Arbroath, which were soon to be brought to a close; the
landing-master's crew having, in the meantime, shifted on

board of the PATRIOT. In leaving the rock, the writer kept
his eyes fixed upon the lighthouse, which had recently got

into the form of a house, having several tiers or stories of
windows. Nor was he unmindful of his habitation in the beacon

- now far overtopped by the masonry, - where he had spent
several weeks in a kind of active retirement, making practical

experiment of the fewness of the positive wants of man. His
cabin measured not more than four feet three inches in breadth

on the floor; and though, from the oblique direction of the
beams of the beacon, it widened towards the top, yet it did

not admit of the full extension of his arms when he stood on
the floor; while its length was little more than sufficient

for suspending a cot-bed during the night, calculated for
being triced up to the roof through the day, which left free

room for the admission of occasional visitants. His folding
table was attached with hinges, immediately under the small

window of the apartment, and his books, barometer,
thermometer, portmanteau, and two or three camp-stools, formed

the bulk of his movables. His diet being plain, the
paraphernalia of the table were proportionally simple; though

everything had the appearance of comfort, and even of
neatness, the walls being covered with green cloth formed into

panels with red tape, and his bed festooned with curtains of
yellow cotton-stuff. If, in speculating upon the abstract

wants of man in such a state of exclusion, one were reduced to
a single book, the Sacred Volume - whether considered for the

striking diversity of its story, the morality of its doctrine,
or the important truths of its gospel - would have proved by

far the greatest treasure.
[Monday, 2nd July]

In walking over the workyard at Arbroath this morning,
the writer found that the stones of the course immediately

under the cornice were all in hand, and that a week's work
would now finish the whole, while the intermediate courses lay

ready numbered and marked for shipping to the rock. Among
other subjects which had occupied his attention to-day was a

visit from some of the relations of George Dall, a young man
who had been impressed near Dundee in the month of February

last; a dispute had arisen between the magistrates of that
burgh and the Regulating Officer as to his right of impressing

Dall, who was BONA FIDE one of the protected seamen in the
Bell Rock service. In the meantime, the poor lad was

detained, and ultimately committed to the prison of Dundee, to
remain until the question should be tried before the Court of

Session. His friends were naturally very desirous to have him
relieved upon bail. But, as this was only to be done by the

judgment of the Court, all that could be said was that his pay
and allowances should be continued in the same manner as if he

had been upon the sick-list. The circumstances of Dall's case
were briefly these:- He had gone to see some of his friends in

the neighbourhood of Dundee, in winter, while the works were
suspended, having got leave of absence from Mr. Taylor, who

commanded the Bell Rock tender, and had in his possession one
of the Protection Medals. Unfortunately, however, for Dall,

the Regulating Officer thought proper to disregard these
documents, as, according to the strict and literal

interpretation of the Admiralty regulations, a seaman does not
stand protected unless he is actually on board of his ship, or

in a boat belonging to her, or has the Admiralty protection in
his possession. This order of the Board, however, cannot be

rigidly followed in practice; and therefore, when the matter
is satisfactorily stated to the Regulating Officer, the

impressed man is generally liberated. But in Dall's case this
was peremptorily refused, and he was retained at the instance

of the magistrates. The writer having brought the matter
under the consideration of the Commissioners of the Northern

Lighthouses, they authorised it to be tried on the part of the
Lighthouse Board, as one of extremehardship. The Court, upon

the first hearing, ordered Dall to be liberated from prison;
and the proceedings never went further.

[Wednesday, 4th July]
Being now within twelve courses of being ready for

building the cornice, measures were taken for getting the
stones of it and the parapet-wall of the light-room brought

from Edinburgh, where, as before noticed, they had been
prepared and were in readiness for shipping. The honour of

conveying the upper part of the lighthouse, and of landing the
last stone of the building on the rock, was considered to

belong to Captain Pool of the SMEATON, who had been longer in
the service than the master of the PATRIOT. The SMEATON was,

therefore, now partly loaded with old iron, consisting of
broken railways and other lumber which had been lying about

the rock. After landing these at Arbroath, she took on board
James Craw, with his horse and cart, which could now be spared

at the workyard, to be employed in carting the stones from
Edinburgh to Leith. Alexander Davidson and William Kennedy,

two careful masons, were also sent to take charge of the
loading of the stones at Greenside, and stowing them on board

of the vessel at Leith. The writer also went on board, with a
view to call at the Bell Rock and to take his passage up the

Firth of Forth. The wind, however, coming to blow very fresh
from the eastward, with thick and foggy weather, it became

necessary to reef the mainsail and set the second jib. When
in the act of making a tack towards the tender, the sailors

who worked the head-sheets were, all of a sudden, alarmed with
the sound of the smith's hammer and anvil on the beacon, and

had just time to put the ship about to save her from running
ashore on the western" target="_blank" title="a.西北的；自西北的">northwestern point of the rock, marked `James

Craw's Horse.' On looking towards the direction from whence
the sound came, the building and beacon-house were seen, with

consternation, while the ship was hailed by those on the rock,
who were no less confounded at seeing the near approach of the

SMEATON; and, just as the vessel cleared the danger, the smith
and those in the mortargallery made signs in token of their

happiness at our fortunate escape. From this occurrence the
writer had an experimental proof of the utility of the large

bells which were in preparation to be rung by the machinery of
the revolving light; for, had it not been the sound of the

smith's anvil, the SMEATON, in all probability, would have
been wrecked upon the rock. In case the vessel had struck,

those on board might have been safe, having now the beacon-
house, as a place of refuge; but the vessel, which was going

at a great velocity, must have suffered severely, and it was
more than probable that the horse would have been drowned,

there being no means of getting him out of the vessel. Of
this valuable animal and his master we shall take an

opportunity of saying more in another place.
[Thursday, 5th July]

The weather cleared up in the course of the night, but
the wind shifted to the N.E. and blew very fresh. From the

force of the wind, being now the period of spring-tides, a
very heavy swell was experienced at the rock. At two o'clock

on the following morning the people on the beacon were in a
state of great alarm about their safety, as the sea had broke

up part of the floor of the mortargallery!, which was thus
cleared of the lime-casks and other buoyant articles; and, the

alarm-bell being rung, all hands were called to render what
assistance was in their power for the safety of themselves and

the materials. At this time some would willingly have left
the beacon and gone into the building: the sea, however, ran

so high that there was no passage along the bridge of