the royal dockyards and naval establishments, agreeably to the Admiralty minute, which we have recorded; and, by the merchant shipping in the river, in accordance with the order of Sir James Duke, the present Lord Mayor.

REMARKS ON THE PILOTAGE OF THE RIVER SUIR, between Waterford and Carrick Bridges.-By Mr. G. H. Hills, Second-Master of H.M.S. Dwarf.

THE pilotage of the river Suir above Waterford bridge is such that, from the nature of the banks, (with low swamps extending mostly to a great distance inland from them,) and the great rise and fall of tide, leading marks for avoiding the shoals are difficult to obtain, and can rarely be useful; but attention to the general course of the river will in most cases point out where danger is to be anticipated.

upon

Immediately above Waterford bridge is good anchorage with room for a long vessel to swing (if moored) in 5 or 6 fathoms at low water, spring tides; from this place to Grana Castle, a distance of about two miles and a quarter, the river runs in a W.N.W. and E.S.E. direction, and may be navigated at all times of tide by vessels drawing 12 or 14 feet water, by keeping as nearly as possible a mid-channel course, the least water being 17 or 18 feet. Grana Castle is an old ruin, standing the Kilkenny, or north shore of the river, and here the river turns sharp to the southward, running nearly S.W. and N. E. The point on the south shore here should be avoided, as a small spit rises from it, which at half tide would be dangerous to a vessel of the above description. This part of the river, from Grana Castle to a thickly wooded hill, called Mount Congreve, with a gentleman's house on the north side, facing right up the reach, called Long Reach, is about four miles long, and may be navigated by vessels of the before-mentioned draught half tide, the depths varying at low water from 7 to 25 feet. From Mount Congreve to Doorman Point the distance is about four or five miles; the river runs in a N.W. and S.E. direction, and may be safely navigated at half tide, by making it a general rule to avoid the shore near projecting points, and to hug the shore in the bights.

The Doorman shoal commences about half-a-mile below Doorman Point, and runs right in the centre of the stream till abreast of the Point, where it turns towards, and joins the Point, drying several feet at low water in nearly its whole length; on either side of the spit is deep water, 7 feet at low water. There is good anchorage just below the shoal, with room to swing when moored.

To pass this shoal, as soon as Mount Congreve is shut in by the intervening hills from sight, the northern shore must be kept close aboard: a good mark to know when you are nearly abreast of the centre of the shoal is a limekiln standing on the north bank, close to the water's edge. On passing this shoal the river runs in a W.N. W. direction for nearly two

miles, when it again turns to the south-westward. A mid-channel course from Doorman shoal to this turning will be safe, when care must be taken to avoid the point on the south shore, and to steer well over into the bight on the north side; when round this point keep a midchannel course until abreast of a white farm-house, in a clump of trees on the northern shore; and then the southern shore must be kept well aboard right through Mayfield Reach, which will be easily recognized by the trees on its southern shore. In this reach a shoal runs off the north shore nearly two-thirds across the river, and which dries several feet at low water; so that the Fairway from the fore-mentioned house, right through the reach, forms nearly a half circle, convexing to the southward.

At the north end of the trees before-named is good anchorage (head and stern) in 3 fathoms at low water; but from the narrowness of the gully a vessel cannot swing at low water, and care must be taken to avoid a single pinnacle of rock which lies right in the Fairway abreast the centre of the trees, and stands 8 or 9 feet out of the mud, with only 7 feet at very low water. From the Doorman shoal to this anchorage is about four or five miles. Leaving this reach keep over to the north shore till nearly up to a point in a N.W direction from it, rounding which hug the north shore close, and keep to the same shore until within three-quarters of a mile of Fiddown Island, when sheer over to the south shore, and keep to it right up to Fiddown Island. Here there is good anchorage on the north side of the island, with hawsers to the island on one side, and a bower and quarter anchor in the stream on the other, lying within about 7 or 8 fathoms of the island to avoid the sandy shelving shore of the main land, where the holding ground is bad. From Mayfield Reach to this place is about three miles by the Fair

way.

