Simple damp does not cause much damage to paint and varnish unless it contains saline matter, then it is very destructive; but heat, especially the strong rays of the sun, is very destructive. The colours change, and the lustre of the varnish disappears, and a multitude of intersecting cracks make their appearance; and to restore the original beauty there is no remedy but repainting. Another mischievous influence, acting on the paint and varnish, is the various gaseous vapours to which they are exposed. It is customary, for the sake of convenience, to stand carriages close to the horses’ stables, generally in a mews, where large muck heaps are piled up in all stages of fermentation. During this process various gases are evolved, which act on the varnish just in the same manner that strong acids act on metals—by corroding or eating it away. The most destructive of these is the ammoniacal gas evolved from the urine. It is evident that the ordinary coach-house is not the best that could be used for the purpose. The materials of a carriage are as delicate, and require as much care, as the furniture of a drawing-room, and therefore they should be as carefully preserved from stable contact as the satin couches of the drawing-room. After the carriage has been out, whether in the sun or rain, it should be carefully washed, and, above all, dried, taking care to wet the leather as little as possible during the operation. It is a common practice to wash the carriage and then leave the water to drip away. After drying, the leather should be carefully rubbed with an oiled rag, to restore the oily matter consumed by the vehicle being used. The carriage should then be placed to stand in a dry, well ventilated apartment with a boarded floor, leaving a clear passage for the air beneath it, and if by any means convenient, let a current of warm air be passed through to insure its dryness. Above all it should be away from all stables, dung heaps, cesspools, or open drains. A gentleman should avoid placing his carriage in any situation where he would not wish to put his wardrobe; and with regard to the interior lining he should treat it in the same manner. If the carriage be laid by for a time it should occasionally be brushed out, and have a current of warm air passed through it. Cedar shavings should also be placed in it. If an open carriage it will require more care than a close one. The hammercloth (if there be one) should be covered with a waterproof india-rubber material, and cedar shavings interposed between the two. The blacking should also be rubbed off the leather-work, and a composition of oil and tallow rubbed in to preserve it. The ironwork should be painted where any bare portions show themselves, caused by the rubbing of some other part against them. _Directions for keeping Carriages clean, &c._