THE GOODWIN Lighthouse.-Much interest has been occasioned at the town of Deal, by the preparations of Mr. Bush, (a skilful civil engineer,) to make the interesting experiment of establishing a lighthouse on the Goodwin Sand,-an operation at once involving a great outlay of capital, at a great risk of total failure; but the benefits of which, if it succeeds, will be felt by vessels of all nations, and may at no distant date, become the means of recovering those long submerged and dangerous sands. We must reserve our description of Mr. Bush's plan for another number; but we may briefly observe, that he proceeds on the principle of the caisson to obtain a foundation on the sand, and then by large iron cylinders placed one upon another to construct his light-house. At the time we write, the machine is about to be towed out to its station by her Majesty's steam vessels Fearless and Shearwater, the former commanded by Capt. Bullock, whose beacon we are glad to find still preserves its position. We cordially wish Mr. Bush success with his enterprise, as must every friend to commerce and to seamen, and we shall watch and report his progress with lively interest. Icebergs OFF THE CAPE. Calcutta, 14th March, 1841. SIR. Should you deem the following extract from my journal, worthy of a place in your Magazine, I shall feel obliged by your inserting it, as it may call the attention of my brother commanders to the necessity that exists of a good look out being always kept, whilst running down their eastings in a high southern latitude. I am, &c. R. THORNHILL, To the Editor, &c. "December 18th, 1840.-At 2h. 45m., P.M., a sail was reported on the lee bow, but which I immediately made out to be an iceberg; kept away for it; and at 5h. 45m. passed about three hundred yards to windward of it, firing three 32-pounder shot at it, without much effect; the height of this mass was about 140 or 150 feet, and the circumference about a quarter of a mile: the beautiful and varied shape it assumed, as the bright sun shone on it, I feel that any description would fail to give even a faint idea of, the sea was breaking in awful grandeur on one end of it, and a few detached pieces were floating about, between two of which we passed. The latitude of the iceberg was 40° 24' south, and longitude 29o east, and was distant about eighteen miles when first seen from the deck. Ther. 67°, bar. 29.90, symp. 29-16." [See our May number, p. 341, for further accounts of these dangers.-ED.] Jerusalem Coffee House, August 1st, 1841. SIR.I beg to refer you for the benefit of all Commanders of ships, that on my passage out to New South Wales this last voyage, in command of the ship Royal George, on the 3rd of October, 1840, at 9h. 30m. A.M. saw two large icebergs, one bearing S.E. S. and the other E.b.S. At 11h. 15m. A.M. passed between them, distant from the northern berg about 15 miles, and from the southern berg about 9 miles, thermometer on deck in the shade 60°; observed at noon in latitude 36° 57′ S., lon gitude 13° 47' E. This I consider an extraordinary circumstance for the time of year, and very dangerous to ships running in dark nights, therefore perhaps you will readily give it publicity through your valuable journal. I am, &c. G. RICHARDJ. BIOGRAPHICAL MEMOIRS. VICE-ADMIRAL SIR THOMAS HARVEY, K.C.B., Commander-in-chief of H M. ships and vessels ou the North American and West India Stations, expired at Bermuda on the 28th of June. The deceased admiral, who was born in 1775, was second son of the late late Sir Henry Harvey, who commanded the Ramilies, 74, in Lord Howe's action, on the 1st of June, 1794, and at the early age of twelve years entered the navy. He was actively engaged in Admiral Howe's action; and when lieutenant, distinguished himself in Lord Bridport's brilliant victory. At the reduction of Trinidad he commanded the Pelican, and in 1797 was captain of the Prince of Wales in the attack on Porto Rico. He accompanied the squadron under Lord Hugh Seymour to Surinam in 1799, and displayed great bravery at the capture of that strong fort, when in command of the Lapwing; and was also at the capture of the West India Islands. In 1801 he was in command of the Unite, and was at the taking of the Danish and Swedish Islands. At the passage of the Dardanelles, in 1807, he commanded the Thunderer, and gallantly took part in the destruction of the Turkish squadron. Subsequently he served with great credit on the coast of Egypt and in the Adriatic, where he made several valuable captures. His commission was dated as follows:-Lieutenant, 8th October, 1794; Commander, 3rd July, 1796; Captain, 27th March, 1797; Rear-admiral, 19th July, 1821; and Vice-admiral, 10th January, 1837. In consideration of his eminent services, he was nominated a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, 26th April, 1833. The remains of the gallant admiral were interred with military pomp on the 31st of May, at Ireland, Bermuda, near the remains of Admirals Sir E. Colpoys and the Hon. Sir C. Paget. year. REAR-ADMIRAL SIR ROBERT BARRIE, was the son of Mr. Robert Barrie, of Sanquhar, N.B., and the youngest daughter of Col. Gardner, and sister of the first Baron Gardner, was born 1774, and entered the navy before he completed his fourteenth In 1801, when lieutenant of the Bordelois, was wounded in an action with a French squadron, and from 1806 till 1811 commanded the Pomone in the Mediterranean, under Lord Collingwood, during which period he directed several daring exploits, particularly the destruction of a convoy near Sables d'Olonne in 1807, and succeeding in capturing five transports with provisions, and captured a vessel in which was Prince Lucien Bonaparte, with his family, and all his valuables; all