THE following letter has been forwarded to the Committee of this Institution, to which, considering the great importance of the subject, and the apparent feasibility of the proposition, we give insertion, as we fully concur in Mr. SINCLAIR'S remark,—that it may be deemed a reproach to science and humanity that the enormous sacrifice of Life and Property which is annually occasioned by these dangerous shoals, should continue to be suffered at the very portals of the Commercial Metropolis of the World.

" GENTLEMEN, " IN addressing the Committee of the ROYAL NATIONAL SHIPWRECK INSTITUTION, on the subject of a plan for making a Foundation for a Tower for a ' Light of all Nations on the Goodwin Sands,' it cannot be necessary for me to enlarge on the many advantages of having a permanent building in a locality so notorious for its dangers and so important to the commerce of all nations, instead of a floating light, which must be so liable to accident just at the time when its services are most desirable, and the accidental removal of which would be attended with such disastrous consequences, that it is almost impossible to imagine the destruction of life and property that would inevitably ensue.

" I think there cannot be any doubt that there would have been long ago a lighthouse built in that great thoroughfare of nations, if there had been naturally, or if it had been found possible to find, or to make, a substantial foundation whereon to erect such a structure, and the many unavailing attempts that have been made from time to time for that purpose, show the deep interest felt and the importance attached to success in that undertaking, and it is with the view of overcoming that difficulty, and suggesting a plan by which a solid and immovable foundation can be made in that locality, that I now take leave to suggest the following plan.

" A precedent has been established, which proves in a most incontrovertible manner, equally honourable to the engineering skill, energy, and enterprise of the British Nation, that even the elements themselves may not only be subjugated to our use, but be themselves mainly instrumental in overcoming the obstacles which they present to the requirements of man ; I allude to the Plymouth Breakwater, and I beg to suggest that the same means be used on a small scale for making a foundation for the tower for a ' Light of all Nations,' as were used in forming that great National Work. The construction of the Breakwater at Plymouth is no doubt so well known to you all, that it is not necessary for me to enter into any detail, further than to note, that it is formed in from 4 to 5 fathoms of water at the level of .high-water mark of spring tides : taking therefore a section of the Breakwater as my guide, and assuming that the spot selected for the erection of the proposed Lighthouse, has a similar depth of water over it, I am of opinion that a circular Cone of Rubble, formed in the Sea, just off the edge of the Goodwin Sands, with a base of 600 feet in diameter, and in water from 4 to 5 fathoms deep, when raised 10 feet above the level of high water of spring tides, would give a superficial circular surface of upwards of 120 feet in diameter, on which to make a foundation for a tower for a ' Light of all Nations.' The foundation should consist of an inverted arch of masonry, resting on horizontal courses of masonry, the lowest of which in the centre should be founded 5 feet below low-water mark of low spring tides, and the soiid part should be carried at least 30 feet above the level of high water of spring tides, and the courses ought to consist of large blocks of stone, with dovetailed joints, stone joggles, and oaken trenails, in order to render them one solid mass, on which the fury of the waves may be expended in vain.

" Having now very briefly indicated the plan which I have thought of for the purpose intended, of the practicability of which there can hardly be a doubt, I will observe in conclusion that the erection of a permanent and substantial Lighthouse, on a solid foundation, in this notoriously dangerous locality, would be a glorious monument to Britain's maritime power, for the enormous sacrifice of life and property which is annually endured from these dangerous shoals is So notorious, that it may be deemed a reproach to science and humanity that such horrors should be still suffered at the very portals of the commercial metropolis of the world.

Such an achievement may be regarded as more than a national desideratum, and deserving the serious attention of all the friends of humanity, as well as the active assistance of the man of science, and of all those who consider the preservation of life as of paramount importance.

" It has occurred to me that the following might be the result of carrying into execution the plan I have had the honour to lay before you, viz.—that the space between the Rubble foundation of the Lighthouse, and the nearest adjoining point of the Goodwin Sands, being two fixed points, will gradually get filled up with sand to the same level as the rest of the main body of sand, and thus the ' Light of all Nations' would become the outermost or seaward point of the Goodwin Sands, and be a tower of refuse 7 O" for shipwrecked seamen, for it is well authenticated that the crews of many vessels, cast away on these shoals, have reached the sands in safety at low water, who have been swept away by the returning tide, and perished before assistance could be rendered them. I have, &c., " GODFREY SINCLAIR.

"Parthenon Club, London, "Dec. 3, 1853.".