nated, in June 1821, Commander-in-Chief at the Nore, Sir Murray Maxwell was appointed Captain of the Bulwark, the flag-ship; and on the 28th November the following year, removed from thence to the Briton frigate, in which he sailed to South America, where he was present at the surrender of Callao, and was employed in the protection of the British interests at that and other places on the coast.

The following is a literal translation of an extract of a letter to Sir Murray Maxwell, by Gen. Rodil, who so gallantly defended the fortress of Callao on that occasion.

"I, with the individuals defenders of Callao, who owe to you, Sir, so many favours, and in short our existence, cordially salute you. We will relate the estimation which you merit from us, the benefits you conferred upon us in that unhappy country, and likewise during our voyage.

"We pray Heaven you may everywhere meet with friends equally sensible of those superior virtues and heroic proceeding displayed towards the unfortunate which reflect on you so much credit."

The period for which the Briton was attached to the ships on that station having expired, Sir Murray Maxwell returned home, and was paid off.

Soon after the accession of his present Majesty to the throne, he was pleased to nominate a certain number of officers to be his naval Aide-decamps, and Sir Murray Maxwell had the honour to be selected as one of them; and during the present year was appointed Governor of Prince Edward's Island, but which he was destined never to assume. In June he left Scotland in a sailing-vessel for London, to make the necessary arrangements for his departure for America; during the passage he was seized with fever, with no means of bleeding him, and no surgical assistance to be procured till he arrived off Gravesend, forty-eight hours after the fatal attack, and shortly after arriving at Green's Hotel, Searle-street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, expired on the 19th

of that month.

Of Sir Murray Maxwell's other brothers, Capt. Keith Maxwell, since dead, commanded the Hound sloop, at the commencement of the war, when by vigilance in overhauling vessels and boats of all denominations, as they passed Deptford, many valuable and efficient hands were procured for the naval service, and for which he obtained his Post Rank. He distinguished himself on the coast of France, whilst belonging to Com. Owen's squadron; he afterwards commanded the Nymphen frigate in the North Sea, and formed one of the expedition to the Scheldt; but he had previously signalised himself by performing one of the most daring acts that grace our Naval Annals, by the cutting out of the Cheverette from Cameret Bay in July 1801. The details of this exploit are to be found in Janies's Naval History, page 214, vol. iii. Capt. John Maxwell died in May 1826, while commanding the Aurora frigate; Major Stuart Maxwell commanded a Brigade of Artillery during three campaigns under his Grace the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsula, and was presented with medals for Orthes, Nivelles, and Vittoria, and was also a Companion of the Bath. Lieut.-Colonel Archibald Montgomery Maxwell, unattached, from the Royal Artillery, is the only surviving brother.

Sir Murray Maxwell has left a widow and family, one of whom is a Commander in the Royal Navy.

PLAN OF ILLUMINATING THE SEMAPHORE TELEGRAPH. BY LIEUT. ROBERT WALL, R.N.

To be enabled to communicate by Telegraph at night has long been considered a desideratum, and many plans have been suggested at various times for that purpose, but hitherto without effect.

The principal difficulty of signalizing at night, with lanterns of any description, is caused by the general radiation of light from them, and at any distance the consequent confusion of appearance.

Having discovered a mode of illuminating the Semaphore wherein the foregoing objection was obviated, I wrote to my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty in the year 1823, informing them of the circumstance, when their Lordships commanded me to state the particulars of my plan," which, in their answer to my letter, their Lordships were pleased to term " ingenious in theory."

