The Express.
London, England, 1847-03-30 00:00:00

:NTILATION OF THE NEW HOUSE OF
PEERS.

Mr. Faraday, who had been officially called on to
report on a method proposed by Mr. tarry, fur ventilating
the new house of peers, gave, on Friday evening, an expla-
nation en the subject to the members of the Royal Install.
tion. There have been so many angry discussions on this
point, that the public may be g!ad to have an account of the
plan most likely, we presume, to be adopted.
Mr. Faraday commenced by disavowing any desire what-
ever of instituting comparison between tne plan adopted by
Mr. Barry for supplying the house of peers with pure air of
required temperature, and any other schemed of ventilation
which, either at the present or in former times, had been
mule subjects of public discuesion. Having been officially
called upon in respect of Mr. Barry's arrangements, Mr.
Faraday considered it his duty to acquaint himself thoroughly
with them, and the result of his investigation induced him
to bring them arrangements before the members of the
Institution, as beauutul applications of a philosophical
principle. Mr. Berry's plan of warming and ventilating
the three rooms to which he has applied it (i. c., the royal
ante-chamber, the house of peers, and the public lobby).
consists, first, in causing a current of air, of regulated tem-
perature, to pass beneath the impervious floor of them
apartments, and afterwards to rise to a chamber at the tap
of the budding, from whence it is diffused in great abund-
ance, but imperceptibly, throughout the three apartments;
and secondly, in drawing of the vitiated air and discharging
it with great rapidity into the atmosphere. To accomplish
these objects, Mr. Barry has achieved expedients for,
I. Warming the building through an impervious door, as
in the ease of a Roman bath. 2. Effecting a system of cur-
rent,. 3. Providing means of causing ten thousand cubic
fest of sir par minute to proceed in a prescribed course, and
with regulated velocity.
1. Mods of Warniing.—A steam-cockle, supplied from
one of Lord Dundonald's boilers, is traversed by a quantity
of air-tabor Artily fastened into it. The air which passes
=urabase tubes is the source of warmth. This apparatus,
ea toms% is placed beneath the public lobby ; and the
current of warn air passei beneath its impervious Hoer, then
t elfthe House of Peers, and lastly, beneath the
itelsoltarapal antechamber beyond. With warmth, the
air sousing a *lrian degree of motive power in the rising
emWOW the which carries it onwards till it reaches the
ir a at the summit of the building ; from
*snob la nods to pass down int, the apartments by their
walk owl so distributed, without draught, to be breathed
by the inmates of those rooms. This gradual diffusion of
the air is accomplished by
2. A system of currents. These currents are caused
by subjecting the air to inequalities of temperature.
Descending by the walls of toe building, it is cooled
by windows, &c., and thus its velocity downwards is
increase& Arriving at the level, at which it is at once
heated and deteriorated by respiration, combustion, &c., the
air again rises in the centre of the room, and passes through
the ceiling into a foul-air chamber, which is in connection
with a chimney. Through tnis chimney the air is driven by
the third expedient, adopted by 31r. Barry, viz., draught of
the flue,—and apeculiar motive-power. This motive-power is
furnished by Bell's steamje, a sours* of force which has so
many philosophical considerations connected with it, that
Mr. Faraday expressed it his intention of making it the al's-
ject of a future Friday's dseourse. lie therefore limited him-
seLf at present, to the simple statement that steam produced
under 3211 a. pressure on the square inch, will set in motion
217 times its bulk of air.
In the course of his communication, Mr. Faraday des-
cribed the arrangements mule by Mr. Barry to clear the
air, and to regulate its velocity, 14 as t• prevent the possi-
bility of draughts coming on any inmates of the apartments.
lie showed hew the steam-cockle, employed to give warmth
in winter, might, by filling it with water from the Artesian
well, become a source of essolness in summer. These, and
many other important arrangements, were illustrated by
sections in relief.
Mr. Faraday concluded by stating the following summary
of the advantages expected from the mode of ventilation
which he had described.
I. The prevention of local draughts. 2. The prevention
of the stains and disfigurements resulting from suet draughts.
3. The avoidance of all movement and dispersion of dirt and
dust of the house by currents occasioned in it, which cur-
rents, if existing, would tend to render the air impure. 4.
The avoidance of all sudden change of temperature. Finally,
it was noticed that all parts of the house were fire-proot.
Mr. Faraday then took oemeion to remark that this scheme of
ventilation was under a disadvantage in the present case, as
it had to be adapted to buildings which were not planned
with reference to it.

