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PART XIV. CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS. CHAPTER I. PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL CHARACTER OF BUILDING STONES. In the important matter of selecting a stone for a building intended to be of a permanent character, special attention should be paid to the climate of the locality in which the building is to be erected. If the district be one in which there is a heavy annual rainfall, certain stones would be unsuitable; and if the rain, or the atmosphere, is impregnated with acids, still greater care is necessary in the selection. On the other hand, in dry or rainless climates, such as those of Egypt and part of Syria, stone of almost any kind will last unimpaired for indefinite periods. Of this the most notable illustration is the Pyramid of Cheops, upwards of 4000 years old, which is built of Nummulite limestone. Before entering further on this subject, it may be advisable to define those physical and chemical cha racters on which the durability of building stones so much depends.