Trinity House, it was not till July 1706 that
the construction of a new lighthouse was
commenced. It was under the direction of
Mr. John Rudyerd, of London. The tower
was entirely of timber, and ninety-two feet
high. The edifice was finished, and the new
light first shown on the 28th of July, 1708.
It continued to be regularly exhibited during
forty-seven years, when it accidentally took
fire, and being formed of such combustible
materials, the whole fabric was destroyed
A.D. 1755.

As it was quite evident that a " light " was
absolutely necessary at this spot, and— strange
to relate— as the " authorities " had now really
learned some wisdom by experience, preparations
were immediately made for the erection
of another lighthouse. On the 5th of April,
1756, Smeaton first landed on the rock, and
prepared for the erection of a lighthouse of
stone. He arranged for the foundation by
cutting the surface of the rock into regular
horizontal benches, and into these the foundation
stones were to be carefully dovetailed
or notched. The first stone was laid in 1757.
The tower measures sixty-eight feet in height,
and twenty-six feet in diameter at the level
of the first entire course; and the diameter,
under the cornice, is fifteen feet. The whole
is a work of extreme ingenuity to obtain the
greatest amount of resistance, and unites the
two great principles, viz. of strength and
weight—or cohesion and inertia. The first
twelve feet of the tower form a solid mass of
masonry, and the stones of which it is
composed are united by means of stone joggles,
dovetailed joints, and oaken treenails. All
the floors of the edifice are arched. The
"light " was first exhibited on the 16th of
October, 1759; but such was the condition of
lighthouse apparatus here, at this time,
(though Argand's invention was known in
1784, and paraboloïdal mirrors were used in the
"lights " at Bidstone and Hoy lake still earlier)
that a feeble illumination from tallow candles
was the only benefit derived from this noble
structure. " In 1807," continues Mr. Alan
Stevenson, " the property of this lighthouse
again came into the hands of the Trinity
House, at the expiration of a long lease,"—
during which, we may infer, that it had been
let to some very unworthy parties, who,
regardless of shipwrecks and loss of life,
starved the light and pocketed the fees.
After this, argand burners, and paraboloïdal
reflectors of silvered copper, were substituted
by the Elder Brethren for the jobbery of the
felonious mutton dips.

Inch Cape, or Bell Rock, is a dangerous
reef on the coast of Scotland, where in former
days so many vessels were wrecked, that the
Abbot of Aberbrothwick caused a float to be
fixed upon the rock, with a large bell attached
to it, so arranged that the swinging motion of
the waves should cause it continually to toll,
and more especially in very rough weather.
Southey's ballad of " Sir Ralph the Rover" is
founded on this story. Many shipwrecks
occurred herein more recent times; among others,
that of the " York," seventy-four, which was lost
with all her crew. A beacon of spars was then
erected by Captain Brodie; but it, was soon
washed away. A second beacon was set up,
and speedily disappeared. After a considerable
time the Commissioners of Northern
Lighthouses brought a bill into Parliament (in
1802) for power to erect a lighthouse on this
rock. The bill passed into law in 1806 (no
hurry, gentlemen pray never think of hurrying
yourselves,) and in August, 1807, Mr.
Robert Stevenson landed with his workmen,
and commenced the work by preparing the
rock for the erection of a temporary pyramid,
on which a barrack-house was to be placed
for the reception of the workmen. As the
rock was only dry for a few hours at spring-
tides, the men had to retreat to a vessel
moored off it, while these operations were
being carried on. After many accidents, and
one narrow escape of the loss of the engineer
and thirty-one workmen, by the rising of the
tide upon the rock, when the attending vessel
had broken adrift, the lighthouse was
completed, in 1810. "The Bell Rock Tower is
one hundred feet in height, forty-two feet in
diameter at the base, and fifteen at the top.
The door is thirty feet from the base, and the
ascent is by a massive bronze ladder. The
' light ' is a revolving red and white light;
and is produced by the revolution of a frame
containing sixteen argand lamps, placed in
the foci of paraboloïdal mirrors, arranged on
a quadrangular frame, whose alternate faces
have shades of red glass placed before the
reflectors, so that a red and white light is shown
successively. The machinery which causes the
revolution of the frame containing the lamps,
is also applied to tolling two large bells, in
order to give warning to the mariner of his
approach to the rock in foggy weather." To
see this huge tower, with his two different
coloured eyes, as they emerge through the
fog, while his heavy bells keep up their tolling
monotony, has all the grim effect in which old
romances so much delight.

The Carlington lighthouse, on the coast of
Ireland, is a very fine structure. It is one
hundred and eleven feet in height. Very
arduous efforts were required for its erection,
as the foundation had to be laid in the rock,
twelve feet below the level of high-water. It
was designed by Mr. George Halpin,
Inspector of the Irish Lights.

One more Lighthouse must close our
descriptions. Its erection was attended with
many vicissitudes.

For the following accoimt, we are indebted
to Mr. Alan Stevenson's Rudimentary
Treatise, previously quoted, the author having,
in this instance, been the architect and
engineer.

The Skerryvore Rocks, which lie about
twelve miles W. S. W. of the seaward point
of the Isle of Tyree, in Argyllshire, were long