GENERAL THEATRICAL FUND.
The eighth anniversary of the foundation of this
institution was celebrated last evening by a dinner at the
London Tavern. W. C. Macready, Esq., occupied the
chair, supported by Charles Dickens, Esq. About 200
gentlemen were present, comprising all the moat celebrated
names in the various departments of the drama. 'rho chair-
man, in proposieg the health of her Majesty the Queen,
announced tnat she had extended her patronage to the in-
stitution, accompanied by the donation of 1001. After the
remainder of the routine toasts, the chairman said that the
present was a theatrical assembly, and he would propose to
them, as a toast, those great national theatres which bad
the civilised world for their audiences, which contained
many excellent actors, and, what won
tar more,
many great and good men meant t
ar m
own
houses of parliament. Tao toast was drunk with
due honours, and was responded to by Mr. Collett,
M.P. In proposing the toast of the evening, Mr. Macready
observed that the present was the second annual festival of
the fund, and the duty of advoint:ng its claims upon public
favour properly belonged to hlr. Buckstone, their treasurer.
Yet he would trespassa little upon their indulgence while
he made a few observations. It appeared to Min absolutely
indispensable to the existence of the fund, that the neeemity
for its establishmeat should be fully understood and acknow-
ledged. As calculated to ensure the greater respectability
of actors, as inculcating in them the principles of economy,
and inducing them to • more regular course of life, aad
thereby improving and elevating the character of the
English stage, it could not be denied that such institutions
were moat valuable ; and when he reminded them that since
1839, in what he might term the infancy of the society,
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bad protected from want four aged and infirm annuitant',
he was sure that they would not hesitate to exert
their best efforts towards it., support. lint there wen
reasons which made the society appear to him, more than
any ether, to have claims on public sympathy. It was to be
henceforward the dramatic perfumers' sale dependence for
an asylum in adversity. There were formerly the Dna),
lane and Covent-garden funds ; but how altered was the
condition of the drama since their establishment ! Covent-
garden was no longer, or, it appeared, never could be, a dra •
=tic theatre, and Drury-lane was nearly in the same con-
dition ; SO that it might be safely assumed that no actor
could ever again have a chance of entering those theatres or
remaining is then long enough to be included in their
funds. Supposing even that the drama was reinstated in
the patent theatres, could the actor or actress profit
by theirrespective funds ? lio thought he should
satisfy them that the answer would be " No." Those
theatres were let te speeulatora, and were subject to conti-
nual changes of managemeut, ins olving a constant changge
of performance. Now candidates for admission to the
Drury-lane fund must serve three, and to the Covent-garden
two, consecutive seasons to entitle them to become members;
and then the sum was so large as to be out of the 'salver ot
many to pay ; neither of which objections existed in the pre-
sent fund, which bad the additional recommendation of
admitting candidates at an earlier period of li,e, the large
funds not tecciving persons under forty years of age. After
some further recommendations of the society, Mr. Macready
concluded a loco and eloquent speech (throughout which he
was vehemently applauded) by proposin, health of
Mr. Bucksne, and prosperity to theg General Theatrical
to
Fund."
Mr. BVCILSTOSSI, in returning thanks, observed that, in
so doing, he felt himself like the farce coming after the play,
following, as he did, the address of Mr. Macready, to whom
they were all so much indebted. Sines tt.e e stablishmee
amount of
t of
the society they had invested orpital approaching the
4,0001., which he considered alavourable omen for the future
Re cousidered that one of the reasons why the society WAS pe-
culiarly worthy of encouragement was, that it included many
classes which the larger ones did not—dancers and panto-
mimists, for instance, end even that bard-worked officer, the
prompter, who, though serer see as n, w sometimes heard—
often, indeed, whoa he ought not to be. (Laught, r.)
of the
Mr. Citoates Picas:ea then proposed the health
chairman, observing, that it was well for him that nothing
could be added on tile subject of the institution ; but as the
cue was so strong that he could discourse on it until his eyes
could ne longer wag, he was glad to be free from the danger,
and from having an influence en their eyelids by alluding to
it at ell. The subject of the toast which he was propoeing,
he was sure must be inseparably smociited with the honour
and dignity of the English stage, and its claim to be recog-
Mud and respected as a noble means of general instruction
and improvement. They were all indebted to the chairman
for bispreseece there on that occasion, ease `quo hought it
appropriate to his position to paraphruc Ation with

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