KlliST REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS.

xxvii

Chairman to the Building Committee, to undertake the arduous duty of generalcontrol. Asoiliocrs acting under and responsible to him, the gentlemen who hadbeen nominated by the Building Committee to assist them in the preparation oftheir drawings, &e., were reappointed, it being understood that the division oflabour between them should be as follows :—Mr. Wild to make himself responsiblelor the engineering details, Mr. Owen Jones lor the decoration, and Mr. Wyattlor the general building construction, fulfilment of contracts, extras, omissions, andthe regulation of monthly accounts. In these departments each of those gentle-men acted during the erection ol the Building; Mr. Earie being employed as Clerkof the Works, and Mr. Harwood as Surveyor.

Possession of the site was obtained on the 30th of July, and a hoarding wasimmediately erected, enclosing it. Great ingenuity was bestowed upon the adapta-tion of mechanical contrivances to diminish and expedite labour; but it wouldoccupy too great space were the Commissioners to attempt an account of them.

Numerous experiments were made to verily the stability of the work, and theconsecpicnt safety of the public; every cast-iron girder on being brought on theground was weighed and tested in a hydraulic press. The wrought iron trusseswere carefully examined, and their general conditions of efficiency determined bothby experiment and theory. Some of the most questionable points of the foundationswere tested by loading them with extraordinary weights ; the gallery floors wereabundantly proved both by stationary and by moving loads, and a careful observanceof the cfiect of storms, &c., upon every portion of the building fortified thoseentrusted with its execution and supervision in a conviction of its stability andsufficiency.

During many weeks upwards of 2,000 men were employed upon the ground, loursteam engines assisting in the various operations (see Appendix XI.)

The general plan of the Building as executed is that of a parallelogram, 1,848leet long and 408 leet wide, the greatest dimension being in the direction fromEast to West; it includes, in addition, a projection on the North side 48 feetwide and 936 leet long. The whole of this area is subdivided into 12 avenues ofvarious widths, extending in the direction of the greatest length. 'Die principalavenue, 72 feet wide, and 63 leet high, occupies the centre, and is Hanked on eitherside by avenues alternately 24 feet and 48 leet wide, of which the first on citherside of the centre are of equal height with the main avenue, i. c., 63 feet: the nexttwo on either side are 43 feet high, and the remainder are all 23 feet high. Nearthe centre of the entire length of the Building these longitudinal avenues are inter-sected at right angles by a transept 72 feet wide, the semicylindrieal roof of whichrises to a height of 108 leet, inclosing a row of large trees; two other groups oftrees on the ground give rise to open courts which are enclosed within the Build-ing. The total area rooled over is 772,784 square leet, equal to about 19 acres.The avenues into which it has been stated that the whole building is divided, areformed by rows of hollow east-iron columns 8 inches in diameter and 24 feet apartlongitudinally, which rise in 1, 2, and 3 tiers to support the rooi at the different