laid upon the building had been partially lifted from their
beds by the force of the sea, and were now held only by the

trenails, and that the cast-iron sheer-crane had again been
thrown down and completely broken. With regard to the beacon,

the sea at high-water had lifted part of the mortargallery or
lowest floor, and washed away all the lime-casks and other

movable articles from it; but the principal parts of this
fabric had sustained no damage. On pressing Messrs. Logan and

Watt on the situation of things in the course of the night,
Mr. Logan emphatically said: `That the beacon had an ILL-

FAURED (1) TWIST when the sea broke upon it at high-water, but
that they were not very apprehensive of danger.' On inquiring

as to how they spent the night, it appeared that they had made
shift to keep a small fire burning, and by means of some old

sails defended themselves pretty well from the sea sprays.
(1) Ill-formed - ugly. - [R. L. S.]

It was particularly mentioned that by the exertions of
James Glen, one of the joiners, a number of articles were

saved from being washed off the mortargallery. Glen was also
very useful in keeping up the spirits of the forlorn party.

In the early part of life he had undergone many curious
adventures at sea, which he now recounted somewhat after the

manner of the tales of the ARABIAN NIGHTS. When one observed
that the beacon was a most comfortless lodging, Glen would

presently introduce some of his exploits and hardships, in
comparison with which the state of things at the beacon bore

an aspect of comfort and happiness. Looking to their slender
stock of provisions, and their perilous and uncertain chance

of speedyrelief, he would launch out into an account of one
of his expeditions in the North Sea, when the vessel, being

much disabled in a storm, was driven before the wind with the
loss of almost all their provisions; and the ship being much

infested with rats, the crew hunted these vermin with great
eagerness to help their scantyallowance. By such means Glen

had the address to make his companions, in some measure,
satisfied, or at least passive, with regard to their miserable

prospects upon this half-tide rock in the middle of the ocean.
This incident is noticed, more particularly, to show the

effects of such a happy turn of mind, even under the most
distressing and ill-fated circumstances.

[Saturday, 17th June]
At eight a.m. the artificers and sailors, forty-five in

number, landed on the rock, and after four hours' work seven
stones were laid. The remainder of this tide, from the

threatening appearance of the weather, was occupied in
trenailing and making all things as secure as possible. At

twelve noon the rock and building were again overflowed, when
the masons and seamen went on board of the tender, but Mr.

Watt, with his squad of ten men, remained on the beacon
throughout the day. As it blew fresh from the N.W. in the

evening, it was found impracticable either to land the
building artificers or to take the artificers off the beacon,

and they were accordingly left there all night, but in
circumstances very different from those of the 1st of this

month. The house, being now in a more complete state, was
provided with bedding, and they spent the night pretty well,

though they complained of having been much disturbed at the
time of high-water by the shaking and tremulousmotion of

their house and by the plashing noise of the sea upon mortar
gallery. Here James Glen's versatile powers were again at

work in cheering up those who seemed to be alarmed, and in
securing everything as far as possible. On this occasion he

had only to recall to the recollections of some of them the
former night which they had spent on the beacon, the wind and

sea being then much higher, and their habitation in a far less
comfortable state.

The wind still continuing to blow fresh from the N.W., at
five p.m. the writer caused a signal to be made from the

tender for the SMEATON AND PATRIOT to slip their moorings,
when they ran for Lunan Bay, an anchorage on the east side of

the Redhead. Those on board of the tender spent but a very
rough night, and perhaps slept less soundly than their

companions on the beacon, especially as the wind was at N.W.,
which caused the vessel to ride with her stern towards the

Bell Rock; so that, in the event of anything giving way, she
could hardly have escaped being stranded upon it.

[Sunday, 18th June]
The weather having moderated to-day, the wind shifted to

the westward. At a quarter-past nine a.m. the artificers
landed from the tender and had the pleasure to find their

friends who had been left on the rock quite hearty, alleging
that the beacon was the preferable quarters of the two.

[Saturday, 24th June]
Mr. Peter Logan, the foremanbuilder, and his squad,

twenty-one in number, landed this morning at three o'clock,
and continued at work four hours and a quarter, and after

laying seventeen stones returned to the tender. At six a.m.
Mr. Francis Watt and his squad of twelve men landed, and

proceeded with their respective operations at the beacon and
railways, and were left on the rock during the whole day

without the necessity of having any communication with the
tender, the kitchen of the beacon-house being now fitted up.

It was to-day, also, that Peter Fortune - a most obliging and
well-known character in the Lighthouse service - was removed

from the tender to the beacon as cook and steward, with a
stock of provisions as ample as his limited store-room would

admit.
When as many stones were built as comprised this day's

work, the demand for mortar was proportionally increased, and
the task of the mortar-makers on these occasions was both

laborious and severe. This operation was chiefly performed by
John Watt - a strong, active quarrier by profession, - who was

a perfect character in his way, and extremelyzealous in his
department. While the operations of the mortar-makers

continued, the forge upon the gallery was not generally in
use; but, as the working hours of the builders extended with

the height of the building, the forge could not be so long
wanted, and then a sad confusion often ensued upon the

circumscribed floor of the mortargallery, as the operations
of Watt and his assistants trenched greatly upon those of the

smiths. Under these circumstances the boundary of the smiths
was much circumscribed, and they were personally annoyed,

especially in blowy weather, with the dust of the lime in its
powdered state. The mortar-makers, on the other hand, were

often not a little distressed with the heat of the fire and
the sparks elicited on the anvil, and not unaptly complained

that they were placed between the `devil and the deep sea.'
[Sunday, 25th June]

The work being now about ten feet in height, admitted of
a rope-ladder being distended (1) between the beacon and the

building. By this `Jacob's Ladder,' as the seamen termed it,
a communication was kept up with the beacon while the rock was

considerably under water. One end of it being furnished with
tackle-blocks, was fixed to the beams of the beacon, at the

level of the mortargallery, while the further end was
connected with the upper course of the building by means of

two Lewis bats which were lifted from course to course as the
work advanced. In the same manner a rope furnished with a

travelling pulley was distended for the purpose of