Beport of Meetings. By the President. 453 



friendly and welcome warnings, would very much oftener than 

 they do, go down in the sea in ships, are not of less utility. 



So, having en route landed at the chosen place the material 

 necessary for the Club Dinner — that important factor in the 

 day's programme — we proceeded to view, in the first place, the 

 celebrated Longstone. We were skilfully piloted through the 

 Piper Q-ut by our pilot, passing quite closely the S.W. corner 

 of the Big Harcar, on which the Forfarshire was wrecked in 

 1838, and having hove-to, to the N.W. of the landing place, 

 our boats easily dropped down to it on the flood tide. Stepping 

 ashore, we were received by tbe light-keepers, and under their 

 guidance inspected the Lighthouse and saw how the flash was 

 effected, being shown, as we ascended, the room into which a 

 portion of the rescued crew of the Forfarshire was brought by 

 Grace Darling and her family. 



All English Lighthouses, together with the staff necessary for 

 their management, are under the immediate administration of 

 the Trinity House, subject to the control of the Board of Trade, 

 the Scotch being managed by the Commissioners of Northern 

 Lights. 



Few persons have much idea what the Trinity House is — beyond 

 identifying it in their minds with occasional mysterious newspaper 

 references to "Elder Brethren" and "Younger Brethren" and 

 Banquets. The Trinity House was founded by a charter of 

 Henry VIII in 1512, and, at first, its offices were of a religious 

 character connected with the welfare of sailors, but gradually 

 those functions were altered and extended, until they comprised 

 the general control of the mercantile marine, especially the 

 illumination of dangerous parts of the coasts. 



At the present day its members, called "Trinity Brethren," 

 have very little to do with the mercantile marine, but they erect 

 and superintend Lighthouses, examine and issue certificates of 

 competency to pilots, and establish and keep in order all sea- 

 marks and buoys. The first Lighthouse was put upon the 

 Fames in 1775, when coal fires were shown in open fire places. 

 A comparison of this rude method of warning sailors of danger, 

 •with the powerful, scientific, elaborate, and highly finished 

 systems now in use, strikingly illustrates the extraordinary 

 progress, which, in those as well as in other scientific matters, 

 we have made during the past century. 



The present number is three, namely : one on the Longstone, 



