248 Mr. W. Ea^le Clarke—^ Month 
o' 
main reef^ and is a massive structure 168 feet in height. 
The gallery, which was the scene of my perambulations and 
vigils, is 130 feet above the sea. Tlie illuminating apparatus 
consists of a double series of dioptric lenses, one plsacd above 
the other, each furnished with a six-wick lamp, and deveolps 
the enormous power of 80,000 candles. In clear weather, 
however, only one lamp is used, full power being burnt when 
the Breakwater Light at Plymouth, eleven miles distant, is 
invisible. The light is concentrated into twelve brilliant 
beams, arranged in pairs, which revolve slowly, taking three 
minutes to make a complete circuit. On the adjacent reef 
to the north, and about forty yards distant^ stands the basal 
portion of Smeaton's historic tower, erected in 1758 and in 
nse down to 188.^i, a memorial to the genius of the founder 
of the science of lighthouse-engineering. 
Landing on the rock is somewhat exciting work, and is 
effected from a surf-boat towed out by the relief steamer for 
the purpose. This boat approaches the rock at low water, 
and anchors some little distance off the lighthouse, while 
those landing have to dangle from a loop in a rope, clinging 
to the same with their hands as they j)ass over the inter- 
vening surf, the rope being payed out from the boat and 
hauled up by the winch in the lighthouse. The only real 
difficulty about this novel method of landing is to get nicely 
clear of the bow of the boat, and to avoid dropping into the 
water when the order " heave away '^ is given to the men at 
the winch. 
As I anticipated, I found the Eddystone to be favourably 
situated for observing emigration, and, though it is probably 
only one among many points at which the Channel is crossed 
by birds on passage, yet its geographical position must be 
regarded as somewhat exceptional, since many migrants which 
have travelled along the west coast of Britain doubtless 
proceed further south in its proximity. The waters of the 
Channel in the longitude of the Eddystone — i. e. between the 
easternmost point of the south coast of Cornwall and the 
westernmost part of Brittany — are 115 miles in width. 
The amount of success which it was possible to achieve 
