On the Light-House System of the United States. 327 
That changes are constantly taking place in the aids to navi- 
gation, without any official notice being given to'the public of 
them, which are calculated to mislead mariners. 
That there is no proper system of beaconage and buoyage, nor 
any list of them, by which the navigator, who is not familiar 
with the coast, can derive any benefit. 
hat the list of light-houses and light-vessels is defective in 
many respects; and it, at present, affords very little information 
to the navigator, and is, in some respects, erroneous. 
That there is no regular systematic or effective mode of giving 
notice to mariners of proposed changes in lights, &c., or of any 
that may have been destroyed or removed by the action of the 
Sea or winds. ; 
That the buoys are not properly painted according to law, nor 
are they in other respects properly distinguished one from another. 
_ That light-houses and light-vessels are not sufficiently well 
distinguished by day. , 
That the buoys are not properly placed, nor replaced when 
driven from their positions, and without delay. | : 
That buoys are not placed upon new shoals, over wrecks, &c.; 
except by a special act of Congress; through the agency of some 
philanthropic or interested person. ; ; 
: e buoys are essential for. all harbors and rivers in 
Sufficient numbers to allow for all casualities, and for cleaning, 
painting, &c. ¢ 
hat there is no code or manual of instruction to guide light 
keepers and others connected with the light-house service, in the 
performance of their duties in this country, as is found in every 
well regulated light-house establishment elsewhere. 
at there is no meteorological reason for the lights of the 
United States being worse than those of equal class and import- 
ance in’ England and France. 
That there are no proper books of daily expenditure kept ; no 
returns of daily expenditure made of a reliable character; and 
the lights are deficient in all the essentials for the faithful per- 
formance of this duty, such as books, forms, registers, &c. 
- That light keepers should be required to devote all their time 
to the care of the lights under their charge, and should not be al- 
lowed to attend to their ordinary affairs to the injury of the 
Service, 
That if all our present lights were fitted with lens apparatus of 
equal power to the reflectors now in use, the annual expense for 
Supplies of oil and cleaning materials would cost little more than 
one-fourth as much as is now expended for these articles of sup- 
ply annually ; that is, that the supplies now costing upw 
152,000, would not exceed $38.000 to $42,000, making an ap- 
nual saving of $110,000 to $115,000. a toss 0 
