The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-10-23 00:00:00

DEAR BREAD.—On Sunday great crowds again assembled
in Hyde-park, to hear orations on the high-price-of-bread
grievance. Various speakers addressed the different groups,
and a number of strong resolutions were unanimously
adopted. The mob was at one time composed of 20,000 to
25,000 persons, principally costermongers and other low
characters, In some of the groups there was a playful ten-
dency to bonnet the speakers, but otherwise, beyond the
breaking of a few hurdles, and a slight pelting of the police
with turf, probably with a view of excitingthem to action, there
was little disturbance. At about five, p.m., it was moved that
the meeting adjourn till three o'clock on SundaY next, and
slight rain falling, the motion was carried, and the people
walked quietly off.
SINGULAR AND FATAL GUN ACCIDENT.—Captain "Ingle-
field's company turned out on Tuesday at Sheerness for target
practice with round shot and shell, firing at a target distant
1,500 yards. Eight rounds had been fired from the 56-pounder,
in turn with four 32-pounders, the 56-pounder firing round-
shot, the 32's shell. On firing the ninth shot from the
56-pounder the shot had left the gun, and was near the target,
when, from some unaccountable cause, the gun burst into
several pieces, the whole of the inner end of the gun dropping
at least 100 yards from its original position, the outer end,
taking an opposite direction, doing considerable damage to
the next gun carriage on the same battery. The outer frag-
ments of the gun cut off both legs and part of the body of
Gunner George Brown, and took off the upper part of the
head of Gunner George Gosling. Brown was alive when
taken from the battery, but has since died ; Gosling was
killed on the spot. Several fragments of the gun, with the
entire inner end, passed within arm's reach of Captain Ingle-
field and Lieutenant George Maul. Had the' sad accident
occurred five minutes sooner, from six to eight persons must
have been killed, as they had only that moment left to witness
the entry into the garrison of the two field batteries of horses
for practice. The unfortunate men who have lost their lives
by this sad accident were both volunteers from the Lancashire
Artillery Militia, and joined the Royal Artillery on the 20th
of August last.
THE NEW PALACE OF WESTMINSTER.—The Observe.
gives some interesting details concerning the progress of the
new Palace at Westminster and the great clock. In connecr
tion with the new Palace there are three towers, which form
its most prominent features, and which, in consequence of their
great height, may be seen from almost every portion of the
metropolis. The Victoria Tower, when completed, will be 340
feet in height, or sixty-four less than the height to the cross
of St. Paul's. The sides of the tower are each seventy-five feet
in length. The central tower is one which covers the grand
central hall between the Houses of Lords and Commons. It
is circular in form, sixty feet in diameter, and the top of the
lantern which surmounts the dome is 300 feet above high-
water mark. The tower at the north end, close to Westmin-
ster-bridge, is the clock tower, which, when completed, will be
320 feet high. Like the Victoria Tower, this tower is square
in its construction, each side being forty feet in length, but it
will differ from the larger tower in being surmounted by a
perforated belfry spire. The tower has now reached an eleva-
tion of about 200 feet, there yet remaining 125 feet to com-
plete the work. There are five stories in the tower, beneath
that in which the clock will be placed. An air-shaft, twenty
feet in diameter at the top, runs down the entire length of the
tower, through which the supply of pure air is proposed to be
drawn by Dr. Reid int% those subterranean chambers where it
is warmed, cooled, or mixed previous to being inhaled by hon.
members and noble lords. The floor in which the clock is in-
tended to rest is 165 feet 7 inches above high-water mark, and
the centre of the dial-plate of the clock will therefore be 182 feet
7 inches. Above theclock there will be a small pointed tower ris-
ing from each of the angles 20 feet high, while the central tower
will soar to the height of 70feet, and will be surmounted by a tall
vane. The clocks has been made by Mr. Dent at an expense
of £l,BOO ; for which sum he contracted at an actual loss,
looking to gain by the reputation acquired. The entire ma-
chinery of the clock occupies a space sixteen feet long by
five in width, and its weight is over four tons. The
dial-plates, of which there is one for each of the four
sides of the tower, are 22 feet in diameter. The four sets
of hands weigh twelve cwt., and are 20 feet in length,
and will strike the hours, and two blows at every
quarter. The pendulum vibrates once in two seconds. The
minute hand will discharge itself every 30 seconds, when the
end will move over seven inches each time. The great bell,
which is to be of from 14 to 15 tons weight, will be about
nine feet in diameter and eight feet in height ; the largest of
the four quarter bells will weigh about five and half tons, the
same size as the great bell of St. Paul's. The whole clock
will be about eight times as large as an ordinary cathedral
clock. The striking power of the hammer will be equal to
the enormous weight of one ton and a half, while the escape
wheel, which is driven by a tiny musical-box spring, weighs
but half an ounce. A paper recently presented to Parliament
shows that the sum which has been already expended in the
new Palace, including the purchase of houses and land, has
been £1,663,954, but a further sum is required, according to
the estimate of Sir C. Barry, to complete the work, of
£931,657, bringing the total estimated cost up to £2,595,511,
and the whole of the works may, it is anticipated, be com-
pleted within a period of four years and a half from the pre-
sent time. Of the £931,557 only £278,285 is required for the
completion of the building itself ; the remainder being for
" improvements" in the neighbourhood, viz., £25,000 for
raising the roof of Westmister-hall, £68,000 for the removal
and new site for St. Margaret's Church, and the remaining
£280,000 for removing old houses to improve the approaches.