178 Dr. O'Shaughnessy on Lightning-Conductors. 



lightning- during the storm which occurred early this morning. 

 Trie lightning seems to have been attracted to the building by 

 the iron at the point of the spear attached to the figure of 

 Britannia on the top of the dome ; after demolishing the spear, 

 it pursued its course down the external copper of the dome, 

 without apparently doing any injury, and forced its way into 

 the ball-room in three separate places. It has left its traces 

 on the ceiling and wall of the southern division of the room, 

 where it has injured one of the pier-glasses, and then passed 

 out at the adjoining window. Again, on the eastern side of 

 the central division it has pursued a similar course, injuring 

 a pier-glass, and again passing out of the adjoining windows. 

 On the western side of the central division it has done the 

 most injury, for after passing through the ceiling it has broken 

 one of the pier-glasses at its corner, then running down into 

 the marble hall, has escaped out of one of the windows, breaking 

 in its exit, as the others also did, several panes of glass. 



M 2nd. I requested Dr. O'Shaughnessy to inspect the effects 

 of the lightning, and he has expressed his surprise that so 

 little comparative injury has been caused by it. The sharp 

 point of iron at the end of the spear, and the studding of the 

 shoulders of the statue with iron nails (intended to prevent 

 birds from sitting on it), has served in the first instance to at- 

 tract the lightning, and that it has never been struck before, 

 he attributes to the protecting power of the four conductors, 

 which, however, he considers to be twice as far from each other 

 as they ought to be. 



" 3rd. In repairing the statue, he recommends that the 

 spear should be made of metal, and that it should be con- 

 nected with one or more of the corner conductors by means 

 of a continuous metallic rod. It would perhaps also be ad- 

 visable under the circumstances above mentioned, to affix four 

 more conductors to the house, to render it more secure from 

 a similar visitation. 



" 4th. With the Board's permission, I will, in rectifying the 

 damage, carry the improvements above suggested into effect. 



" I have, &c. 

 (Signed) *• W. R. Fitzgerald, 



" To Captain Sanders, Civil Architect." 



Secretary, Military Board" 



(No. 2.) 



Note from the Earl of Auckland, late Governor- General of 



India. 



« Kensington Gore, July 27, 1 843. 

 "Dear Sir, — I can have no objection to giving you the in- 

 formation which you request from me, though I would do so 



