ing any of the attending boats, a circumstance which, if unprovided for, would have involved the safety of every person upon the rock. As the work could only be proceeded with at low water of spring tides, and as three hours were considered a good tide's work, it became necessary to embrace every opportunity of favourable weather, as well in the day tides as under night by torch-light, and upon Sundays; for when the flood tide advanced upon the rock, the workmen were obliged to collect their tools and go into the attending boats, which often, not without the utmost difficulty, were rowed to the floating light, where they remained till the rock began to appear next ebb-tide. Happily no accident occurred to check the ardour of working, and by the latter end of October the operations were brought to a close for the season. A beacon was now finished, consisting of 12 large beams of timber ranged in a circle, having a common base of 30 feet, and rising to à height of 50 feet; at the top the beams were gathered together, and terminated in a point; below they were strongly connected with the rock by iron batts and chains. The upper part, which in moderate weather stood above the reach of the sea, was afterwards fitted up, and possess ed during the working months as a barrack for the artificers, a smith's shop, and other necessary purposes; and being situated near the stone building, it was at last connected with it by a bridge, or gang-way, which, in the progress of the work, was likewise of great service in facilitating the raising of the materials. Unless such an expedient as this beacon-house had been resorted to, the possibility of at all erecting a light-house upon

the rock is extremely doubtful; it must at any rate have required a much longer period for its accomplishment, and without the beacon-house there would in all probability have been the loss of many lives.

The operations of the second year were commenced at as early a period as the weather would permit ; and to avoid the great personal risk, and excessive fatigue of rowing the boats to the floating light, an additional vessel was provided solely for the purpose of attending the work. This vessel could be loosened from her moorings at pleasure, and taken to the lee-side of the rock, where in foul weather she might take the artificers and attending boats on board, which could not be done by the floating light. This tender was a very fine schooner of eighty tons, named the Sir Joseph Banks, in compliment to the illustrious president of the Royal Society, who, ever ready in the cause of public improvement, had lent his aid in procuring the loan from government for carrying the work into execution. Thus provided with a place of safety on the rock in the beacon-house, and a tender always ready in case of necessity, the work went forward even in pretty blowing weather, and by struggling both during day and night tides, early in July the scite of the light-house was cut sufficiently deep into the rock, and wrought to a level. Part of the castiron railways was fixed for conveying the large blocks of stone along the rock, and other necessary preparations being made, the foundation-stone was laid upon Sunday the 10th July, 1808. By the latter end of Septem ber, the operations of a second season were brought to a fortunate conclusion, by the finishing of the four

first and heaviest courses of the building, which brought it to the height of five feet six inches.

In the spring of the following year, the operations were again resumed, and it was no small happiness to those concerned to find, that of the four courses built upon the rock, not a single stone had in the least shifted, after a long and severe winter. The arrangements previous to the landing of any materials on the rock, were to lay down moorings for the various vessels and praam boats employed in the service of the rock; to erect ma chinery for receiving the stones from the praam boats, and cranes for taking them from the railways and laying them into their places on the building. With an apparatus thus appointed, the light-house was got to the height of 30 feet by the month of September, 1809, which completed the solid part of the building, and in this state things were again left for the winter months.

From the much greater height to which the materials were to be raised as the work advanced, and the small accommodation for keeping any stock of building-materials on the walls, while the landing of the stones from the boats was still confined to be the work of a few hours at low water of spring tides, it remained a matter of great uncertainty whether it were possible to overtake the raising of the whole 70 feet above the solid, in one season. The work was therefore begun as early in the third season as possible; and, by unremitting exertions, and a train of fortunate circumstances, the building of the lighthouse was brought to a conclusion in the month of December, 1810, and lighted up for the first time on the evening of the 1st February, 1811. The floating light vessel, formerly

mentioned, was then unmoored and removed.

We have now given a general his torical account of the erection of the Bell Rock Light-house, and shall next mention its principal dimensions, and state some interesting circumstances connected with it.

The foundation stone of the light. house is nearly on a level with low water of ordinary spring tides, and consequently at high water of these tides the building is immersed about fifteen feet; but during the progress of the work, the sea spray has been observed to rise upon the light-house to the height of 90 feet, even in the month of July. The building is of a circular form, composed of blocks of stone, from one half ton to between two and three tons weight each. The ground course measures 42 feet diameter, from which it diminishes as it rises; and at the top, where the mason-work finishes and the light-room commences, it measures 13 feet diameter. Here the cornice forms a walk or balcony round the outside of the light-room. The stone building measures 100 feet in height; but the total height of the light-house, including the light-room, is 115 feet. As far up as the entrance-door, which is 30 feet from the ground course, the building is entirely solid, excepting a small hole cut in the centre stones for the drop of the weight of the machinery. The ascent to the entrance-door is by a kind of rope lad dér, which is hung out at ebb tide, and again taken into the building when the water covers the rock. A narrow passage leads from the door to the stair-case. The stair-case occupies 13 feet of the building imme diately above the solid part. Here the walls are seven feet thick, but they regularly become thinner all

the way to the top. The remain ing 57 feet of mason-work is divided by five stone floors into rooms for the light-keepers and stores, which communicate with each other by wooden ladders. It being proper to have nothing of a combustible nature about the light-room, the ladders there are of iron. The three lower apartments have each two small windows, and the upper rooms have each four windows; the whole be ing provided with strong shutters to defend the glass against the sea in

storms.

