“The salt, although very soluble, does not leave the wood easily when exposed to the weather, or buried in dry or damp earth. It does not come to the surface of the wood like the crystallizable salts. I have no doubt, indeed, that the greater part of the salts will remain in the wood for years, when employed for railway sleepers or such purposes. This may be of material consequence when the wood is exposed to the attacks of insects, such as the white ant in India, which, I believe, would be repelled by the poisonous metallic salt. After being long macerated in cold water, or even boiled in water, thin chips of the prepared wood retain a sensible quantity of the oxide of zinc; which I confirmed by Mr. Toplis’ test, and observed that the wood can be permanently dyed from being charged with a metallic mordant. “I have no doubt, from repeated observations made during several years, of the valuable preservative qualities of the solution of chloride of zinc, as applied in Sir W. Burnett’s process; and would refer its beneficial action chiefly to the small quantity of the metallic salt, which is permanently retained by the ligneous fibre in all circumstances of exposure. The oxide of zinc appears to alter and harden the fibre of the wood, and destroy the solubility, and prevent the tendency to decomposition of the azotised principles it contains by entering into chemical combination with them.” The Report of the Jury, which was drawn up by the Count of Westphalia, at the Cologne International Agricultural Exhibition, in 1865, upon prepared specimens of timber, has the following remarks on the chloride of zinc process: 1st. That chloride of zinc is the only substance which thoroughly penetrates the timber, and is at the same time the best adapted for its preservation. 2nd. That the process of impregnating the wood after cutting is more useful and rational than doing so while the tree is growing. 3rd. That red beech is the only wood which has been impregnated in an uniform and thorough manner. It should, however, be stated that the Jury had very slender evidence presented to it respecting the creosoting process. The creosoted specimens had been impregnated under the pressure of 60 lb. to 65 lb. per square inch for three or four hours, and were consequently inefficiently done; in England the pressure per square inch would have been at least 140 lb. Drs. Brande and Cooper, of England, and Dr. Cleghorn, of India, also wrote favourably of Sir W. Burnett’s process.