In former numbers of this journal we published a series of papers on "Lights and Lighthouses," to which an account of this the last of our great outlying light- towers will be an appropriate sequel.

As a preamble to our description of it, which may interest our readers, we quote the following brief account of the previous light-towers erected on the Eddy stone rocks, from the fifty-seventh number of this journal, published in July, 1865 :— Of the British light-towers of the outlying class, that on the Eddystone rock, 9 miles off the coast of Cornwall, is the most celebrated, although much larger ones have been since built on the same design. The first light-tower on these dangerous rocks was designed by Mr. WINSTANLEY, and was formed of wood; it was commenced in 1696 and completed in 1698 It was 60 ft. high; but as the sea broke fairly over its top, its height was subsequently in- creased to 120 ft. In November, 1703, some considerable repairs were being executed, when the storm of the 26th of that month swept the entire edifice away, and Mr. WTNSTANLEY and the whole of his assistants, 30 in number, un- happily perished on the occasion—a proof of the danger and difficulty attending the con- struction of such works. Shortly after its destruction, the Winchelsea ship-of-war was wrecked on these rocks, and most of her crew were drowned. In 1706 another tower, like- wise of wood, was commenced under the direc-tion of Mr. JOHN RUDYERD, of 'London, and was completed in 1708. This one lasted until the year 1755, when the whole edifice was destroyed by fire. The height of this tower was 92 ft., and the diameter at its base 23 ft.

The great importance of a light on these dangerous rocks having been long recognised by seamen, no tune was now lost in replacing it, and Mr. SMEATON was intrusted with its re- erection. On the 12th June, 1757, the first stone of the present edifice was laid, and the last on the 20th August, 1759. The whole structure is 93 ft. in height, and has 26 ft.

diameter at the base. The first 12 ft. above the rock is a solid mags of masonry, the stones being united to each other by means of stone 50 FEET joggles, dovetailed joints, and oak tree-nails.

This beautiful tower, which, after the lapse of more than a century, stands as firm as the rook on which it rests, has been the model of suc- cessive structures in similar positions.

The seventeen years that have passed since the above was written have proved that Smeaton's noble edifice stood after 120 years, not merely as firm but firmer than the rock on which it rested.

For some years past tremors and oscilla- tions more or less alarming had been felt by the keepers in gales of wind and heavy seas, in consequence of which remedial measures were taken by the introduction of internal iron ties, &c., but without effect. Accordingly, in 1877, Admiral Sir RICHARD COLLINSON, the Deputy Master, and some of the elder brethren of the Trinity Corporation, with the Engineer, Mr. JAMES N. DOUGLASS, O.E., thoroughly examined the tower and the rock on which it stood, with the result of finding the rock itself undermined and the stability of the tower thereby endan- gered, but the edifice itself perfectly sound. What nobler tribute can be con- ceived to the skilful engineer who designed it than that the great sea itself, which has worn away and undermined the hardest and loftiest cliffs and shaped the outlying and jagged rocks on our coast, had worked its will on the rock itgelf, but had failed in the 120 years it had broken over and against it to injure this monument of scientific mind and skilful hand.

The question, we believe, then arose whether to erect a new tower in another position on the group of rocks, or to remove, by blasting, the rocks themselves to such a depth that they should -be no longer a danger to the largest ships ; and if the sole object of the light had been to warn vessels of the hidden danger beneath it the latter course would have been prac- ticable, although attended with much difficulty and vast expense. But ex- perience had shown the immense value of the light and tower, not only as a guide by night and a leading mark by day to the important naval and mercantile port of Plymouth, but, standing in the van of the long series of these night sentinels on our coast thence to the Straits of Dover, as an unerring guide to every vessel, British or foreign, entering and traversing the narrow seas between the English and European shores.

Unhesitatingly, therefore, it was deter- mined to erect a new and loftier tower, of which Mr. DOUGLASS was at once in- structed to prepare the design.

