The Sun.
London, England, 1858-01-09 00:00:00

THE NEW HOUSES Of PARLIAMENT.

Of late tut little progress has been made in
works at the above large structure, as respects the
exterior ; but considerable activity has been mani-
fested in the interior, and the private residences in
the north and south wings of the river front are
now clearly finished, more especially the mansion (for
so we must call it) intended for the official residence
of the Speaker of the House of Commons. This
residence occupies the whole of the north end of
the river front of the building, and extends to what
is termed the Speaker's Court, the whole forming
in plan a paralltdogram, which measures 100 feet by
85 feet. The entrance is in the Speaker's Court,
through an appropriate stone porch. A wide stone
staircase leads to the principal floor, where the great
reception rooms are arranged, all of which are entered
by a corridor, the ceiling of which is groined in
stone, the floor paved with Minton's encaustic tiles.
This corridor extends round four sides of an inner
court, which serves tolight the basement and ground
floors. The windows towards the courtare filled with
stained glass, containing the armorial bearings of
past Speakers of the House of Commons. Entered,
as previously stated, from the corridor, are the re-
ception-rooms, four in number, which comprise
three drawing-rooms and a state dining-room, of the
following dimensions severally—viz., 33 feet by
23 feet, 37 feet by 21 feet, 33 feet by 23 feet, 45
feet by 23 feet, and all of the uniform height of 20
feet in the clear. Chambers are also fitted up in
a similar manner to the rest of the building, but
with finishing of a more than ordinary ornate
description. The ceilings are panelled and re-
lieved by gilding and colour. The state dining-
room has at one of its ends a large panelled recess
to contain the sideboard ; below and above por-
traits of former Speakers of the House. Adjoining
to the dining-room is what is termed a serving-
room, with a lift, hot-plats, &c. The bcd-rooms
and domestic portions of the house are on a most
extensive scale, and are now progressing very
rapidly, with the view to the house being occupied
soon after Easter. In the south wing two
complete residences are being fitted up for
the " Black Rod" and the librarian of
the House of Lords. These residences are
being arranged with every modern convenience
and comfort, but in a much plainer style than the
Speaker's house, and are not so near completion.
Generally, the building remains in much the same
state as it was at the close of the last session, ex•
cept that the ponderous castings which are to form
the roof of the Victoria Tower are being hoisted to
their situations. We may remark that the four
turrets at corners of the Victoria Tower are now
complete, and have a highly-picturesque effect.
The clock and bells have not yet been placed in the
clock tower, which, however, is quite ready for
their reception.—Building News.

THE CITY OF VIENNA.—The demolition of the ram-
parts of Vienna, and the filling up of the fosses of the
fortifications wilt commence in the spring. The ground
which will be sold will not have to be paid for imme-
diately, but on condition that the houses shall be built
within five years. The purchasers will have different
terms fixed for the payment for the ground, and will also
be exempt from taxes for 25 years. The Jews will have
a right to build in this new quarter of the Austrian
capital.
FIRE.—A. large fire took plaoe at Bradford on Tues-
day night last, causing the destruction of an extensive
wool and worsted warehouse and mill, and a valuab'e
stock of goods, wool, 60 Jacquard looms and other
machinery, &c. The origin of the fire is not known.
It broke out at about 10 o'clock at night, and the
efforts to check it, although prompt and extensive,
were almost unavailing. The premises in which it
occurred are known as the Fleece Mills, and are
situated on the Thornton-road. They are the property
of Mr. J. Booth, of Horton and Rawdou, near Brad-
ford. They coat about 2,0001., and were insured for
1,8001. The occupiers were five in number—Messrs. I.
Booth and Co.' Mr. John Bottomley, Messrs. Bentham
and Wheater, Messrs. Priestley and Clapham, and Mr.
W. Isherwood. The property lost belonging to these
firms was worth from 8,0013/. to 9,0001., about one-half
of which is covered by insurances.
STARVATION POINT.—If we cannot with any precision
say how long starvation will be in effecting its fatal end,
WO can say how much waste is fatal. From the cele-
brated experiments of Chossat on inanition it appears that
death arrives whenever the waste reaches au average pro-
portion of o'4. That is to say, supposing an animal to
weigh 1001 b., it will succumb when its weight is reduced
to 60lb. Death may of course ensue before that point
is reached, but not be prolonged after it. The average
loss which can be suctained is 40 per cent. ; sometimes
the loss is greater, especially if the animal be very fat ;
thus, in the transactions of the Lint wen Society a case
is reported of a fat pig which was buried in 30 feet of
chalk for 160 days ; his weight fell iu that period no less
than 75 per cent. Curiously enough, as an illustration
of what was just said respecling time not being an index,
fishes and reptiles were found by Chossat to perish at
precisely the same limit of weight am warm-blooded
animals, but they required a period of 23 times as long
to do it in. Thus, if the experiment be performed of
starving a bird and a frog during the warm weather,
although botb will perish when their loss of weight
reaches 40 per cent., the one will not survive a week,
the other will survive 23 weeks.—Blackwood.
THE EARTHQUAKE IN THE Two SICILIES.—In the
recent eartbquake at Naples a curious circumstance oc-
curred. At Pertosa a chimney was carrieda distance of
nearly 100 feet, and very thick pieces of iron were
severed is two, or twisted up, as if by an immense force.
Iu addition, large crevices were made in fields and
roads, and in the latter they had to be filled up to
enable circulation to be re-established. A letter from
Sicily, of the 26th ult., gives some curious details as to
state of that country. On receiving the news of the
earthquake at Naples the inhabitants of the island were
seized with the greatest alarm, increased by the
threatening aspect which Mount Etna had recently
assumed—giving evident symptoms of an approaching
eruption. As a loud subterranean noise was reported to
have been several times heard, the intendant of the
province of Catana, accompanied by some scientific men
and engineers, went to the mountain to ascertain the
truth or falsehood of the rumour. The result of the visit
showed that the fears entertained were without founda-