The particulars of the plan are as follows:-There are three powerful lanterns, one of which is placed at the foot of the mast, and one opposite to each of the pivots on which the arms revolve; and they are so contrived, that the light from each is concentrated and thrown powerfully along each arm and the mast by their respective lanterns, but the lights are concealed, so the Telegraph is in fact illuminated by reflection; and the entire of the light from each lantern being strictly confined to its particular direction, the confusion of appearance attendant on general radiation is avoided. I will now show how all this is effected. The pivots on which the arms revolve are tubes, of about two inches in diameter, and being attached to the arm, of course are carried round with it in its vertical revolution. On the end of this tube, (which projects about two and a half feet from the mast,) is fitted a lantern, furnished with a powerful lens and a strong reflector: the two lamps for each arm, (it being necessary to illuminate the Semaphore at both sides,) are connected by means of a small tube, which is passed through the larger one that supports the arm, and each end of the small tube protruding through the side of the lantern, is retained in its place by the up and down turn-stays which are bolted to the mast.

To under

stand this part, it will be necessary to consult the annexed drawing.

nated, in June 1821, Commander-in-Chief at the Nore, Sir Murray Maxwell was appointed Captain of the Bulwark, the flag-ship; and on the 28th November the following year, removed from thence to the Briton frigate, in which he sailed to South America, where he was present at the surrender of Callao, and was employed in the protection of the British interests at that and other places on the coast.

The following is a literal translation of an extract of a letter to Sir Murray Maxwell, by Gen. Rodil, who so gallantly defended the fortress of Callao on that occasion.

"I, with the individuals defenders of Callao, who owe to you, Sir, so many favours, and in short our existence, cordially salute you. We will relate the estimation which you merit from us, the benefits you conferred upon us in that unhappy country, and likewise during our voyage.

"We pray Heaven you may everywhere meet with friends equally sensible of those superior virtues and heroic proceeding displayed towards the unfortunate which reflect on you so much credit.'

The period for which the Briton was attached to the ships on that station having expired, Sir Murray Maxwell returned home, and was paid off.

Soon after the accession of his present Majesty to the throne, he was pleased to nominate a certain number of officers to be his naval Aide-decamps, and Sir Murray Maxwell had the honour to be selected as one of them; and during the present year was appointed Governor of Prince Edward's Island, but which he was destined never to assume. In June he left Scotland in a sailing-vessel for London, to make the necessary arrangements for his departure for America; during the passage he was seized with fever, with no means of bleeding him, and no surgical assistance to be procured till he arrived off Gravesend, forty-eight hours after the fatal attack, and shortly after arriving at Green's Hotel, Searle-street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, expired on the 19th

of that month.

Of Sir Murray Maxwell's other brothers, Capt. Keith Maxwell, since dead, commanded the Hound sloop, at the commencement of the war, when by vigilance in overhauling vessels and boats of all denominations, as they passed Deptford, many valuable and efficient hands were procured for the naval service, and for which he obtained his Post Rank. He distinguished himself on the coast of France, whilst belonging to Com. Owen's squadron; he afterwards commanded the Nymphen frigate in the North Sea, and formed one of the expedition to the Scheldt; but he had previously signalised himself by performing one of the most daring acts that grace our Naval Annals, by the cutting out of the Cheverette from Cameret Bay in July 1801. The details of this exploit are to be found in James's Naval History, page 214, vol. iii. Capt. John Maxwell died in May 1826, while commanding the Aurora frigate; Major Stuart Maxwell commanded a Brigade of Artillery during three campaigns under his Grace the Duke of Wellington in the Peninsula, and was presented with medals for Orthes, Nivelles, and Vittoria, and was also a Companion of the Bath. Lieut.-Colonel Archibald Montgomery Maxwell, unattached, from the Royal Artillery, is the only surviving brother.

Sir Murray Maxwell has left a widow and family, one of whom is a Commander in the Royal Navy.

PLAN OF ILLUMINATING THE SEMAPHORE TELEGRAPH. BY LIEUT. ROBERT WALL, R.N.

To be enabled to communicate by Telegraph at night has long been considered a desideratum, and many plans have been suggested at various times for that purpose, but hitherto without effect.

The principal difficulty of signalizing at night, with lanterns of any description, is caused by the general radiation of light from them, and at any distance the consequent confusion of appearance.

