138

TESTIMONIALS.

deeds being in immediate contact, i. e., touchingthe inner plate of the top of the chest, the lattermust have been pressed full. I presume the expla-nation is as follows: the chest, although in theburning premises for thirty-four hours, was sub-jected to heat but for a very short time; but shortas it was, it was sufficient to “ shrivel ” the fewdeeds "without injuring the other nine-tenths of thecontents, which very probably consisted of paper.

“ Color Works, 115, UpperEast Smithfield,London , June 17th, 1852.

“ Sir,—The safe we boughtof you three or four years backwas unlocked by us this morn-ing, and all the books and parch-ments were uninjured. The safewas exposed to the fury of thefire from nine o’clock, p.m., toeight o’clock, a.m., during whichperiod not less than forty tonsof oil and one hundred barrelsof tar were consumed close tothe safe. The safe was redhot. “ Sir,

“Your obedient servants,(Signed)

“ THOS. HUBBUCK & SON.

“To Mr. Marr, 52, Clieapside.”

This testimonial statesthat besides “the books”the “parchments were un-injured ,” although thesafe was exposed to “ thefury of the fire,” and wasred hot for the space ofeleven hours, “ duringwhich period not lessthan forty tons of oil andone hundred barrels oftar were consumed closeto the safe.” How canthis be reconciled withthe previous one'! Inthe former the deeds

were “ in some degree in-jured;” in this, “ all the books and parchments wereuninjured.” The only solution is, that the externalheat was insufficient to “ shrivel ” the parchments.