claim to which the officers and crew of the Pomone surrendered as belonging to an individual. In 1811, when in company with the Unite and Scout, destroyed three ships-of-war, though they were protected by strong batteries in Sagorre Bay. During the American war, from 1813, he rendered great service to his country. He was then in the command of the Dragon, and directed the taking of Bangor and Hampden, and assisted at the capture of Cumberland Island. For some time he held a temporary command in the Chesapeake. The late admiral was generally esteemed by the officers under him, and at the close of the war the officers of H.M.S. Dragon presented their gallant commander with a splendid piece of plate as a mark of their respect. In 1819 he was appointed by the government resident commissioner in the Canadian lakes, and was commodore at that station from 1827 until the naval establishment was broken up in 1834. The deceased married in 1816, Miss Ingilby, fourth daughter of Sir John Ingilby, Bart., who died in 1836. In his early days the late admiral sailed round the world with Vancouver, on a voyage of discovery. His commission was dated as follows:-Lieutenant, Nov. 5, 1795; Commander, Oct. 23, 1801; Captain, April 29, 1802; and Rear-admiral, Jan. 10, 1837. The late Sir Robert was nominated a companion of the Bath June 4, 1815, and a knight commander in 1840, and on Oct. 24, 1834, was nominated a knight commander of the Royal Hanoverian Guelphic Order. MERCHANT SERVICE UNIFORM.-Sir,-Seeing in your last month's Nautical, an article on the uniforms of the Merchant Service, and being of your opinion as to "red coats and salt water,” I beg leave to suggest the following. A plain blue frock coat with brass buttons, and the anchor engraved on them, and blue trousers with a gilt stripe down the seams; and as it is necessary to make some alteration for the Mates, the gilt seams on the trousers, might be dispensed with. A CONSTANT READER. P.S.-I prefer blue, both, as to its being very generally in use among seamen and sailors, who are generally averse to anything gaudy, which in their opinion is only fit for the "swaddies” BRIGHTON. It is said that the inhabitants of this fashionable watering place are resolved, to dispute the right of the sea, any longer to exhaust its fury at pleasure on their beach, by means of a fabric of timber to act as a floating breakwater, the invention of Capt. Taylor, RN. The structure it is said is to be moored by chains so as to form a harbour between it and the beach, for the reception of vessels in smooth water, as long as the sea will permit it to remain in its place. As it is the first trial of the kind that has taken place, some speculation is abroad as to the power of the timber to resist the fury of the waves, the force of which at Plymouth was sufficient a few years ago to lift 8,000 tons of stone from their places on the outside of the breakwater, and throw them over it into the Sound. The people of Brighton who from long observation of the surf from the Esplanade, understand these matters as well as any one else, have backed their determination with 500%., and other parties it is said will assist them. We much applaud the deter mination to make the experiment. The best of all ways to learn is by experience. A NEW ISLAND. For a long series of years, an island has been gradually forming between Witton-ness and Oyster-ness, in the Hum ber, and its present extent, if we are correctly informed, is not much under 300 acres. Mr. Read, of Button Stather, has taken it from the Woods and Forests, or in other words, the Government, and on Thursday week entered into possession. Several steamers were plying between it and the adjacent coast the whole day, and many of the neighbouring gentry visited" Read's Island," the name by which the new settlement is to be henceforth distinguished. The surface is covered with a fine crop of grass, and about a hundred head of cattle are already feeding where nothing but fishes ever fed before. There is, as yet, but one house, the occupier of which is the person appointed to look after the rest of the inhabitants.-Hull Rockingham. ↑ ZORES.—In our last number we gave an account of the volcanic ion which occurred off the east end of Terceira, in June last. We understand that Capt. Vidal is directed to examine the locality of it in H. M. Steamer Styx as it is considered that a dangerous shoal, is likely to have been left, which will be prejudicial to navigation. In our next number, will be found an account of the submarine volcanic eruptions about the Azores. NEW BOOKS. DESCRIPTIVE TOUR IN AUSTRIAN LOMBARDY, the Northern Tyrol, and Bavaria, 1840.-By John Burrow, Esq. London, Murray. The name of Barrow, (both father and son,) is so well known to the literary world, that we have been for some time anticipating the volume before us, as the result of another of those extensive tours of the author, during his release from the toils of office. His "Remark Books," have already been given to the public, which we have noticed on former occasions; and though the present ground is not quite so novel as was his visit to Iceland, or his excursions in the North of Europe, nor even as those wild districts of Connamara and Joyce's country (described in his tour round Ireland,) yet we can venture to assure our readers it abounds in interesting and graphic description aud incident. 66 the The tour was made in company with Sir James Graham's eldest son, and comprised a journey over the Splugen, to the Lake of Como, a visit to Milan, and thence through the Valteline into the Tyrol, over the Stelvio, highest of the Alpine Passes;" by the valley of the Inn, to Insbruck, (the little capital of the Tyrol,) Salzburgh, