THE NEWLY DISCOVERED BUILDING STONE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume III, Issue 631, 20 November 1865, Page 4

THE NEWLY DISCOVERED BUILDING STONE.

During Saturday morning last several archi tects and practical masons, amongst the former of whom was the architect of the new Supreme Court-house, visited our ollice for the purpose of inspecting the piece cf wrought stone left with us for public exhibition. The universal opinion was that for clearness of grit, tough, ness, durability, aud beauty, the' stone could not be surpassed by anything of the sand stone kind, and that, if the quarry should turn out stone in quantity equal to the sample, r will become generally used in this city, and command a sale in the Provinces of the Middle Island.

This stone comes at a very opportune time when the directors of the ISew Zealand Bank an> contemplating the immediate erec. tion of an extensive and handsome building on the site of the buildings sold on Friday, the one lately occupied as the auction room of Messrs. Lidiugs and Dowden, and formerly by Messrs. Connell and liidbgs, and the other as Mrs. Brace's general store! Should the stone turn out equal to the sample] and should it prove, as we were informed on authority on Friday last, that it can be landed on the Queeu-street Wharf tor from 50 to 70 per cent, less monry than can stone from Hobart Town or Sydney, then we should most heartily recommend the directors of the Keiv Zealand Bank to use this stone for the entire facing of their building. The facade of the building, as those of our readers know who have seen the plans, is to be a highly ornamented one, and the stone in question is highly suited for Hie chisel, aud of a toughness and durability to preserve the skill of the sculptor. Should the iS'ew Zealand Insurance Company, which will shortty build the head odice of the company on the adjoining allotment, use tie same stone, wo shall have in Queen-street the commencement of a class of buildings superior to any in the colony. The same material will, we suppose, be more than likely to be used in the construction of the new public buildings— the fuipreme Court-house, Post olb'ce, and Cus. tom-housc —and also for the new Wcsleyan Chapel in Pitt-street.