THE need has been long felt of a shipwreck night-signal of distress, which could be seen from a far distance; be as different as possible from ordinary lights, so as not to be mistaken for one; be inexpensive, and above all be portable and easy of igni- tion or discharge, even in the heaviest gale and drenching rain.

More especially has such a means of night-signalling been needed as a distress signal for the use of merchant vessels of the smaller class, on board which neither guns nor rockets can be carried.

A new description of signal lights, which will meet all the above requirements, has been lately invented by Lieut. E. W. VERY, of the United States Navy, which is already in use in that service, and which has been highly reported on to our own War Office by Major LE MESURIER, Inspector of Army Signalling at Aldershot, as a night-signal in lieu of the ordinary signal rocket hitherto in use.

Like many other useful and ingenious inventions, it is of such a simple character that it seems strange it was not sooner introduced.

Our readers will be acquainted with the common " firework " called a " Roman can- dle," consisting of a series of fire-balls shot perpendicularly into the air from a fixed case, or socket, on the ground. They have only to imagine such fire-balls, or stars, of great brilliancy and of any defined colour, I shot into the air to a height of from 300 j to 400 feet from a pistol held in the hand, I and they will have a clear conception of | Lieutenant VERY'S night-signal apparatus, | which consists of a large-bored, breech- loading brass pistol, of simple but peculiar construction, with water-proof cartridges i precisely similar to those used with breech- loading rifles and sporting guns, each cart- i ridge containing its own charge of powder, 'and in lieu of ball or shot a cylindrical j lump, one inch in length, of a composition I which bursts into complete ignition on attaining its greatest altitude, and then, slowly falling, burns brilliantly during its descent.

The pistol has a barrel three inches long, with a bore one inch in diameter, which is fitted to turn horizontally on a pivot in such a manner that the cart- ridges are inserted and fired alternately ! from one end and the other. Thus after : discharging a signal the barrel is reversed i by being turned through nearly half a I circle, another cartridge is inserted at what at the previous discharge was the muzzle but now becomes the breech, the new cart- ridge pushing the used, empty one out, and the barrel being again turned into position along the stock it is once more ready to fire. In this manner as many as ten discharges could be made in a minute if required.

The barrel and metal work of the pistol being of brass it is not liable to corrosion, and the cartridge-cases being made of the same length as the barrel the released gas does not come in contact with it and it never fouls, whereby no cleaning is requisite, unless at long intervals.

The special advantages of this descrip- tion of signal over the ordinary rocket are its portability and the ease and certainty of its ignition under all circumstances of wind and weather, those advantages mak- ing it particularly suitable for distress night-signals, which will be readily ac- knowledged by all who have experienced the difficulty of igniting rockets in a gale of wind with rain, when matches and all ordinary exposed lights are instantaneously extinguished.

But more especially would they be of service in small merchant vessels, such as coasters and fishing craft. On such a vessel stranding in bad weather, the waves speedily break over her, clearing her deck and extinguishing all lights and fires on board. How under such circumstances, when men could not even retain a footing on her deck, could rockets be available ? If provided, however, with these signals the master would have but to rush to his cabin or to wherever the box containing his signal apparatus was stowed, hang his pistol by its laniard round his neck, buckle round his waist the belt or pouch containing twenty or more of the water- proof cartridges, and, mounting the rig- ging, where he might have to lash himself, he could, even in such a position, continue to throw up brilliant signals of distress at intervals throughout the night, and might thus obtain help from the shore before his craft and all on board had suc- cumbed to the waves; and, as these signals have been seen at sea from a distance of twenty miles, they might be so likewise from the land, unless in foggy or very thick weather, even on the most distant outlying banks on our coasts.

As above stated, Lieutenant VEST'S signals have been adopted in the United States Navy, and we hear that the English War Office have called for a tender for the immediate supply of a large number. The NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION is now making trial of them, and will, we have no doubt, shortly supply them to all its Life- boat Stations. We have no hesitation therefore in bringing them to the notice of shipowners and recommending their adop- tion, more especially as they can be used in the system of " Distress Signals " au- thorised by the BOARD OF TRADE, which, in the 3rd Clause of its Instructions for Night Signals of Distress states that "Rockets or shells of any colour or de- scription, fired, one at a time, at short intervals shall be deemed to be signals of distress at night." There is one other mode in which we think these signals might be of much service on shipboard, viz., as a means of preventing collision on two vessels ap- proaching each other at night, especially in narrow channels, as in the disastrous ease of the steamers Princess Alice and Bywell Castle, when it might be of the greatest importance that one vessel should be able to intimate to the other any change in the direction of her helm and course.

Thus a star or series of stars fired to the right or left might be made to signify that the helm was put in that direction or that the ship's head was being steered in that direction. A green star, being the colour of the starboard bow light, might be fired to starboard, from the star- board bow, or a red one from the port bow, as the case might be, which would still further make their signification unmistakable.

Da an article on " Night-Signals of Dis- tress " in the 109th number of this journal, in which we advocated the adoption of the two colours, red and green, in distress night-signals, as distinctive indications of danger to life or property, we observed, that in " the present international system inaugurated by the English BOARD OF TRADE no attempt was made, by any mark of distinction whatever, to show whether aid was required to save life or property, it being merely an inarticulate cry of distress, the night distress signal being— " 1. A gun fired at intervals of about a minute.

" 2. Flames on the ship (as from a burn- ing tar barrel, oil barrel, &c.).

" 3. Sockets or shells of any colour or description fired one at a time at short intervals." We believe also that a prejudice has been entertained against the use of coloured lights from the supposition that the dis- tance from which they can be seen is very circumscribed compared with white lights, which is undoubtedly so, as regards the rays of white lights having to pass through coloured glass, which greatly obscures them. Such is not however the case in the instance of pyrotechnic-coloured lights, and we ourselves witnessed at the trial of Lieutenant VERT'S signals at Aldershot, above referred to, that his red stars were more distinctly visible to the naked eye at a distance of 17J miles than even a Drummond's lime light, which is known to be of intense brilliancy.

In the article above quoted we likewise stated that, " an experienced officer of the late Indian navy, now dock master of the Port of Cardiff and local honorary secre- tary to the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTI- TUTION," had suggested the adoption of " Roman candles" in lieu of ordinary rockets on board merchant vessels, as being much more easy of management.

Lieutenant VERY'S signals have since appeared, and we think them admirably adapted to effect the purpose advocated both by Captain Pengelley and ourselves.

We will only further add that Lieutenant VERY has patented his invention in this and other countries, but has decided to claim no loyalty on it from, any life-Baying socie- ties by which it may be adopted, and that the agents for its supply in this country are Messrs. Dyer and Robson, pyrotechnists and ammunition manufacturers, Woolwich Koad, East Greenwich, at whose city office, No. 139 Leadenhall Street, London, sam- ples of the pistol cartridges may be seen.