The channel on the south side of the island is impracticable, except for river barges, as it dries several feet at low water, and on the north side there is only 5 feet at low water; ordinary spring tides.

From Doorman shoal to this island the river is only navigable between half tide and high-water.

From Fiddown to Carrick bridge is about six miles by water; the shoals are many of them shifting, and their position can only be known by constant watching. This part can only be safely navigated near high water. Coal vessels of 170 or 180 tons, and drawing 12 feet water lie at Fiddown; but it is rarely that any vessels but river craft go above there.

The rise and fall of the spring tides at Fiddown Island is from 15 to 18 feet, and at Carrick bridge not more than 10 feet. But they are considerably affected by the direction and force of the wind; a northerly wind emptying the river, and a southerly or westerly wind the reverse: as also by the fall of rain or other local causes. It is high-water at Fiddown at the full and change of the moon at near 11 o'clock, and about two hours earlier above bridge at Waterford.

When at anchor a good look out should be kept for barges, which are,

many of them, heavy craft and carelessly navigated; and a berth taken up as much as possible in a bight to avoid them, and at night a light should be kept in the rigging.

LIGHTS ON THE SOUTH COAST OF IRELAND.

SIR. The disasters of last winter having drawn attention to the lights on the south coast of Ireland, a brief notice of any changes and improvements in them will be interesting to our readers.

In addition to the works on the Fastnet,* preparations have been commenced on Mine Head, in the county of Waterford, for the reception of a lighthouse, and on the Connybeg half tide rock, great exertions have been making for some years past for another.

The Connybeg rock is the most outlying danger in the vicinity of the Saltees. From the south end of the Great Island it bears S.W.W. distant 24 miles, and is nearly 7 miles from Kilmore, the nearest point on the Coast of Wexford. It is composed of a coarse kind of granite with large crystals of felspar, uncovers at 2h. 10m. after high-water on the shore, and at low-water spring tides exposes an irregular surface of about 30 feet by 90 feet in extent. It has from 20 to 25 fathoms water within 1 cables distance, all around it, the space between it and the coast to the eastward is much encumbered by rocks, some of which are uncovered, others dry at half ebb and some never appear. The want of a light to mark this formidable danger was long felt by seamen but it was not until 1824 that the Ballast Office yielding to the solicitations of the Waterford Merchants, and warned by a fatal shipwreck, of the necessity of the measure, consented to place a light vessel there, which from the important position it occupies on the chart has since been called the guiding star to the Irish Channel. Every seaman is aware of the anxiety and danger attendant on making a light-vessel in a south-west gale, when in order to secure the safety of the vessel the lanterns are scarcely raised above the gunwale, and thus when most needed she is the least efficient.

To more clearly indicate this dangerous locality, the erection of a building on the Conny beg rock has been long contemplated. In the summer of 1843 workmen were first employed to bore holes for the reception of nine iron pillars on which it is purposed to place the lighthouse. The work however has been very tardily conducted, for it was not until the summer of the present year that the holes were completed. In the month of July a steam vessel arrived at the little harbour of Dunmore with five of the pillars, and the necessary means for stepping them in their positions. It was hoped that they would have been securely fixed before the winter's gales commenced, and that their power of resisting the heavy surges of the Atlantic would thus have been tested, many fruitless attempts were made, and much vexatious delay occasioned by the sea

• See notice of these in p. 614, of our last year's volume.

sweeping from the rock, the gear prepared for raising them; and it was not until the middle of November that one of the pillars was successfully placed in the position where it now stands a solitary memorial of man's ingenuity and perseverance, and an excellent beacon for the position of the rock when covered. Further efforts are of necessity postponed until next spring.

When so much pains are taken to complete the system of lights, it is much to be regretted that the suggestions for painting lighthouses which have at different times appeared in your journal, and which have been advocated by more than one scientific and distinguished officer are not acted on. To give an additional instance of the necessity of distinctive colours, a West Indiaman was boarded by a fisherman in September last running into Ballytiegue Bay. He had seen the Hook Light tower through the hazes and mistaking it for the Tuskar bore up a channel course; in another half hour she would have been a total wreck; the fisherman received five pounds for piloting her clear of danger.