The spot chosen for the new tower after careful surveys is about forty yards S.S.E. of the old one. The circumstance of the selected rock being only just above the level of low water necessarily added to the labour, and even to the risk of life, of the workmen, who were sometimes sub- merged by a sudden heavy sea breaking over them, and who worked with life- belts round them, only saving themselves from being swept away by the sea by holding on to iron stanchions until the danger was past. This risk was foreseen, but was not considered a serious diffi- culty.

On the 17th July, 1878, the work was commenced; and as illustrative of the difficulty, delays, and, as stated above, even danger attending its earlier stages, it was not until June in the following year that the coffer dam, which had to be first made, was completed, and the sur- face of the rock prepared for the com- mencement of the structure itself.

On the 21st of that month, all being in readiness, the DUKE OF EDINBURGH, as Master of the Trinity House, accompanied by the PRINCE OF WALES, went to Ply- mouth in order to lay the foundation stone on that day, but the sea, which is no respecter of persons, forbad the cere- mony.

On the 19th of August, however, their Royal Highnesses met with better success, and on that day the foundation stone was duly laid, with the usual ceremonies, by the DUKE OF EDINBURGH, in presence of the PRINCE OF WALKS, Sir RICHARD Coi- LINSON, the Deputy-Master, and several of the Elder Brethren of the Trinity Corporation, the First Lord of the Admiralty, the Port Admiral, the Vicar of Plymouth, who offered up the prayer of invocation, and others.

And now the noble edifice is complete, and has commenced its daily and nightly round of service, which we may reason- ably hope it will without cessation do for centuries to come.

It had been computed that more than five years would have been required to complete it, but, thanks to the wonderful advance in modern scientific appliances, to the admirable arrangements in all the branches of the undertaking, from the cutting out and shaping the granite stones in the quarries to the landing them on the rock and placing each in its bed, and to the energy and zeal of all employed, the work has been done in about eighteen months less than the com- puted time.

The following is a brief description of the new tower and light, the substance of which we have extracted from an in- teresting treatise on 'The Eddystone Lighthouses, New and Old/ by E. Price Edwards, Esq., of the Trinity House, published by Simpkin, Marshall & Co., to which we beg to refer such of our readers as may wish for a more detailed and complete account of them.

To Mr. Edwards we are also indebted for the blocks of the two accompanying illustrations, being vertical sections of the two towers, showing their exterior out- line, the thickness of their walls, and the size and character of the apartments within. It will be seen how superior is the accommodation, both in the living and sleeping rooms, for the light keepers and for the stowage of oil, water, coals, and other stores which the larger size of the new tower has made practicable.

Thus besides the larger size of each apartment it will be noticed that they are eight in number in the new building, in addition to the entrance room and water tank, whereas there were only four in the old one.

But another and more important advan- tage is gained by the increased height of the new light, in that it will sweep a more distant horizon and thus be seen by vessels from some miles greater dis- tance than before, the old light having a horizontal range of 14 miles, the new one of 17J miles. A smaller light is also shown from a window about 40 feet below the main one, having a shorter range and less lateral scope, to indicate the position of the dangerous rocks termed the "Hand Deeps," about 3 miles westward from the Eddystone.

The chief or upper light is 130 ft. above high water, and the extreme height of the tower from the lower side of the base to the top of the lantern 165 ft.

The tower is constructed of carefully selected granite from Cornwall and Scot- land. It contains 2,171 stones, 63,020 cubic feet in bulk, weighing 4,668 tons, and is solid from the base to 25J ft.

above high water, excepting the water tank in the centre. The lower courses of stone are united by Boman cement, and the main body by Portland cement. The diameter of the rooms is 14 ft., except the lower oil room, which is 12ft. 9 in., and the entrance 11 ft. 6 in. The tank will contain 3,500 gallons of water, and is replenished fortnightly, weather per- mitting, together with provisions and other stores, by a relieving vessel. There is storage space for 2,660 gallons of oil in the oil rooms, which is about a nine months' supply. The entrance doors are made of gun metal, and each weighs a ton.

The entrance is reached on the outside by a ladder formed by metal rungs let into the stonework.

