WALL AND Fl.OOn TILES. 
77 
morc than twenty years without being impaircd in distinct- 
ness. They are affixed either by bedding in Portland comeut 
against tbe wall, with thc edges covered so as to exclude 
water, or by metal frames secured to the wall by screws, or by 
cutting out a recess as broad as the tiles, and as long as the 
lianie requires. The tiles are then secured in this iecess by 
cement, and thc joints are pointed. 
Memorial and Mortuary Tablets. 
For meraorial and mortuary purposes, encaustic tiles, bear- 
ing inscriptions, monograms or heraldic devicos, seem to be 
peculiarly appropriate. They have the advantage of being 
comparatively iudestructible by the weather, and of holding 
their colors unchanged by time, so that inscriptions on them 
remain legible long after those cut in stone have disappeared. 
The material is far more enduring than porphyry and granite 
or marble, especially where exposed to the weather ; and cven 
if lost sight of and buried for ages in the earth, tiles, if 
properly made, will retain their inscriptions in perfection, 
and may becomo of great value in antiquarian researches. 
Being formed in moulds, duplicate copies can be made at 
little increased cost, and they could be freely used, not only 
in tombstones, but as memorial tablets in the walls of 
churches. Inscriptions may be made in small but distinct 
letters, so that a tile of ordinary size may contain all that is 
usually placcd upon a tombstone. The compactness of such 
inscriptions renders it possible, if desired, to group a number 
in a small space, and they could bc iuserted side by side in 
the walls of vaults, or upon tombstones speeially adapted to 
the purpose. 
The memorial tablets now made and cxhibited by Messis. 
Minton, Hollins & Co., aro twelvc inches square, and are de- 
signcd chiefly for insertion in the walls of churches or chapels. 
They bear heraldic devices or simple inscriptions, and aie 
variously ornamented and colored. Designs aie tuiuished by 
them at the works, and, an y inscription to order. I soe no 
reason why such tiles should not be iuserted in oidinary 
tombstones, in place of the chiselled inscriptions, a recess 
being cut into the stone to receive the tile, securely bedded 
in cement.