colour, the Dartmouth harbour light is fixed, of a deep red colour, so that one cannot be mistaken for the other, and both will serve as good guides for the weather beaten mariner on the coast of Devon. Two smart cutters, the Ranger and Fanny, with able and experienced pilots on board, are now fitted out and sent to sea by the enterprising inhabitants of our town, so that by their exertions, and the facilities, both natural and artificial, which the port otherwise affords for shipping, we anticipate the time is not far distant when the harbour of Dartmouth will again be prominent among the seaports of England, as a rendezvous for the yacht, as well as the steamer and sailing merchant ship. Trinity-house, London, 3rd September, 1851. Notice is hereby given, that, by direction of this corporation a black buoy, marked "Mid Channel Rock," has been placed near to a rocky patch at the entrance of Milford Haven. The buoy lies in six fathoms at low water spring tides, about a cable's length W.b.N., from a shoal spot, having only three fathoms on it, and with the folowing marks and compass bearings, viz. : The Flag Staff at St. Ann's, just open west of the Low Light house The Fort on the Stack Rock, just touching the south part of Thorn Island Mr. Davis's House, its apparent length on Dale Point By order, N.b W. W E. N. J. HERBERT, Secretary. Trinity-house, London, 30th, September, 1851. The permanent light-houses which have been in course of erection in Sea Reach, being now completed. Notice is hereby given, that the lights, both at the Chapman Head, and at the Mucking Stations, are now exhibited in those structures, and the temporary lights discontinued. Chapman Head;-the light at this station burus at an elevation of forty feet above the level of high water spring tides, and is of the usual or natural color, except that upon the line of bearing of the East River Middle Buoy, viz., S. E.b. E. E. from the light-house, it is coloured red, which colour extends to the northward to the light-house on Southend Pier, in the direction E.b.S. § S. Mucking;-the light a this Station burns at an elevation of forty feet above the level of hight water spring tides, and is of the usual or natural colour, except in the following directions, in which the light is colored red, viz. :— 1st. In the direction E.b.S. S. which clears the Scars and Chapman Head. 2nd. On the line of bearing S.W.b. W. from the light-house, in which dir ection it strikes the Spit of the Oven's Shoal, a short distance outside the nine feet mark of low water spring tides. 3rd.-On the line of bearing S. E. from the light-house, a narrow strip of red light is shewn for the purpose of marking the direct line of bearing of the West Blyth Beacon. Note. The above-mentioned bearings are Magnetic. By Order, J. HERBERT, Secretary. ATLANTIC VIGIAS. Ship Marmion, at sea, August 8th, 1851. SIR.-In your Match number for this year I perceive (page 158) a notice of a supposed bank, south-west from the outer edge of the Bank of Newfoundland. Having a distinct remembrance of finding very cool water about this vicinity, that puzzled me a little at the time, I have been overhauling my private log for several voyages past, and have sent you true copies of my rout e &c., for three or four different voyages and at different months of the years, viz: May, October, 1846; April and August, 1848; February, 1849. never found the air vary so much except on and near the bank. But I My own log being kept merely for my own reference &c., you may perceive I write about a subject just what my thoughts are at the time, and in May, 1846, I felt strongly persuaded that there were soundings where we had the water so cool, and I do not dipute now but there are. Still I think it is "most probable it may be caused, by a current, a body of cold water borne on the bosom of the gulf current. I think the Commander of the Corsair, will often find veins of colder and warmer water if he travels that route frequently. And it is looking for a thermometer to prove too much to suppose there must be a rock or shoul, because of a change of this extent in temperature in this vicinity, because such strong currents exist at times, running perhaps in comparatively narrow strips. Again I have found that at certain seasons of the year the ocean is colder to the eastward of, than on the Grand Bank. This I presume is easily accounted for owing to such vast bodies of ice coming down along the eastern edge of the bank. It would appear that some are so credulous as to believe in numerous vigia, &c., while others again are so sceptical they will believe nothing of the kind; no not realities unless they see it. I remember very well an old Mediterranean skipper, who said in iny hearing he did not believe the island of Alboran existed. We had been beating about off there for five or six days on our passage up, and were expecting to see it two or three times. He laughed at us for our pains and anxiety on that head. The following voyage we went to Odessa again, and one fine morning, nearly calm, just about seven bells, the second officer observed "that looks like the land," and sure enough there was Alboran, a low sandy island, and we lay becalmed in sight of it for nearly two hours, the current setting to the westward and the next day we made it again. I sailed with another master who believed in the existence of the "Three Chimneys," but would not credit the existence of Rockall until the last voyage I was with him we made it. If any of those rocks exist in the Atlantic it is very strange indeed that so much as this sea is traversed, we should have nothing definite regarding them. Our Nautical Instruments are far superior to what they were, and perhaps I may be bold enough to say there are as skilful and attentive navigators in the present age as ever existed. I do not hesitate to say there is a great improvement to my own knowledge. No doubt many navigators keep a look-out without saying a word to any person when they are in the vicinity of those bugbears of the deep ;-Devils Rock, Three Chimneys, &c. But I have never yet fallen in with any person who has seen any of