CHAP. IV. SMEATON'S LIGHTHOUSE ON THE EDDYSTONE. 



33 



nary arrangements to proceed with the work. A mong the 

 other facilities required for carrying on the operations, 

 was the provision of an improved landing-place, which 

 he regarded as of essential importance. He also drew up 

 a careful code of regulations for the guidance and govern- 

 ment of the artificers and others who were to be em- 

 ployed in constructing the lighthouse. Having done all 

 this, he arranged to proceed to London, but not until he 

 had paid three more visits to the rock for the purpose 

 of correcting his measurements, in one of which he got 

 thoroughly drenched by the spray. 



On his return to town, Mr. Smeaton made his report 

 to the proprietors, and was fully authorised by them to 

 carry out the design which he had now matured. He 

 accordingly proceeded to make a complete model 1 of 

 the lighthouse, as he intended it to be built. His 

 expertness in handling tools now proved of the greatest 

 use to him. As every course of stones in it involved 

 fresh adaptations and the invention of new forms to 

 give the requisite firmness and stability to the whole, it 

 is obvious that he secured greater accuracy by executing 

 the work with his own hands, than if he had entrusted 

 it to any model-maker to carry out after given dimen- 

 sions and drawings, however accurately they might 



1 He thus states the reasons which 

 prevailed with him in undertaking 

 the construction of this model with 

 his own hands : " Those who are not 

 in the practice of handling mechanical 

 tools themselves, but are under the 

 necessity of applying to the manual 

 operations of others, will undoubtedly 

 conclude that I would have saved 

 much time by employing the hands 

 of others in this matter; and on the 

 idea of the design being already fixed, 

 and fully and accurately as well as 

 distinctly made out that is, sup- 

 posing the thing done that was wanted 

 to be done it certainly would have 

 been so; and had I wanted a dupli- 

 cate of any part, or of the whole, 



VOL. II. 



when done, I should certainly have 

 had recourse to the hands of others. 

 But such as are in the use of hand- 

 ling tools for the purpose of con- 

 trivance and invention, will clearly 

 see that, provided I could work with 

 as much facility and despatch as those 

 I might happen to meet with and 

 employ, I should save all the time 

 and difficulty, and often the vexation, 

 mistakes, and disappointments that 

 arise from a communication of one's 

 own ideas to others; and that when 

 steps of invention are to follow one 

 another in succession and dependence 

 on what preceded, under such circum- 

 stances it is not eligible to make use 

 of the hands of others." 



