These circumstances by no means shook my belief in the suitableness of the plan adopted for obtaining a temporary dwelling on the rock; but they induced me, as soon as I received authority from the Commissioners, whose confident expectation of final success was not damped by the unhappy issue of our season’s labours, to examine very carefully the whole details of the ties and fastenings. In preparing a similar structure for next season, I resolved to strengthen the ties at the top, where I imagined the former failure to have occurred, by adding six strong stancheons _a_, _a_ (Plate V.), one to each beam, with heads passing through a centre-plate (H), which united them in one as a cap and to which they were secured by strong screws and keys. The nature of those fixtures will be more easily understood by a reference to the figures (1) and (2) in Plate VI., which shew an elevation and plan of the upper part of the beams. In the elevation only the beams A, B, C, are shewn; but in the plan, all the six beams appear _mitering_ at their heads _n_, _n_, to the central beam or tie _o_, _o_ (see also Plate V.), which was introduced to counteract the tendency of the heavy seas that might burst inside the pyramid, and by exerting a powerful force in the vertical direction, might separate the beams at the top. In the Plate (VI.), _a_, _a_, are strong stancheons of iron attached to the outside of the beams by bolts, and also by collars _r_, _r_, attached to ears _g_, _g_. These stancheons being bent into the vertical direction and rounded at the top, passed through the malleable iron plate H, which was held down, and, as already stated, bound the beams together by nuts _c_, _c_, and wedges _b_, _b_. Through a hole in the centre of this plate, a large spike _p_ was driven, which produced an expansion of the central beam, and thus wedged up or tightened all the joints formed by the _mitering_ of the seven timbers. On each of those stancheons, _snugs_ were formed at _e_, capable of receiving and retaining in its place against any tendency to move upwards, a strong metallic ring _g_, which was tightly keyed by wedges at _k_. Additional ties of iron D, E, F, were also provided, which connected the six beams together in pairs. Each end of those ties was attached to the timbers by three spikes; one tie, D, is shewn a little fore-shortened; another, E, is seen only on the end; while the third F, is shewn as cut off at the middle. Lastly, an important change was made, by the substitution of malleable iron for wooden braces (see Plate V.) _b_, _b_, _b_, _b_, in the horizontal direction. Fixtures of this kind held the whole more firmly together; and their construction was such that they might firmly embrace each beam, without requiring any means of attachment beyond wedging tightly up; and thus the entire strength of the timbers was unimpaired by the driving of spikes or bolts. Those braces (No. 11),