either, nor does it pass current among our naval officers; in the Pacific, and should it turn out to be at the north extreme of the reef off Isle St. Mary, it will be entitled to its place in our cabinet of Curiosities in Hydrography, some account of which we gave in our volume for 1844, and to which we shall return with a few more similar contributions in another number.]

ADDITIONAL HARBOUR LIGHTS AT OSTENDE.-Notice was given from this office on the 27th of December, that the Belgian Government was about to establish additional Harbour Lights at the entrance of the Port of Ostende, and it now appears by a recent communication that those lights were first shown on the 21st of January.

Seamen will therefore observe :

1. That the Green light on the Western Pier is intended merely to indicate the position of the Pier-head.

2. That the entrance of the harbour must not be attempted, unless the Red light of the Eastern Pier is also shown.

3. That when both of these lights are shown, they signify that the depth of water, between the Pier-heads, is more than 8 and less than 143 English feet.

4. That as soon as there are 14 feet of water, between the Pier heads, the Red light will be extinguished, and the two usual tide Lights will be shown; one of which stands on the end of the Sea-wall, and the other on the Sand hills, near Fort Imperial.

5. That these tide Lights will in their turn be extinguished when the tide has again fallen 14 feet water; at which time the Red light of the Eastern Pier, will be re-lighted, and kept burning till the water falls to 84 feet, when it also will be extinguished.

Note.-A Black Buoy, marked with the white letters P.O. has been lately placed in 16 feet, at low water, on the W. end of the Bearland, (or Strooms) Bank, off Nieuport, with the following bearings, Furnes Tower, S.S.W. W.-Nieuport Tower S.b.E.-Middelkerke Steeple, S.E.b.E. E.-Ostende Light, E.b.S.-Bearings by compass.

AZORES ISLAND.-Sunken Rock.—Her Majesty's Consul at the Azores has reported, that a dangerous reef of rocks on which the sea breaks heavily, has been recently discovered about midway between the Islands of St. Michael and Terceira, by three Merchant vessels, viz: the William, of Bangor, and the Plymouth, of Boston in the United States; and the Tres Amigos, of St. Georges, in Portugal. The places assigned to the rock by these three accounts vary in latitude between 38° 16' and 38° 18' N., and in longitude, between 26° 41' and 26° 50′ W. of Greenwich; but from the mean of these positions the eastern high land of Terceira bears N.b. W. by compass 27 miles, and the western end of St. Michaels S.E. S. 45 miles.

As these reports, made by three different vessels and within a few days of each other, substantially agree, there seems but little reason to doubt the existence of a very formidable danger to navigation in one of the most beaten tracks of homeward-bound vessels, and the less so, as it is well known that more than one submarine volcano has thrown up rocky islands from the bottom of the sea in that very region.

Mariners, therefore, cannot keep too vigilant a look-out when passing through the group, but more especially when between the Islands of St. Michael and Terceira.

HALF MOON CAY LIGHT.-A notice dated Belize, June, 24th, says the new light at Half Moon Cay, was lighted for the first time, on Thursday night last. It is represented as being very brilliant and very superior to the old one.

H.M.S. Childers, returned to Hong-King on the 28th of October, after a preservation most miraculous. By the violence of the gale, she was driven on the Prata Shoal on the 10th of that month, but at the moment of reaching the outer barrier a tremendous wave lifted her so far over it, that she struck only once, and partially, losing her rudder and false keel. Within the barrier she anchored in smooth water, where she lay 15 days. Her boats had been carried away with one exception, her main-mast was gone, guns, shot, &c., thrown overboard. With the single small boat that was saved, they were enabled after long and tedious sounding over the reef to find a channel deep enough for the brig to reach the outer waters.-Hong Kong Register.

It is also stated that H.M.S. Scout has met with an accident in the River Min.

