Bohert Stevenson, Esq. 206 



work was completed, it was moved by the late Sir William 

 Rae, Baronet, then Lord Advocate of Scotland, at a meeting 

 held in the lighthouse itself on the 19th July 1824—" That 

 a bust of Mr Robert Stevenson be obtained and placed in the 

 library of the Bell Rock Lighthouse, in testimony of the sense 

 entertained by the Commissioners of his distinguished talent 

 and indefatigable zeal in the erection of that lighthouse." 

 A beautiful bust, by Samuel Joseph, was accordingly placed 

 in that room, which, from its striking resemblance, recalls 

 in a very pleasing manner the memory of my father, coupled 

 with many of his counsels delivered on the spot during my 

 frequent visits to the Bell Rock in his company. 



It appears, from tlie Minutes of the Commissioners, that 

 my father performed his first tour of inspection of the light- 

 houses, and made the Annual Report to the Board, in the 

 year 1797. During the long period of his incumbency which 

 followed, he designed and executed twenty-three lighthouses 

 in the district of the Commission, most of them in situations 

 which called for much forethought and great energy on the 

 paH of the executive officer. All his works were character- 

 ised by the same sagacity and comprehensive views, and ex- 

 hibit successive stages of improvement, equally indicative 

 of the growing prosperity of the Board, and the alacrity and 

 zeal with which their engineer laboured in his vocation. In no 

 country has the catoptric system of illuminating lighthouses 

 been brought to so high a degree of perfection as in Scot- 

 land ; and whether we consider the accuracy and beauty of 

 the optical apparatus, the arrangements of the buildings, or 

 the discipline observed by the light-keepers, we cannot fail 

 to recognise the impress of that energetic and comprehensive 

 cast of mind which directed the whole. With the strictest pro- 

 priety, my father may be said to have created the lighthouse 

 system of Scotland, and brought it to its present state of 

 perfection. His merits indeed, in this respect, were gene- 

 rally acknowledged in other quarters ; and many of the Irish 

 lighthouses, and several lighthouses in our colonies were 

 fitted up with apparatus prepared under his superintendence. 

 In the course of his labours as engineer to the Lighthouse 

 Board, his attention was much given to the subject of dis~ 



