The Mcuiras Lighl House, 



[Aprtl 



barely cxret^is 1-Sib. shoiiM cnpibU' of provliioinor nny vory sensi- 

 ble altoratiini : whu h. ovon if it did take place, le a inueh f,noaler ex- 

 tent thui is here slu)\vn to bo possible, woiiUl be entirely lost in the 

 fitful and unoertain glimmering, which characterises the whole beam at 

 great distances. 



It has been my obje t, howtner. in wlut I have above written to de- 

 monstrate, not so mvi di (hat the li.i;ht must of necessity be defective, 

 as that if it should happen to be so, abundant reasons might be 

 shown to exist for anticipating such a circuuist mce, from causes 

 which ii has been my endeavour to point out. I leave the fact of its 

 beinj so or not, to be eslabHshed by the testimony of those who may 

 be able to si)eak from experience, and will at present merely add, 

 that if the opinion uhich I at the commencement of this pap(n- 

 ventured to express, regarding the extreme inelficiency of the con- 

 trivance as it exists at presenf, be granted to be correct, it would 

 not be unreasonable to anti;-ipate, that a considerable improve- 

 ment in it might be effected, if the importance of the light were 

 consiedred sufficiently great, to warrant the expence of its being 

 remodelled upon a more scicmilic plan, and which 1 feel satisfied 

 might be done without any very alarming outlay. It was my intention to 

 have appended to this some observations on the spherical and parabolic 

 mirrors used in England for this purpose, in the hopes of attracting to 

 the subject the attention of others more competent to examine it than 

 myself; but I have already been carried to a length so fnr beyond what I 

 originally intended, and the subject is one of so little interest to the 

 general reader, that I cannot expect to be granted the indulgence of 

 further occupying the pages of your valuable work, to the exclusion of 

 more important matter, and I must therefore content myself with the 

 hope, that should communications of this kind be suited to the character 

 and objects of the " Madras Journal of Literature and Science,^* I may 

 at some future period, have it in my power to make up for the deficiency. 



I remain, Sec. 



J. T. S. 



Madras, November 1833. 



