ments of regular troops. Colonel Collinson showed me many objects of great interest-the grand old castle, from which were distinctly visible the coasts of France, the towers of the cathedral of Boulogne, and the light-house at Calais, on the other side of the Channel; the rooms occupied by Charles I and by Queen Elizabeth; the church of Saint Mary, Within the Castle, founded A. D. 161,* and the modern exterior forts; but nothing was more interesting to me, considering the nature of my mission to Europe, than the old pharos within the castle walls, the present condition of which is represented in Fig. 1.

The antiquity of this light-house, which has not probably been used as such since the Conquest, no doubt exceeds that of any light-house in Great Britain, and it is supposed to have been built in the reign of the Emperor Claudius, about A. D. 44.*

Upon it burned for many centuries those great fires of wood and coal formerly maintained on several towers still standing on the coasts of Great Britain. These earliest guides to mariners at length gave way to reflectors; they, in their turn, being replaced in the year 1819 by that great Date of inven triumph of scientific skill, the Fresnel lens.

tion of the Fresnel system.

The pharos, like its sister light-house, the Tour d'Ordre Construction of at Boulogne, is built of brick, in color and shape like those the pharos. in the Roman structures found elsewhere in Great Britain; they are of a light-red color, about 14 inches long, and not more than an inch and a half thick. This latter dimension

*Hasted's History of Kent.

Description of the Roman bricks.

Fire, means for extinguishing.

Meteorological observations.

Means for extinguishing accidental fires are provided by the engine which drives the magneto-electric machines. The pumps are connected by pipes to each of the towers and dwellings, the water being drawn through the chalk, from a well at a depth of 200 feet, during high tide in the Strait of Dover, when the water backs up into the well. Reservoirs are provided for use at low water.

Two keepers are designated for each tower, who, in addition to their other duties, make daily observations with the barometer and with wet and dry bulb thermometers, keeping memoranda for the use of some department of the gov The keepers. ernment. The two principals, who are assistants to the engineer, I found to be very intelligent men who seemed thoroughly to understand the magneto-electric machines, and who gave me a very accurate account of their operation. One of them was by trade a watch-maker, and the other a stone-mason. The latter told me, with evident pride, that he had laid all the stone at the Bishop Rock, near the Scilly Islands, one of the most exposed stations in the English service, and had been for some years the prin cipal keeper of that light, a position he was obliged to resign, the close confinement affecting his health. Each of these men had been more than fifteen years in the service.

Cost of maintenance of light.

The annual cost of maintenance of a single electric English light is about £800, (or $4,000,) about double that of a firstorder single oil-light station, while the light produced by the former is between six and seven times that of the most powerful lens with the four-wick Douglass oil-burner. The approximate cost of substituting at a double-light light apparatus, station, the magneto-electric lights as used at South Foreland for the oil-lights commonly used is as follows:

Cost of substituting electric

&c., for oil.

Visit to Dover Castle.

I am indebted for my detailed description of the excellent optical apparatus at South Foreland to the manufacturers, Messrs. Chance, Brothers & Co., of Birmingham.

THE ROMAN PHAROS IN DOVER CASTLE.

Through the kindness of Colonel Collinson, of the Royal Engineers, I had an opportunity of visiting the castle at Dover, and of attending a review of the three regiments of Kent County militia, and of the garrison of three regi

ments of regular troops. Colonel Collinson showed me many objects of great interest-the grand old castle, from which were distinctly visible the coasts of France, the towers of the cathedral of Boulogne, and the light-house at Calais, on the other side of the Channel; the rooms occupied by Charles I and by Queen Elizabeth; the church of Saint Mary, Within the Castle, founded A. D. 161,* and the modern exterior forts; but nothing was more interesting to me, considering the nature of my mission to Europe, than the old pharos within the castle walls, the present condition of which is represented in Fig. 1.

The antiquity of this light-house, which has not probably been used as such since the Conquest, no doubt exceeds that of any light-house in Great Britain, and it is supposed to have been built in the reign of the Emperor Claudius, about A. D. 44.*

Upon it burned for many centuries those great fires of wood and coal formerly maintained on several towers still standing on the coasts of Great Britain. These earliest guides to mariners at length gave way to reflectors; they, in their turn, being replaced in the year 1819 by that great Date of inven triumph of scientific skill, the Fresnel lens.

The pharos, like its sister light-house, the Tour d'Ordre at Boulogne, is built of brick, in color and shape like those in the Roman structures found elsewhere in Great Britain; they are of a light-red color, about 14 inches long, and not more than an inch and a half thick. This latter dimension

*Hasted's History of Kent.

tion of the Fresnel system.

Construction of the pharos. Description of

the Roman bricks.

is but little more than the thickness of the joints, which are filled with a mortar composed of lime and finely-powdered Roman brick. The preservation of this famous relic of the Romans in England is doubtless due to the fact that some centuries ago the tower was turned into a belfry for the church of Saint Mary, and was surrounded by walls of stone. These are now nearly destroyed by time, and the old Roman work is again exposed.

While the Trinity House steam-yacht Vestal, in which I was to take my first cruise among the English lights, was fitting out for her annual voyage to the northeast coast of England, I made frequent visits to the Trinity House, Visits to Trin- Where I was always cordially welcomed, and thus I acquired much information regarding the English light-house sys

.ty House.

ceived from Sir

tem.

Kindness re- I received much kindness in many ways from Sir FredFrederick Ar- erick Arrow, and on the 21st of May accompanied him to a dinner at the Mansion House, to which, through his good Dinner at the offices, I had the honor to be invited by the Lord Mayor and

row.

Lord Mayor's.

Acknowledg. ment made by the

Lady Mayoress, by whom it was given in honor of the return of the Master of Trinity House, the Duke of Edinburgh. About three hundred guests were present, and it was a highly enjoyable and interesting occasion.

In his response to a toast to the Trinity House, His HighDuke of Edin. ness spoke of the gratitude of the corporation for the serv burgh for atten- ices rendered Sir Frederick Arrow and Captain Webb of the erick Arrow and Elder Brethren during their stay in this country, (to which while in the Uni- I have before referred,) and commissioned me to convey his

tions to Sir Fred

Captain Webb

ted States.

Interview with Captain Doty.

thanks to my associates of the Light-House Board of the United States. While the services referred to were insignificant as compared with those rendered to me while in England, I was much gratified by the highly complimentary terms in which he mentioned our country, and particularly our lighthouse establishment.

While in London at this time Captain Doty, patentee of a burner for light-house illumination, addressed me a note The Doty lamp. requesting an interview, which request I complied with, and he showed me his lamp, which has been patented in several countries, including the United States. It combines the outer "cone" or "jacket," the central" button " and adjustable gallery, but has not the conical "tips" peculiar to the tain Doty that the Douglass lamp, which also comprises the above improve. Captain Doty claims that the Douglass or Trinity House lamp is an infringement of his patent, and the ques

Claim of Cap

Trinity House

lamp is an in.ments.

fringement of his patent.