1T0 THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR." j
SDir,—There is one point in the interesting correspondence in your columns on the inscriptions on sun-dials that has not been touched on,—namely, the preservation of the sun-dials. Formerly, not only in every village church, but on houses, stables, and in gardens all over the country, they were to be found ; but they are fast disappearing. Not sixty years since, all public clocks were regulated by their time ; but since railways became general, Greenwich time is now universally used, though the sun-dial gives the true time of the place, and Acts of Parlia- ment were based on its time. So sun-dials are now considered useless, are allowed to decay and fade away, and as they are not scheduled in "The Ancient Monuments Protection Act," no public care is shown for them. We may take it for granted that, except for amusement, no more sun-dials will be erected. It, however, seems to be a duty cast on us to see that our ancient dials are preserved. There are generally some persons in a neighbourhood who, if their attention were drawn to these facts, would not allow these interesting relics of a recent past to disappear altogether ; but this will certainly be the case unless steps are quickly taken to preserve them. I often looked on our old dial, painted on the atone wall of our parish church, almost faded away ; but about two years since, I resolved to do what I could to preserve it. I was able just to see the old border enclosing the shadow-lines ; but the lines and inscription—if any—were altogether gone, so I had a tracing taken of all that was left, to be reproduced as much as possible in the restoration. I had the dial painted with several coats of paint to last well, reset the gnomon, which I found incorrect (as, no doubt, many will be found, having been made by the clockmaker of the nearest town), and divided the dial afresh. A suitable inscription was then wanted ; but as the republication of the late Mrs. Gatty's "Book of Sun-Dials" was not announced, I had to find one for myself. It is not always an easy thing to find a short, suitable, sententious inscription ; but at last I found it in the place we should, if possible, quote from for such a purpose, our English Bible,—" Our days on earth are as a shadow." But the space on the dial was too short for all the words, so it was abbreviated to : "Our days are as a shadow,"—and for propriety in every word, com- pleteness, and simple sublimity, it can hardly be surpassed. As the time of the church clock usually differs from the sun-dial, there is being prepared a table for the whole year, at intervals of four days, showing the number of minutes to be added to or subtracted from the time of the dial to give Greenwich time, by which the clock is kept. This will be enclosed in a her- metically sealed iron box, with a glass front, under the dial, so that every one may get the time to a minute.
I have little doubt that when most of those who now look at this sun-dial are sleeping beneath the sod around, and sun- dials become more rare, there will be found persons who will take precautions to preserve this dial. I say, therefore,— " Take care of your parish sun-dials.".--I am, Sir, &c.,
CHA.RLES CLEMENT WALKER.
Lilleshall Old Hall, Shropshire.
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