARBLE _is of light red colour, with yellowish white spots_. It is found at Lugezzana, in the Veronese. Another variety, bearing the same name, occurs at Preosa.

152. VERDE DI PRATO MARBLE _is a green marble, marked with darker green spots_, which is found near the town of Prato in Tuscany.

153. LAGO MAGGIORE MARBLE _is a beautiful kind, white, with black spots and dots_. It has been employed for decorating the interior of many churches in the Milanese.

154. BRETONICO MARBLE.—This beautiful marble, which is found near the village of Bretonico, in the Veronese, _is varied with yellow, grey, and rose colour_.

_FRENCH MARBLES._—155. Many valuable kinds of marble are obtained from different parts of the French territory.

156. CAMPAN MARBLE.—Three kinds of marble are known by this name, all of them procured from immense quarries at Campan, near Bagnere, in the Pyrenees. The first, called _Green Campan_, is of pale sea─green colour, and exhibits, on its surface, lines of much deeper green, forming a kind of net─work. The second, called _Isabel Campan_, is of delicate rose colour, with undulating green veins. The third variety, the _Red Campan_, is of deep red colour, with veins of still deeper red. The green variegations in this stone are formed by a talcy mineral, intermixed with the lime─stone.—The Campan marble is well adapted for slabs, tables, chimney─pieces, and other ornamental purposes in the interior of buildings; but, if exposed to the weather, the talcose substances perish, and leave hollow spaces which render its surface rough and uneven.

157. GRIOTTE MARBLE _is of a deep brown colour, with blood─red oval spots, formed by shells_. Its name has been obtained from its brownish colour, being similar to that of the cherries that are called by the French _griotte_. This marble has, of late, been much used in the decoration of public monuments, and in splendid furniture, in France. Some of the ornaments of the Triumphal Arch of the Carousel are made of it. The department of Herault is the part of France from which it is obtained. It sometimes contains large white veins, which destroy the harmony of the other tints.

158. MARQUESE MARBLE.—This, which is obtained from quarries, near the village of Marquese, between Calais and Boulogne, is marked with _different shades and variegations of white and brown_. Of this marble Buonaparte commenced a magnificent column on the heights near the sea, at Boulogne, to commemorate his victories; but, since his dethronement, the erection of this structure has been discontinued.

159. SARENCOLIN MARBLE _is distinguished by exhibiting large zones, and angular spots of yellow or blood─red colour_. It is found at Sarencolin, in the High Pyrenees.

160. ST. BEAUME, or LANGUEDOC MARBLE, _is of light red colour, marked with white and grey zones, formed by madrepores_. The eight columns which adorn the Triumphal Arch, in the Carousel at Paris, are of this marble. It is obtained from quarries at St. Beaume, in the department of Aude.

161. BRECCIA MARBLE OF THE PYRENEES.—One kind of this marble contains black, grey, and red, middle─sized spots in a brownish red ground. It admits of a good polish. Another kind has an orange─yellow─coloured ground, containing small fragments of snow─white colour. Both these are found in the Pyrenees.

_SPANISH MARBLES._—162. Few countries are more productive of marble than Spain; and in few countries are the public monuments and buildings more profusely decorated with marble. The vault of the theatre of Toledo is supported by 350 marble columns; and an ancient mosque at Cordova is ornamented with 1200 columns, most of which are of Spanish marble. The palace and church of the Escurial, and many of the churches in Madrid, are decorated with marbles of the most beautiful description.

163. WHITE SPANISH MARBLE.—Near Cordova; at Filabres, three leagues from Almeria, in Grenada; and in some other parts of Spain, white marble is obtained, which is susceptible of a good polish, and is well adapted to the general purposes of sculpture.

164. SEVILLE MARBLE _is a beautiful red variety, with shining red and white spots and veins_. In the vicinity of TORTOSA is found a kind of marble which has a _violet ground, spotted with bright yellow_; and near GRENADA a marble of _green colour_, which somewhat resembles the celebrated verde antique (149).

165. SPANISH BRECCIA.—There are several beautiful varieties of breccia in Spain. At Riela, in Arragon, there is one, composed of angular portions or fragments of black marble, embedded in a reddish yellow base. The breccia marble of Old Castile is of bright red colour, dotted with yellow and black, and encloses fragments of pale yellow, brick─red, deep brown, and blackish grey colour.

_GERMAN MARBLES._—166. Germany abounds in marbles, and affords many kinds which are remarkable both for beauty and singularity. Of these the kind best known is

167. LUMACHELLI MARBLE.—_This exhibits beautiful iridescent colours, which are sometimes prismatic internally, but more commonly of various shades of red or orange_; whence it has also obtained the name of _fire marble_. Few kinds of marble are more generally admired than this. It has a dark ground, and is marked throughout with the appearance of small whitish shells, which, in certain parts, refract the most beautiful and brilliant colours. This marble is cut into the tops and bottoms of snuff─boxes, and several other ornamental articles. It is found in veins at Bleyberg, in Carinthia.