time, and a proclamation to that effect was published,
which tended to dissipate the public alarm.
THE CHRISTIAN BISHOPS IN TURKEY.—Constantinople
journals say that the high dignitaries of the Greek church
tmohaed diitvasatepn prerogativesiu advantages
abge(lr eoe thesna to
whichieor o due
a .
une dTthatexe-
cutionlim
eyH
document atti-Humayoum, refuse to submit to
continue to cause much annoyance to the Porte by their
insubrnission and their exigencies. Most of the arch-
bishops and bishops, while callefr eeling loudly f)
of the
oanstjmhdoeyd to on
i re
edabli
theimmediately
them-
selves.smuucnh t ofe
s its
Tho
which
sfuee streehsks e
tyci e
n add
will not admit of any modification, either as regards
their temporal power or their emoluments, which they
persist in drawing direst from their co-religionists.
Different councilehave been held at the Porte to examine
into the question, but hitherto no satisfactory result has
been obtained. We also learn that an incident has just
arisen in Servia on the occasion of the consecration of
the Bishop of Belgrade. The Servian Government,
which has never recognised the nomination of this
prelate, although regularly made by the Pope, now
consents to do so, but on condition that the consecration
shall be made by priests of its own selection. This is a
pretension which the bishop refuses to admit, and the
result is a difference which the Porte will probably have
to arrange diplomatically with the Holy See.
WARNING TO BROKERS.—At a Justice of Peace Court,
held in Dundee on Monday, says the Courier, a case of
rather a novel nature was heard by the presiding justices
—viz., Messrs. John Sturrook and W. E. Baxter, M.P.
The following are the circumstances of the case :—Chas.
Gray, a French polisher, sued Isaac Peterkin, a broker,
for ls. 6d., being the value of a pair of worsted stock•
Mr, the pursuer's property, alleged to have been ille-
gally and unwarrantably carried away from his dwell-
ing-house on the 24th ult., by Flora Bremner or Gray,
his wife, and pledged with, or sold to the defendant
without the pursuer's knowledge or consent, the defen
der well knowing that the party from whom he bought
them was the pursuer's wife, and that the stockings
which the defender refused to restore to the pursuer
were his property. Mr. James Miller, writer, ap-
peared to support the pursuer's case, and maintained
that under the principle of various decisions in the
Supreme Court, no wife had any power to sell any
property of her husband's without his consent in virtue
of her prepositura; and that no consent had been given
by the pursuer for the sale of the stockings in question,
the sum got for which had been spent on drink. In
defence the defender admitted the purchase, but alleged
that he was justified in making it. The justices,
however, held otherwise, and continued the case till
next Court, to afford him an opportunity of restoring
the prisoner's property.
VACANCIES, APPOINTMENTS, AND PROMOTIONS IN
THE CIVIL SERVICE.—War Department—Deputy-As-
sistant Commissary-General Servantes and Commissariat
Clerk Brown have been attached to the Military Train
recently raised at Hong-Kong : Deputy-Assistant-Com-
missary-General Irvine has been removed from Quebec
to Kingston, Canada, vice Assistant-Commissary,
Stanton, removed to Montreal. The Admiralty.—Mr-
Lang, Superintendent of the Timber Department at
Woolwich Dockyard, has been superannuated on an
allowance of 2801. a-year. Customs.—Mr. Thomas.
Fuller has bean appointed a Searcher at Newhaven
Mr. Albert Wright has been appointed from seventh to
sixth-class clerk in the Jerquer's Office, London ; Mr.
William Donaldson has been promoted from second to
first-class locker at Belfast. Inland Revenue Department
(Excise Branch).—Messrs. Aylieff, Saundereon, Coogan,
Birnie, Wall, and Souter, examiners, are now specially
.t 11131, re .y.O'Dlirag ;DI)
employed in attendance at the Inland Revenue Labora-
tory. Gloucester Collection, has been specially appointed to
take charge of the Root Distillery about to be opened at
Mr. Andrew Turnbull, officer of Newent Ride,
Minty Wilts. Mr. John Standish, late officer of
Falkirk First Division, has, b. y Boards order of the
21st , been appointed clerk in Linlithgow Collection
Ireland.—A vacancy has been caused in the transcribing
class of the Registry! of Deeds Office, Dublin, by this
nilliamofHthenedenrsiogt
has been appointed a commissioner of National Eduna-
'eQnviCr,
resigned. Mr!
.James Thompson has been 'appointed
Educa-
tion h onf
Professor of Civil Engineering in the Queen's Colleen.
Belfast, in the room of Professor Godwin, resigned:3—,
tMber. rWooi
004 Service Gaza(e,