men, which had also struck on the Goodwin Sands during a fresh breeze from S. W. to West.

It appears that during the past year the lifeboats of the institution have altogether saved 532 lives, besides bringing twenty vessels into port. In addition to this it has granted rewards, amounting to £120 10s., to the crews of shore boats and others for rescuing 182 persons during the same period, thus making a grand total of 714 lives saved during the past year through the instrumentality of the National Lifeboat Institution.

Rewards amounting to £89 were also voted to pay the expence of the lifeboats of the institution stationed at Broughty Ferry, St. Andrews, Fraserburgh, Whitburn, Ballycotton, Wicklow, Tynemouth, Lytham, and Southport, for putting off to render assistance to vessels in distress, or for going out in reply to signals of distress from different vessels, which, however, had afterwards got out of danger.

Various other rewards were also granted to the crews of shore boats and others for saving many lives lately from different wrecks on our

coast.

During the past month the institution had sent new lifeboats to Courtown, on the Irish coast, and to Arbroath, on the Scotch coast. Two lifeboats were also about to be sent away to Hauxley and Newbiggin, Northumberland, a free conveyance having been promised to the boats by the Great Northern and North Eastern Railway Companies.

A lady had munificently presented to the institution the cost of the Worthing lifeboat establishment. The late Captain John Sykes, R.N., had left the society a legacy of £100 free of duty.

The demands on the institution continue to be very heavy. The society has a large number of new lifeboat establishments in course of formation, which will involve a considerable outlay on the institution.

The accounts of the institution for the past year were ordered to be sent to Mr. Begbie, the public accountant, who had been the auditor of the society for the past fourteen years.

Payments amounting to £2,000 were ordered to be made on various lifeboat establishments.

A cordial vote of thanks having been given to Mr. Chapman and Sir E. Perrott for their able conduct in the chair at the meetings of the institution, the proceedings terminated.

THE LOSS OF H.M.S. "BULLDOG."

On the 22nd of October the Jamaica packet was fired into by the rebel steamer Valorogue, off Acul. The British steamer Bulldog, being near by, approached her and inquired the cause, when it was explained by the captain of the Jamaica packet. The Bulldog said

that unless the Valorogue would cease firing into the Jamaica packet she would be sunk. She desisted, and went in at the Cape. Salnave, on learning of the incident, ordered ehat all who had taken retuge in the British Consulate should be taken away by force. The next day the Bulldog demanded satisfaction, and, it being refused, the captain began to shell Fort Cirolet, and also sank ths Valorogue and an armed schooner, the powder magazine of the rebels was blown up, and fire was set to the town through the brisk fire kept ap by the Bulldag from 9h. a.m. to 11h. 30m. a.m. The Bulldog, in manoeuvring, got on a reef, and as she could not be got off, she was fired by her commander rather than see her fall into possession of the rebels.

President Geffrard, on hearing this, placed the steamer 22nd of December at the disposal of the captain of the Bulldog. The crew and officers of that steamer were conveyed on board of the 22nd of December. The loss sustained by the rebels is very heavy. That of the English amounts to two or three killed and about ten wounded.

At the court-martial assembled at Plymouth to try Captain Wake for the loss of the Bulldog, the court being two hours in deliberation after all the evidence had been delivered, then pronounced its opinion by the Judge Advocate, which was that negligence was shown on the part of Captain Wake and Mr. Behenna the acting master, in running the Bulldog ashore, by allowing her to run within the marks laid out on the chart. The court was also of opinion that sufficient exertions were subsequently not made to get the ship off; also that the ship was prematurely destroyed. Captain Wake was therefore dismissed the ship, and severely reprimanded, and Mr. Behenna was reprimanded. The court were also of opinion that Lieutenant J. L. Way and Lieutenant F. Rougemont had committed errors of judgement in agreeing in counselling with the captain to destroy the ship. The court could not however separate after excepting the above officers, without expressing its full approbation of the very satisfactory conduct of the other officers and the crew under such disadvantageous circumstances.