Having discovered a mode of illuminating the Semaphore wherein the foregoing objection was obviated, I wrote to my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty in the year 1823, informing them of the circumstance, when their Lordships commanded me to state the particulars of my plan," which, in their answer to my letter, their Lordships were pleased to term " ingenious in theory."

The particulars of the plan are as follows:-There are three powerful lanterns, one of which is placed at the foot of the mast, and one opposite to each of the pivots on which the arms revolve; and they are so contrived, that the light from each is concentrated and thrown powerfully along each arm and the mast by their respective lanterns, but the lights are concealed, so the Telegraph is in fact illuminated by reflection; and the entire of the light from each lantern being strictly confined to its particular direction, the confusion of appearance attendant on general radiation is avoided. I will now show how all this is effected. The pivots on which the arms revolve are tubes, of about two inches in diameter, and being attached to the arm, of course are carried round with it in its vertical revolution. On the end of this tube, (which projects about two and a half feet from the mast,) is fitted a lantern, furnished with a powerful lens and a strong reflector: the two lamps for each arm, (it being necessary to illuminate the Semaphore at both sides,) are connected by means of a small tube, which is passed through the larger one that supports the arm, and each end of the small tube protruding through the side of the lantern, is retained in its place by the up and down turn-stays which are bolted to the mast. To understand this part, it will be necessary to consult the annexed drawing.

536 LIEUT. RAPER'S METHOD OF WORKING A DAY'S WORK.

Figure 1, Semaphore as seen by the observer; 1111, mast; 22, arms; 3 3 3, lanterns; 4 4, stays for supporting the lamp; 5 5, reflectors.

Figure 2, shows the side of the Telegraph; 2 2, the arms; 33 3, the lanterns; 1111, the mast. N.B. The reflectors at this view cannot be seen. Figure 3, shows a plan of the mast, tube, lantern, arm, and reflectors-four times the size of the others.

In order that the principal rays of light shall be reflected to the observer, the surface of the arms and mast of the Semaphore is composed of small jalousie work, kept brightly whitewashed, which small reflectors are set at such angles as shall reflect the rays of light incident to them, at right angles to the plane of the Telegraph: so that in this plan we see that the arms, and the lanterns which are attached to them, revolve round the lamps which are stationary, but the light from thence is condensed, and thrown along the arms, in whatever position they may be in.

In the event of a war, to be enabled to hold Telegraphic communication at night would be just as necessary as in the day, manifestly, and in one sense of the word more so, at least in the winter; the high lands on which the Semaphores are placed being obscured by fog and mist, sometimes for a week together in the day, whereas the nights are for the most part clear and frosty, and therefore peculiarly well adapted to the observation of night signals.

Nor would it be at all difficult to fit a Semaphore to the top-gallant mast-head, which could be used either in the day or night. In short, I have a plan in process for that purpose, which will be shortly completed.

REMARKS ON LIEUT. RAPER'S METHOD OF WORKING

A DAY'S WORK.

IN the "United Service Journal" for January, a method is proposed by Lieut. Henry Raper, R.N. for working a day's work, by correcting the resulting course only, for variation, instead of each separate course.

As any method proposed by Lieut. Raper is likely to attract attention from his known attainments, and the operation itself is of importance from its frequent occurrence, the following brief observations may not be misplaced in the U. S. Journal.

Using the same figure, and making the same suppositions as Lieut. R., we have in the triangles CAB, Cab, the two sides CA, AB respectively equal to the two Ca, ab, and the angles contained by those sides equal; but since the curvature of CA is different from that of Ca, and the curvature of AB different from that of ab, it does not follow that the angle ACB is equal to aCb; the proof, therefore, which depends upon this circumstance, fails. The method, however, may be sufficiently accurate for practice, and seems to hold a like relation to the true method, that middle latitude does to Mercator's. Portsmouth, July 20, 1831.

B.