those terrors, though I have known several who well knew their position and have kept a good look-out for them. Vessels in the Merchant Service have various reasons for excusing themselves for not stopping when they see these dangers, but if a boat would not live to test the reality of it, your correspondent feels that he would haul See Vol. for 1849, p. 217, pretty close towards it to satisfy his optics, and would be willing to waste a few hours to determine the position of it. I am afraid I have tried your patience about these undetermined dangers, you are at liberty to insert or otherwise, the days runs I enclose you on the matter. Presuming you may not perhaps have seen so full an account of the clipper ship Challenge, I cut the enclosed out of a Newspaper the other day purposely for you, if you think an abstract of it worth insertion in your pages. I see one of my bottle papers, arrived at Truro, it is a gratification to hear of it. Last year another was picked up on Sable Island, but as I could not procure the date it was picked up I have not sent you any notice of it. Speaking of Sable Island, I have in my possession and seen several other English charts that have Sable Island laid down very incorrectly in longitude. I think Blunt's, which is preferable to any I have ever seen, has the island a little too far to the westward. I should observe here, I mean the east end. I have never sighted the west end of it. Here are the conflicting positions of Norie, Blunt and Blachford :From the Epitome J. W. Norie. Blunt's Chart. Blachford's Chart. 44 44 5 N. 60 3 W. East end Sable 43 59 N. 59 44 W. 43 59 N. 59 48 W. West end 43 56 N. 60 91 W. 43 57 N. 60 14 W. 2 N. 60 31 W. I am well aware the most strict attention must be paid to the lead here, and that is the only thing to depend on when near there. Yet such errors, for errors there must be on one side, should not exist to mislead the unwary. T. F. F We shall turn to these subjects and the letter from the brig Corsair, in our next.-ED. EXTRAORDINARY FLIGHT OF CARRIER PIGEONS.—A carrier pigeon which was let fly at Sarragossa at half-past 4 o'clock in the morning of the 28th July last, arrived at Liege, in Belgium, the following day at 6 in the evening. Twenty-three other pigeons which were let fly at the same time arrived in a short time after, and ninety-three obers stopped on the road. SIR JOHN ROSS'S CARRIER PIGEONS.-Our readers will remember our announcing in October last year, the supposed arrival at Annan Hill, near Kilmarnock, of a pair of the carrier pigeons which Sir John Ross took with him in the Felix. The lady by whom the birds were presented to the navigator, and others who had seen them in this county, were confident that one of the two which was caught at Annan Hill was one of the four pigeons given to Sir John. Incredible as it seemed that the birds could have returned a distance of 2,000 miles, we saw no reason to doubt it, and the fact seems now almost confirmed by what we learn on the arrival of the Felix in Stranraer. The pigeons were to be despatched when the party got into winter quarters; they were so despatched. As yet we have not obtained an exact date, but they were sent off about the beginning of October, upon an evening about five o'clock. Two of the small balloons with which Sir John was furnished were made use of for the purpose; the old pair were attached to one, the young to another, secured in such a way that when a slow match, ignited at starting, had burned to a certain point, the birds were liberated. The match was calculated to burn for twenty-four hours. A slight breeze was blowing from the north when the balloons were sent up; one went away steadily to the south, an accident happened to the other. The young birds were in that which got away, and it was one of the young birds which was recognized at Anuan Hill, on the 13th of October, as having been taken away by Sir John. We shall return to the incident when we procure the exact particulars.-Ayr Observer. The Mercantile Navy List (published quarterly), by Messrs, Bradbury and Evans, from the office of the Registrar General of Seamen is a good index of the improvement of our Mercantile Marine. We find the following among the several heads of information which it contains.-Officers of the Board of Trade, Members of Local Boards, Examiners, Shipping Masters and their Instructions, Fees to Shipping Masters, Regulations of the Examination of Masters and Mates, Names of the passed, Cancelled Certificates, Names of those who have received honorary rewards, Obituary and a considerable amount of other useful information important to our mercantile marine. We are also glad to see the Trinity House Notices relating to navigation duly preserved in this little volume, which we look on as an important and necessary appendage to the cabin table. METEOROLOGICAL REGISTER. Kept at Croom's Hill, Greenwich, by Mr. Rogerson, of the Royal Observatory, From the 21st of September, to the 20th of October, 1851. We have received a letter from Mr. L. Urban, Chronometer Maker to the Danish Navy, containing a description of a Chronometer of his making, and tables of daily rate for twelve months from which a very superior trial number is deduced. These are far too lengthy for our pages, and we do not think our Chronometer Makers will lose much by their non-appearance, when they find that gold has been adopted for the Balance Spring, and among other things that the rates are taken to half seconds, besides which the following appears as the ground of its recommendation Our Chronometer Makers will not fail to appreciate this. "As no essential improvements have, during the last half century, been made in England, where the greatest number of chronometers is manufactured, in the construction of these instruments, it may be presumed, &c.!" Why, it is in the very last half century that all the improvements have been made in chronometers. Verily Mr. Urban this statement may serve your purpose among your countrymen, but it will not do for John Bull. Desciples of Earnshaw and Arnold think of this! Hunt and Son, Printers, 6, New Church Street, Edgware Road. |