early state of the work, when the smith was in the middle of a
FAVOURITE HEAT in making some useful article, or in sharpening

the tools, after the flood-tide had obliged the pickmen to
strike work, a sea would come rolling over the rocks, dash out

the fire, and endanger his indispensableimplement, the
bellows. If the sea was smooth, while the smith often stood

at work knee-deep in water, the tide rose by imperceptible
degrees, first cooling the exterior of the fireplace, or

hearth, and then quietly blackening and extinguishing the fire
from below. The writer has frequently been amused at the

perplexing anxiety of the blacksmith when coaxing his fire and
endeavouring to avert the effects of the rising tide.

[Friday, 21st Aug.]
Everything connected with the forge being now completed,

the artificers found no want of sharp tools, and the work went
forward with great alacrity and spirit. It was also alleged

that the rock had a more habitable appearance from the volumes
of smoke which ascended from the smith's shop and the busy

noise of his anvil, the operations of the masons, the
movements of the boats, and shipping at a distance - all

contributed to give life and activity to the scene. This
noise and traffic had, however, the effect of almost

completely banishing the herd of seals which had hitherto
frequented the rock as a resting-place during the period of

low water. The rock seemed to be peculiarly adapted to their
habits, for, excepting two or three days at neap-tides, a part

of it always dries at low water - at least, during the summer
season - and as there was good fishing-ground in the

neighbourhood, without a human being to disturb or molest
them, it had become a very favourite residence of these

amphibious animals, the writer having occasionally counted
from fifty to sixty playing about the rock at a time. But

when they came to be disturbed every tide, and their seclusion
was broken in upon by the kindling of great fires, together

with the beating of hammers and picks during low water, after
hovering about for a time, they changed their place, and

seldom more than one or two were to be seen about the rock
upon the more detached outlayers which dry partially, whence

they seemed to look with that sort of curiosity which is
observable in these animals when following a boat.

[Saturday, 22nd Aug.]
Hitherto the artificers had remained on board the

SMEATON, which was made fast to one of the mooring buoys at a
distance only of about a quarter of a mile from the rock, and,

of course, a very great conveniency to the work. Being so
near, the seamen could never be mistaken as to the progress of

the tide, or state of the sea upon the rock, nor could the
boats be much at a loss to pull on board of the vessel during

fog, or even in very rough weather; as she could be cast loose
from her moorings at pleasure, and brought to the lee side of

the rock. But the SMEATON being only about forty register
tons, her accommodations were extremelylimited. It may,

therefore, be easily imagined that an addition of twenty-four
persons to her own crew must have rendered the situation of

those on board rather uncomfortable. The only place for the
men's hammocks on board being in the hold, they were

unavoidably much crowded: and if the weather had required the
hatches to be fastened down, so great a number of men could

not possibly have been accommodated. To add to this evil, the
CO-BOOSE or cooking-place being upon deck, it would not have

been possible to have cooked for so large a company in the
event of bad weather.

The stock of water was now getting short, and some
necessaries being also wanted for the floating light, the

SMEATON was despatched for Arbroath; and the writer, with the
artificers at the same time shifted their quarters from her to

the floating light.
Although the rock barely made its appearance at this

period of the tides till eight o'clock, yet, having now a full
mile to row from the floating light to the rock, instead of

about a quarter of a mile from the moorings of the SMEATON, it
was necessary to be earlier astir, and to form different

arrangements; breakfast was accordingly served up at seven
o'clock this morning. From the excessivemotion of the

floating light, the writer had looked forward rather with
anxiety to the removal of the workmen to this ship. Some

among them, who had been congratulating themselves upon having
become sea-hardy while on board the SMEATON, had a complete

relapse upon returning to the floating light. This was the
case with the writer. From the spacious and convenient

berthage of the floating light, the exchange to the artificers
was, in this respect, much for the better. The boats were

also commodious, measuring sixteen feet in length on the keel,
so that, in fine weather, their complement of sitters was

sixteen persons for each, with which, however, they were
rather crowded, but she could not stow two boats of larger

dimensions. When there was what is called a breeze of wind,
and a swell in the sea, the proper number for each boat could

not, with propriety, be rated at more than twelve persons.
When the tide-bell rung the boats were hoisted out, and

two active seamen were employed to keep them from receiving
damage alongside. The floating light being very buoyant, was

so quick in her motions that when those who were about to step
from her gunwale into a boat, placed themselves upon a cleat

or step on the ship's side, with the man or rail ropes in
their hands, they had often to wait for some time till a

favourable opportunity occurred for stepping into the boat.
While in this situation, with the vessel rolling from side to

side, watching the proper time for letting go the man-ropes,
it required the greatest dexterity and presence of mind to

leap into the boats. One who was rather awkward would often
wait a considerable period in this position: at one time his

side of the ship would be so depressed that he would touch the
boat to which he belonged, while the next sea would elevate

him so much that he would see his comrades in the boat on the
opposite side of the ship, his friends in the one boat calling

to him to `Jump,' while those in the boat on the other side,
as he came again and again into their view, would jocosely

say, `Are you there yet? You seem to enjoy a swing.' In this
situation it was common to see a person upon each side of the

ship for a length of time, waiting to quit his hold.
On leaving the rock to-day a trial of seamanship was

proposed amongst the rowers, for by this time the artificers
had become tolerably expert in this exercise. By inadvertency

some of the oars provided had been made of fir instead of ash,
and although a considerable stock had been laid in, the

workmen, being at first awkward in the art, were constantly
breaking their oars; indeed it was no uncommon thing to see

the broken blades of a pair of oars floating astern, in the
course of a passage from the rock to the vessel. The men,

upon the whole, had but little work to perform in the course
of a day; for though they exerted themselves extremely hard

while on the rock, yet, in the early state of the operations,
this could not be continued for more than three or four hours

at a time, and as their rations were large - consisting of one
pound and a half of beef, one pound of ship biscuit, eight

ounces oatmeal, two ounces barley, two ounces butter, three