A hollow iron column passes down the centre of the tower, within which are the chain and weight which set in motion the clockwork that regulates the rotation of the glass apparatus round the burners, and with which the strikers of the two fog bells can be connected at pleasure, so that they work automatically, striking at the same intervals as the periodic flashes of the light. The clockwork requires winding up every hour for the light alone, and every forty minutes when the bells are likewise in use. The light has the speciality of being a double one, one below the other, with a space of about 6J ft. between them. Each is separately composed of six-wicked burners, having six cylindrical wicks, one within the other. Each can be used separately, but in thick weather both will be used, and their united brilliancy can be imagined from the statement that their light, as concentrated by the lens apparatus, is estimated to be equal to that of a quarter of a million of ordinary candles.

The apparatus for concentrating the light is that which is termed the dioptric system, as distinguished from the catop- tric, the latter concentrating the rays of light by means of a series of highly polished metal reflectors placed behind the light, and the former conveying them direct but refracted, by passing through lenses of glass, a fuller descrip- tion of which beautiful system will be found in the sixty-second number of this journal, with accompanying illustrations.

It will suffice here to state that in the dioptric system the light is enclosed within one of those singular looking circular frames of glass lenses which will be familiar to every one who has visited any of the national or inter- national exhibitions in London and other English and European cities. These lenses are so formed and arranged in concentric rings around the light as to refract all the upward and downward rays which would otherwise be wasted on the sky above and on the water below, and direct them so as to form a broad band of light around the whole horizon, or on that portion of it requiring to be lit, thus displaying a far more brilliant light to all vessels coming within its range.

Two specialities will be observed in the exterior form of the new tower as com- pared with the old one: 1. That its base is cylindrical and of larger diameter than the lower and widest part of the main shaft resting on it, thus affording a con- venient landing from a boat, and a cir- cular platform 4 ft. 3 in. wide on which the keepers can take walking exercise in fine weather at low water, both undoubted advantages. It is 44 ft. in diameter, and 22ft. high. 2. That the shaft has not at its lower part the sharp bell-shaped curve of Smeaton's tower. The effect of this alteration will no doubt be to break up the crests of the waves, their whole force being expended on the cylindrical base and lower part of the shaft, where best able to bear it, instead of their being conducted, as it were, unbroken up the face of the tower almost to the lantern at its summit.

It must be remembered, however, that the force which raised the waves to so great a height was exerted perpendicu- larly, not laterally, on the shaft above the curve at its base, and that Smeaton's tower never betrayed any lateral weakness during the 123 years that the waves ran up its weather beaten sides and fell thun- dering upon the rocks beneath. It is due to the celebrated designer to state this much in proof of his forethought and of the correctness of the principle on which he shaped the tower.

The cost of the new Lighthouse com- plete was 78.000Z.

As is the case at all our outlying light- towers the light keepers are four in num- ber, three of whom are always in it, the other on the land, each in succession going there for a fortnight, alternating with six weeks at the tower.

On the 17th of May, the tower and all its appurtenances being complete, the inauguration of the Lighthouse was fitly superintended by H.E.H. the DUKE OF EDINBURGH, as Master of the Trinity House, supported by the Deputy-Master and Elder Brethren, the Mayor and Cor- poration of Plymouth, the chief naval and military authorities, by Commodore LUCE, the commander of a small United States' squadron, which aptly chanced to be at Plymouth at the time; and illustrative of the great local and general interest in the undertaking it was computed that about 9,000 persons were present, on board steamers, yachts, pleasure boats, &c.

The stump, being all the solid portion of Smeaton's tower, is to remain standing beside its younger and grander sister until the sea shall ultimately destroy the rock on which it stands and scatter its remains, until which, we trust far distant time, it will be regarded with interest by the passing mariner as a memorial of departed usefulness and of the scientific man who designed it.

Its upper portion is to be re-erected on the Hoe, a commanding position in the town of Plymouth, which overlooks the harbour, its celebrated breakwater, and the sea beyond.