THE "SAMPHIRE" AND THE "FANNY BUCK."-Collision in Dover Strait. Decision.

The narrative of Captain J. W. Bennet, the Commander of the R.M.S. packet Samphire, in her collision with American barque Fanny Buck, is unhappily too long for our pages in this number. But we preserve here the result of the Board of Trade inquiry into it, and which after eleven days of lengthened investigation was thus delivered by the Mayor of Dover :

"After a most careful and anxious consideration of the voluminous and contradictory evidence taken in this inquiry, we have come to the conclusion that the captain of the Samphire, who was wholly responsible for the conduct and management of his vessel, is culpable of having driven his vessel at so great a speed across one of the most frequented NO. 2.-VOL. XXXV.

P

and narrow seas in the world on so dark and hazy a night as that of the 13th of December. The attendant circumstances, however, are such, and the default of the barque in not properly exhibiting a suffi cient light from the lamps having to some extent contributed to the damage and loss of life, we do not think we should be justified in awarding so severe a sentence as either the deprivation or the suspension of his certificate. The circumstances to which we allude, and which we think it right now to mention, without waiting for the publication of our report, are :

"1. The provisions of the contract for carrying the mails, which holds out a direct premium for quick passages in all weathers; and the natural desire of the Captain to gain the premium and avoid the penalty on behalf of his employers.

"2. The great moral pressure put upon both the owners and commanders of the vessels by the public, who require the utmost despatch to be used in the transmission of these mails, and the desire of the passengers frequenting the route for quick passages—a desire which can only be gratified, in cases like the present, by the neglect of some of those precautions which we think indispensable for safety.

"The great interest evinced by the public in these proceedings has induced us in thus announcing our decision to go further into detail than we should otherwise have considered it incumbent on us. The various other questions arising on this inquiry as to the conduct of the crew of the Samphire after the collision, and other matters, will be more fully entered into in our detailed report to the Board of Trade.

"The Mayor (then addressing Captain Bennett): The court has great pleasure in handing back your certificate, and at the same time testifying to your laudable exertions in endeavouring to save life after the collision.'

"An outburst of applause from the assembly in court greeted the announcement of the decision.

"Mr. O'Dowd, on the part of the Board of Trade, tendered his thanks to the Mayor and his brother magistrates for the patience and ability exhibited by them during this inquiry; also for the valuable assistance rendered by the nautical assessors and for the courtesy displayed by the several advocates who appeared in the case.

GREENWICH MEAN TIME.-Captains of ships and others engaged in navigation are generally anxious with respect to obtaining the accurate Greenwich mean time. The following notice with respect to this subject was yesterday issued by Professor Airy, the Astronomer Royal :→ "Time Ball-Royal Signal Tower, Deal-The ball will be raised halfmast high at a few minutes before one, nearly, and will be raised at the top three minutes before one nearly every day. It will be dropped by an instantaneous galvanic current from the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, exactly at one. The time to be noted is the instant at

which the ball begins to fall from the cross arms of the vane. If, in consequence of galvanic accident, the ball is dropped too late or too soon, a black flag will be hoisted, and will be raised till fifteen minutes before two; the ball will again be dropped by hand at two. If the wind is very heavy the ball will not be raised. (Signed) G. B. Airy, Astronomer Royal."

Nautical Notices.

[Communications for the Editor of the Nautical Magazine to be addressed to him at 31, Poultry.]

PARTICULARS OF LIGHTS RECENTLY EStablished.

(Continued from vol. xxxiv. page 685.)

F. Fixed. Fl. Fixed and Flashing. R. Revolving. I. Intermitting. Est. Established.

(a.) 69.-The buoy lies in 8 fathoms water, with Culver cliff bearing about N.W.b. W., the S.E. buoy of the Princessa N.b. W. W., and the Nab lightvessel N.E. N. Variation 21° 5′ West in 1865.

