EDDYSTONE LIGHTHOUSE; J57 



lay in prison, the transaction reached the ears of Louis the 14th. That 

 monarch immediately ordered them to be released, and the captors to be 

 put in their place, declaring, that though he was at war with England, he 

 was not at war with mankind ; he therefore directed the men to be sent 

 back to England, with presents, observing, that the Eddystone Lighthouse 

 was so situated as to be of equal service to all nations having occasion to 

 navigate the channels that divide France from England. This 

 light-house differed much from the former one, it being composed of 

 wood, and perfectly round. Its entire height was 92 feet. The building, 

 notwithstanding some severe storms which it encountered, particularly 

 one on the 26th September, 1744, stood till the 2nd of December, 1755. 

 About two o'clock on that morning one of the three men who had the 

 charge of it, having gone up to snuff the candles in the lantern, found 

 the place full of smoke, from the midst of which, as soon as he opened 

 the door, a flame burst forth. A spark, from some of the twenty four 

 candles which were kept constantly burning, had probably ignited the wood 

 work, or the flakes of soot hanging from the roof. The man instantly 

 alarmed his companions; but they being in bed and asleep, it was 

 some time before they came to his assistance. In the mean time he did 

 his utmost to effect the extinction of the fire, by heaving water up to it 

 (it was burning four yards above him) from a tub full which always 

 stood in the place. The other men, when they came, brought up more 

 water from below ; but as they had to go down and return a height of 

 70 feet for this purpose, their endeavours were of little avail. At last 

 a quantity of the lead on the roof having melted, came down in a torrent 

 upon the head and shoulders of the man who remained above. He was 

 an old man of 94, of the name of Henry Hall, but still full of strength and 

 activity. This accident, together with the rapid increase of the fire, 

 notwithstanding their most desperate exertions, extinguished their last 

 hopes, and making scarcely any further efforts to arrest the progress of 

 the destroying element, they descended before it from room to room, till 

 they came to the lowest floor. Driven from this also, they then sought 

 refuge in a hole or cave on the eastern side of the rock, it being fortunately 

 by this time low water. Meanwhile the conflagration had been observed 

 by some fishermen, who immediately returned to shore and gave infor- 

 mation of it. Boats of course were immediately sent out. They arrived 

 at the light-house about 10 o'clock, and with the utmost difficulty 

 effected a landing, and the three men, who were by this time almost in a 

 state of stupefaction, were dragged through the water into one of the 

 boats. One of them, as soon as he was brought on shore, as if struck 