To the Editor N.M.

I am &c.,

R. HOSKYN.

The light on the Fastnet Rock near Cork has been extinguished in consequence of the late gales. The wind having remained at north-west for some days the sea broke over the rock so rudely as to render it impossible to inhabit anything but the basement story. Some parties on shore contrived to forward a rope to the inmates which communicated with a boat moored near shore. In this way five men were drawn off, but ten others remain there, not willing to trust themselves to such a precarious mode of escape.

THE MARINE BAROMETER.

Royal Harbour, Ramsgate, Jan. 6th, 1849. SIR.I herewith offer to your notice an extract from the public papers, which I think might be productive of great good, if inserted in your widely circulated periodical, independent of the tribute due from every honest-hearted sailor to the munificence of so excellent a nobleman as Lord Aberdeen.

I desire at the same time to offer my humble testimony to the efficacy of such means, as his Lordship generously determines to adopt, to warn the hardy fisherman of the approaching storm. And first (from my own experience) I will mention a case which will prove, in conjunction with Lord Collingwood's, the general practice of our best naval officers, of the olden time, to watch continually, and scientifically, those instruments which have so often cautioned the mariner to reef when under sail, or prepare to ride out at anchor the approaching gale.

In the year 1809, I was chief mate of the hired armed cutter Hero, Lieut. Reynolds, Commander, which vessel was a tender to Admiral Sir NO. 2.-VOL. XVIII.

K

James Saumarez, and in the autumn of that year we came down with the Baltic fleet, and anchored in Wingo Sound, in the stream of the Victory, the admiral's ship. While there on one occasion, we imagined the admiral was giving his fleet a severe drill; and having no top-hamper in the cutter, were amusing ourselves with the rapidity with which, obedient to signal, that gallant fleet were disrobing themselves of their flying kites, as royal and top-gallant masts and yards descended to the deck.

However all was conjecture as to motive, when the signal, was made, and repeated "Down lower yards and top-masts." Not the slightest indication of bad weather at that time; not a cloud to threaten. This was in the forenoon watch; but at about 3 P.M. a swell came rolling into the roadstead; at sunset a swift scud was crossing in the direction of a light breeze, and in less than an hour afterwards it was blowing a terrific gale right into the Sound. The greater part of the fleet drove, although so well prepared, and we should have lost the cutter upon a sunken rock, but for a shift of a few points in the direction of the gale, which gave our anchors a better position, and canted us clear of the dangers.

As soon as the gale abated the admiral sent an officer with his barge's crew, who assisted us in warping again into our position, and from them we learned that Sir James, with the captain and master of his fleet, had taken a warning from the marine barometers on board the Victory.

From that time, I have paid continual attention to barometric influences, and however susceptible an instrument may be, I think nothing is equal to a marine barometer, where the surface of the mercurial column can be strictly watched.

I have in my little waiting room on our east pier head, a common barometer, which is accessible at all times, day or night, to captains of vessels and others. I have another, as a check to it, in my dwelling house. These instruments have in several instances prevented a fleet leaving the harbour, and as often, at other times, accelerated their depar

ture.

On the 17th of January, 1840, the fleet remained with a steady breeze N.E., in consequence of the rapid fall of the barometer at the pier head. The N.E. wind only lasted twelve hours, and was succeeded by a heavy gale from the south, which sent many crippled ships in for shelter and repair. The masters of vessels in the harbour congratulated one another at their escape by attending to barometric indications.

On the 12th of January, 1843, a steady N.E. gale succeeded to a long spell of disastrous weather and westerly winds. A large fleet was preparing to leave the harbour when I called the attention of the captains to the barometer which was rapidly falling. About twenty sail, however, tired of a long detention, put to sea. During the night it fell calm, and on the 13th a heavy storm from S.S. W. succeeded. Two of the vessels which had left were lost upon the French coast, and the remainder returned more or less in a crippled state. About 200 sail had remained in security with us, being warned by barometric indications. I could multiply instances, but I trust these simple facts are sufficient