The Sun.
London, England, 1836-09-17 00:00:00

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS.

In consequence of the many and oft-repeated complaints
of Hon. Members during the last Session of Parliament
of the want of ventilation and difficulty of hearing, within
the last few days a great number of workmen, under the
superintendence of Professor Read, of Edinburgh (who
has come from Scotland expressly personally to inspect the
works going forward, which arc in conformity with a plan
he submitted to a Committee of the House), have been
busily employed in making considerable alterations in the
interior of the House of Commons, the walls of which
are now completely gutted. The objects of the altera-
tions in progress are, first, to obtain a better ventilation ;
and, secondly, to make the building, if possible, better
adapted for hearing, both in the body of the House and
the Galleries. To accomplish the latter desideratum, it
is the intention of Professor Read considerably to lower
the present ceiling, and instead of, as at present, being
flat and level, it is to be converted (as much as the nature
of the building will admit of) into a circular form, resem-
bling a dome. In order to carry this plan into effect, it
is intended that the Gallery for the Reporters, and the
Strangers' Gallery, shall be brought several feet farther
into the body of the House, and considerably lowered ;
but when lowered agreeably to the plan proposed, doubts
are entertained that considerable inconvenience may pos-
sibly arise, from the ceiling being so near the heads of
those occupying seats. The ceiling which—as we before
stated—is to be in a circular form, will in the principal part
of it be covered, or cased with glass, which Professor Read
considers will very materially increase and facilitate the
sound of a speaker's voice. In order to obtain a better
ventilation, the Professor has given instructions for a shaft
to be sunk at the south-end of the building thirty feet
deep, and over the shaft a chimney one hundred feet high
is to be erected. The floor of the house is to be raised and
laid on arches, so as to make it hollow underneath, and
apertures are to be formed communicating with the shaft
and chimney. Orders are also given for perforating ten
thousand holes, or more if necessary, in the floor—(an un-
successful experiment, it will be recollected, tried some
years since in the House of Lords by Sir Humphrey
Davy). Other alterations of a minor character are also in
progress, but they are of too intricate a nature to describe
with any minuteness. It is calculated that the expense of
the alterations now going forward will amount to between
eight thousand pounds and ten thousand pounds ; but the
expence will not be lost if the plan is successful, as a similar
one will be adopted in the erection of the new houses.
Messrs. Baker and Son are the contractors employed _under
Professor Read, and when a doubt was expressed that pro-
bably the alterations might not be completed in sufficient
time for the assembling of Parliament, those gentlemen
stated that on a few hours' notice, they could put five hun-
dred men on the works. We understand, however, that
several eminent scientific men express doubts as to the such
cess of Professor Read's plan.—Morning Paper.