The small cost and great durability of frescos are not the least of their advantages. It was feared that the smoke of London would soon destroy our frescos, but Professor Hess stated that “if frescos were painted in the open air in London, the rain would be the best picture-cleaner.” Indeed, competent authorities agree that pure water and a soft sponge are the best means for cleaning frescos from the effects of smoke. That the change effected by time on the colours is to increase their effect. The great enemy to fresco is a wall constitutionally damp, in which lime in too new a state has been employed, or new timber or imperfectly burnt bricks. The nitre which sometimes accumulates on walls is also very destructive. Nor are frescos such permanent fixtures as is generally imagined. Some ingenious Italians have succeeded perfectly in removing large frescos from one wall and applying them securely to another. The colours in fresco do not penetrate very deep, and the thin layer of pigment and lime of which the painting consists, may be removed by glueing several layers of calico to the wall: a slight force is then sufficient to detach the painting: it is removed to its new bed, and when firmly attached, the cloths and glue may be removed by warm water. * * * * * We must now leave the Reader in possession of the dwelling-house which we have endeavoured to build for him. If we have not _furnished_ it, or described the modes in which the various articles of furniture are made, it was not because the subject is devoid of interest, far from it; but because we were anxious not to injure the completeness and interest of the preceding details by attempting too much within the limits of this little volume. FOOTNOTES: [7] The term Cartoon is derived from _curtone_, the augmentative of _carta_, the Italian for _paper_. LONDON: SAVILL AND EDWARDS, PRINTERS, CHANDOS STREET. Transcriber’s Notes In a few cases, obvious errors in punctuation have been fixed. Page 28: “the standstones of which” changed to “the sandstones of which” Page 141: “the vessel _e_” changed to “the vessel _c_” Page 213: “upon the cieling” changed to “upon the ceiling”