168. Many beautiful kinds of marble are obtained from the island of SICILY, particularly one called _Sicilian jasper_, which is red, with stripes like ribbons, white, red, and sometimes green. SWITZERLAND abounds in marbles; PORTUGAL, SWEDEN, and NORWAY afford few. In the RUSSIAN EMPIRE many have been noticed, particularly among the Uralian mountains. The late Empress Catharine caused an immense palace to be built for her favourite Orloff, which is entirely coated, both inside and outside, with marble. She built the church of Isaac with marbles of different kinds, on a vast space, near the statue of Peter the Great, in Petersburgh. We are at present very imperfectly acquainted with the marbles of ASIA. Dr. Shaw mentions a red marble obtained from Mount Sinai; and Mr. Morier, in his journey through Persia, speaks of a beautiful translucent kind which he calls _marble of Tabriz_, and the colours of which are light green, with veins sometimes of red, sometimes of blue. He says it is cut into large slabs, some of which he describes to have measured nine feet in length, and five feet in breadth.—No account has hitherto been published of the marbles of AFRICA.—In the United States of AMERICA many kinds of marble have been discovered, some of which have been wrought, and polished; but very imperfect descriptions have yet been given of them.

169. Few countries produce a greater variety of excellent marbles than the BRITISH ISLANDS. Although these marbles are seldom noticed much beyond the limits of the districts in which they occur, many of them are admirably adapted for ornamental purposes; particularly for slabs and chimney─pieces. It is much to be regretted that we should send to foreign countries for stones which, in many instances at least, could certainly be as well supplied from our own. The following is an enumeration of a few of the most important kinds.

_ENGLISH MARBLES._—170. PETWORTH MARBLE, when cut into slabs, is equal, both in beauty and quality, to many of the marbles imported from the Continent. The Earl of Egremont has, at Petworth, several chimney─pieces formed of it. Much of this marble was used in the cathedral church of Canterbury. The pillars, monuments, vaults, pavement, and other parts of that venerable structure, have been formed of it. The archbishop’s chair is an entire piece of Petworth marble. This marble is found in greatest perfection upon an estate of the Earl of Egremont, at Kirdford. It lies at the distance of from ten to twenty feet under the surface of the ground, and in flakes or strata nine or ten inches in thickness. Petworth marble is also an excellent stone for walls; and, for paving, it cannot be excelled. When burned, it also constitutes a valuable manure, superior, as some farmers imagine, even to chalk.

171. PURBECK MARBLE is obtained from the island of Purbeck, in Dorsetshire. _It is of dark colour, and contains numerous small round shells_, which, when it is cut and polished, mark it with roundish variegations of brown, dark green, and grey. This marble was formerly more used than it is at present. Several of the small columns, and many of the monuments, in the churches of Dorsetshire, and the adjacent counties, are formed of it. But it is not so durable as many other kinds. Wherever it is long exposed to the weather, the surface cracks, splits off, and becomes defaced.

172. BABBICOMBE MARBLE is one of the most beautiful kinds that is found in any country. _It varies in colour, from light brown to deep red_; and large slabs of it have been obtained that are elegantly and diversely marked, some in streaks, others in spots, and others in different coloured shades.

This kind is quarried at Babbicombe, in Torbay, Devonshire, and is extensively manufactured into chimney─pieces in the West of England. An attempt was lately made to introduce it in London; but, from its not being the production of a foreign country, this has failed of success.

173. DERBYSHIRE MARBLE.—There are, in Derbyshire, several kinds of marble, most of which contain an abundance of fossil shells, and other remains of marine animals. At Wetton, near Ashbourne, a beautiful kind is obtained, of greyish black colour, which contains a vast number of whitish and very minute shells. This has the name of _bird’s eye marble_. Near Monyash a beautiful variety is found, of a cheerful colour, inclining to brown red, and full of large marine figures in all directions; these, when the marble is cut, appear white, and afford a pleasing contrast.

174. KENDAL MARBLE.—Some varieties of black, grey, and brown marble, are wrought near Kendal, in Westmoreland. These somewhat resemble the Derbyshire marbles; and, like them, are manufactured into chimney─pieces, and ornamental slabs for houses. Several of the slabs are found to contain corallines, and the remains of other marine animals, which vary their appearance in a very pleasing manner.

The MONA MARBLE is a species of serpentine intermixed with white limestone: it has been already described (132).

_SCOTTISH MARBLES._—Scotland affords many valuable and beautiful varieties of marble.