The two first courses of the building are entirely sunk into the rock. The stones of all the courses are dove-tailed, and let into each other in such a manner, that each course forms one connected mass from the centre to the circumference; and the suc cessive courses are attached to each other by joggles of stone, upon the plan of the Eddystone Light-house formerly alluded to; and while the building was still amongst the water, two trenail holes were bored through each stone, and entering six inches into the course below: Oaken trenails of two inches diameter were driven into these holes, which effectually kept the stones from shifting till the stones of the next course were laid. The cement used at the Bell Rock was a mixture of lime, pozzolano earth, and sand; and that it might as much as possible resemble the mortar used at the Eddystone with so much success, the lime was brought from the very same quarry in Wales. Round the balcony of the lightroom, there is a cast-iron rail, curiously wrought like net-work, which rests upon batts of brass; and the rail has a massive coping of the same metal. The light-room is of an octagon form, 12 feet diameter, and 15 feet in height,

constructed chiefly of cast-iron, with a dome roof of copper; and the win. dow sashes all round are glazed with polished plate glass, which is one quarter of an inch in thickness. In one of the lower apartments, or the kitchen, there is an iron grate or open fire-place, with a metal tube for conveying the smoke to the top of the light-room, which heats the several rooms through which it passes. This grate and chimney merely touch the building, without being included or built up in the walls.

The light is very powerful, and has been seen from a ship's deck fully 20 miles from the rock. It is from oil, with argand burners, placed in the focus of silver-plated reflectors, hollowed to the parabolic curve. That the Bell Rock light may be readily distinguished by the mariner from all others on the coast, the reflectors are ranged upon a frame, which is made to revolve upon a perpendicular axis once in three minutes. Between the observer and the reflectors, on one side of the frame, shades of red glass are interposed, in such a manner, that during each entire revolution of the frame with the reflectors, two distinctly different appearances are produced, the one a common bright light, and the other, or shaded side, having the rays tinged red; and these lights alternate, with intervals of darkness.

As a further warning to the mariner, two large bells are tolled day and night during the continuance of foggy or snowy weather, by the same machinery which moves the lights. As these bells in moderate weather may be heard considerably beyond the limits of the rock, a vessel may by this means be prevented from running upon the rock during fogs, a disaster which might otherwise hap

the light-house.

Amidst the various inauspicious forebodings regarding this building, either prior to or about the time of its commencement, the following was very prevalent :-"That no one would be found to possess so dread and dreary a dwelling; and if ever erected, its projectors would be left themselves to pass the first winter under its roof." But the first aspect of every thing of this kind is generally by much the worst; for, as the building got up, and was found to withstand the storms of two successive winters in an incomplete state, confidence seemed to increase; and, by the time it was ready for being inhabited, the applications for a keeper's birth were more numerous than the situations; and it is no less strange than true, that applicants on both sides of the Tweed were disappointed in their suit. The establishment of keepers consists of a principal light-keeper and three others. Each keeper, at the end of six weeks, in his turn is relieved, and is at liberty to go upon his own affairs for a fortnight. Their pay is about fifty pounds per annum, with provisions while at the light-house. At Arbroath, each of the light-keepers has a house provided by the commissioners for his family. Connected with these houses, there is a signal tower, where an excellent telescope is kept, and a set of signals arranged with the people at the light-house for the attending vessel, which carries off the

light-house. This vessel is about 40 register tons, and is therefore capa ble of carrying a beat of sufficient dimensions for landing on the rock in moderate weather. The master the attending vessel acts as superin tendant, and has the charge of the building and stores kept at Arbroath.

of

The expence of this undertaking has not yet been ascertained, but it is supposed to amount to about fiftyfive thousand pounds sterling. Whe ther, therefore, we consider the mag nitude of this most useful work, or the success which has attended the operations, from their commencement in 1807 till their completion in 1810, this work will be found to do equal honour to the spirited exertions of the Hon. Board of Commissioners for Northern Lights, to the talents, activity, and perseverance of the en gineer, and to the resources of country which, while struggling with unparalleled difficulties in the field of war, yet enjoying the most perfect security at home, is able and ready to pursue the works of industry, and to attend to the calls of humanity.

We are happy to understand that a detailed account of the erection of the Bell Rock light-house, illustrated with engravings of the building in its different stages, the apparatus, &c., is to be published by Mr StevenSOD, engineer; and with pleasure we have heard, that the Hon. Board of Commissioners have liberally expressed a desire to preserve the particulars c this memorable work.

From the Poet Shenstone, to Mr MacGowan, late of Edinburgh.

The Leasowes, Sept. 24, 1761.

DEAR SIR,-I have indeed been guilty of the most absurd hypocrisy that ever was, having suffered an appearance of neglect to rob me of the pleasure of your correspondence, when no one living could have been more sensible of the obligation it laid me under. Sure I am that I must be greatly indebted to Mr Roebuck's representation for the place I still retain in your esteem, and which I should utterly have given up for lost, had not your goodness, by many ouvert acts, lately convinced me of the contrary.

'Twas indeed the view of accompanying my letter with something worthy of your acceptance, that has kept me silent so long, in spite of all your friendly provocations. I wanted to transcribe one or two pieces of greater length than the trifles I inclose. Alas, that I have not, even now, an opportunity of so do

and

ing! Dr Roebuck goes to-morrow, you must accept of an irregular disjointed letter, in which I find it my duty to acknowledge so many different favours.

The Scotch press,* of which you sent me so many agreeable specimens, has, I think, not a rival in the world, unless it be that of my neighbour Baskerville. Here I find myself unable or unwilling to decide the preference. Amongst friends, however, I would whisper, that Baskerville's impressions are more striking to the eye, either on account of his ink, his paper, or his type; yet, at the same time, it may be much doubted whe ther the Scotch editions will not be deemed the best for use. Martial has expressed what may prove the case at the close of one of his epi

grams:

“Laudant illa, sed ista legunt." As to correctness, the Scotch seems to have hitherto the advantage; but if Baskerville find encouragement to print many Latin books, he purposes,