V 
[ i64 ] 
the ftone lanthern placed above the dome. This 
danger arifes not only from its height, but from the 
different pieces of metal in different parts of it, being 
at prefent detached and feparated from each other. 
This flone lanthern is fupported by a truncated cone 
of brick-work, of no more than eighteen inches, or 
two bricks, thick. To the honour, however, of the 
architeftural fagacity of Sir Chriffopher Wren, who 
was formerly our Prefident, this fupport of the lan- 
thern, which has already flood much above half a 
century, has not in the leafl given way in any of its 
parts. How far it would fuftain the violence of a 
flroke of lightning will, it is to be hoped, never be 
tried : and what we have now to propofe will, we 
flatter ourfelves, leffen the probability of its being In- 
jured by it. The firft objcdt of our attention, there- 
fore, was to make a compleat metallic communica- 
tion between the crofs, placed over this lanthern, and 
the leaden covering of the great dome ; as from its 
height, if any lightning was in its neighbourhood, it 
would moft probably affeft the crofs. 
This crofs with the ball, both compofed of metal, 
are fupported by, and connected with, feven iron rods. 
Thefe defeend perpendicularly through the fmall 
leaden dome, which covers the lanthern, and are in- 
ferted into and pafs through a flrong frame of timber, 
placed horizontally under that dome. The lower 
extremities of thefe iron rods are faftened to the un- 
der furface of this timber frame with iron nuts and 
ferews. 
From this timber work, fevcral large iron bars, 
placed at fome diflance from the ends of the above- 
mentioned iron rods, defeend obliquely, and are fixed 
in 