DEATH FROM LIGHTNING.-On Sunday last, Rees Jones, chief mate of the schooner Margaret and Rachel, of Limerick. was struck dead by lightning. The vessel, which was bound to this port from Limerick, encountered a heavy storm after her departure, and on Sunday night, when she was off Tory Island, the storm increased, accompanied with thunder and lightning. The deceased was engaged in clewing up the top-sail, and stood by the chain, when a flash of lightning struck the vessel, ran along the chain, and coming in contact with the deceased, knocked him dead upon the spot. A boy, named Evan Jones, who was standing near the deceased, had his hand severely burnt by the lightning. The schooner arrived here on Wednesday night.-Liverpool Mercury.

BOTTLE PAPER.

NEW YORK-August 19th: Current-Gulf Stream.-"This was thrown from her Britannic Majesty's sloop Electra, on the 18th of March, 1848, when on the pas sage from Sacrificios to Cat island. The lighthouse at the south-east Pass of the Mississippi, bearing W.S.W. about 18 miles.A. W."

The above slip (observes the Galveston News of the 27th ult.) was yesterday picked up on the beach, within a mile of this city, securely enclosed in a bottle. It must have drifted on shore within a day or two. The point where it was thrown into the Gulf Stream is probably about 300 miles to the E. of this place, so that it has been carried to the W. by the current for the past four months, at the rate of nearly three miles per day. This, we suppose, is the point wanted to be determined.

No. 3.

Abstract of the passage made by H.M. steam ship Terrible, from Corfu to Gibraltar in 1846.

The Canal del Arsa is situated in the Gulf of Fiume on the Istrian Coast, and is the shipping port of the coal mines in that district. Although such a magnificent harbour with plenty of fresh water, it has never been surveyed until now. Even Capt. W. Smyth, who surveyed most of the harbours of the Adriatic, omitted the Canal del Arsa. It is not noted in the Italian charts,

The coal pits are situated about four miles from the wharf, and when the Terrible was receiving her coal, they were sending down about twenty tons per day. The coal is well adapted for steam purposes, more particularly when the Tubular Boilers are used. The pits are very rudely worked at present.

BALTIC AND NORTH SEA CANAL.-Hamburg, Jan. 24.--A gigantic enterprize is at this moment in contemplation, namely, to unite the Baltic and North Sea, from Kiel to the mouth of the Elbe. Without such communication between the two seas, independent of foreign ports of the Sound and the two Belts, the maritime power of Germany cannot prosper as it should. A few months since the Central Power sent Captain Moring, deputy to the National Assembly, to the place, for the purpose of obtaining exact information. The captain has accomplished his mission with great zeal and skill. He proposes that the line of communication should go from Kiel-one of the best ports of Europe, if not of the world—to Bruntsbuttel, at the northern mouth of the Elbe, and on the other side to Cuxhaven (the Southern Mouth); and that this junction should be effected by means of a canal of a perfectly simple construction, without sluices, which should traverse the soil of Germany alone, and be protected against every attack by the Eider and the Oder Canal.

The result of the preparatory examination shows that the ground itself offers but few obstacles, the country being very flat, and in no part much above the level of the sea. The proposal that the work should be carried on by the Imperial troops, who will probably be assembled in great numbers in the Duchies during the spring, is highly approved.

Jan. 9th, 1849.

LIGHTNING AT SEA.-Sir.-Many communications have appeared in the pages of the Nautical Magazine, relative to the effects of lightning in ships, the following account of the damage done by it to H.M.S. Glory, 98, off Cape Finisterre in 1805, when on our way to form a junction with Admiral Sir Robert Calder, is not I think unworthy of record. The accident occurred only four days before the action off Ferrol, and when it is remembered that the combined fleet under Villeneuve was superior to the British fleet, and that our defeat would have been most disastrous to this country, the absence of such a ship as the Glory would have been severely felt.

To the Editor N.M.

I am, &c.,

A GLORY.

On the 18th July, 1805, weather lowering with every appearance of a gathering storm, at 6h. A.M., reefed. At 9h. tremendous thunder and lightning, wind and rain. At 9h. while close reefing the top-sails, the ship was struck by lightning which carried away the main-top-gallant-mast, shivered the main-top-mast, and so seriously damaged the main-mast, that NO. 3.-VOL. XVIII.

Y