(b.) 70.-The light-vessel is near the S. W. extremity of the plateau des Minquiers, about midway between St. Malo and the island of Jersey. She carries two lights; one on the mainmast 39 feet, the other on the mizenmast 26 feet above the sea: they will be seen at a distance of 10 miles, but they may not be at the heights stated; they will, however, in clear weather always be visible at a distance of 8 miles.

(c.) 71-The light-vessel has been replaced in her original position off the North end of the bank, and now lies with the Mount lighthouse bearing N. 63° W., and Flores lighthouse N. 20° W. Variation 9° 50' East in 1865. (d.) 72.-Information has been received at the Admiralty, that fog trumpets have been placed on Sambro and Cranberry islands, near the entrance to Halifax barbour and the Gut of Canso respectively.

Each blast of these trumpets will be of five seconds duration, with intervals of twenty seconds, and in calm weather may be heard at a distance varying from 6 to 10 miles.

(e.) 1.-The Corton light-vessel has been moved 1.6 miles N.N.E. E. of her former position, and Čorton alone is painted on her sides, instead of Corton Fairway, as heretofore.

The vessel now lies in 15 fathoms at low water springs, with the tidal flagstaff on Gorleston South pier head, in line with the chancel end of Gorleston church, bearing N.N.W. W.

(f.) 2.-Reported Shoal off Cape Matapan.-Vice-Admiral Sir Robert Smart, K.C.B., reports to the Secretary of the Admiralty that Mr. G. Yeoman, master of the English barque Vigilia, has stated that on the 19th of July, 1865, he touched on a 12 feet shoal, in about lat. 36° 3·5′ N., long. 22° 33′ E., with 2, Matapan N. E. and Ovo islet South of Cerigo E. S.

This statement is not considered final, although discoloured water was seen, for the lead was not used, the vessel might have grazed something, or even have felt the shock of an earthquake, common in that neighbourhood. Still the navigator must be on the look out for it. Variation 9 0 West in 1866.

GLEANINGS from Notices to Mariners, published by the Hydrographic Office. Paris.

TAMPICO LIGHTS.-In the Annonce Hydrographique, of Paris, dated 1st October last, it is stated that the French naval commanderin-chief, in the Gulf of Mexico, has reported that a fixed light had recently been placed to show the bar of the Tampico. It is stated to be visible fifteen miles off, and is in lat. 22° 16′ 45′′ N., long. 100° 7. 10′ W. or 97° 46′ 50′′ W. of Greenwich.

SINIGAGLIA LIGHT.-On the 10th of July last, the new lighthouse, recently constructed at the port of Sinigaglia, was lighted as a substitute for the old wooden lighthouse.

MOUTH OF THE TYNE.-On the 14th October a fixed red light was established on the northern pier-head, at the mouth of the Tyne, on the East Coast of England. It stands inside those of the pier-head, and on the line from the buoy off the pier-head, and the light of Tynemouth Castle. The pier-head should have a wide berth from vessels entering, on account of rocks off it.

RIO JANEIRO.-Commander Mouchez, of the French Navy, has reported that the depth on the bar of Rio Janeiro has decreased about half a fathom. On a north and south line, passing through Fort Santa Cruz, there is not more than 6 to 6 fathoms where there was 6 to 7 fathoms. This decrease of depth extends to the eastward, while it increases to the westward towards the Sugar Loaf.

THE MEDEIRO'S VIGIA.-Captain Manton, of the Brazilian transport Jose San Roman, from the river Plata to Rio, on the 14th July last, observed a breaker about 9 in the evening, which was considered to be the Medeiro's Rock. It was so close that it was with difficulty avoided in time. He considers it to be thirty miles E.N.E. of the position of it, given in Roussin's charts, by his calculation, after arriving at Rio, the Captain having no other observation by which to determine it.

ROYAL CHARLOTTE BANK IN LAT. 16° S.-On the coast of Brazil, in the parallel of Porto Seguro there is a large coral shoal on which 26 to 23 fathoms are found, and which extends to the eastward in lat. 16° N. to 20 leagues from the shore. The head of it is called the Royal Charlotte Bank: it is steep to for the lead from 23 fathoms,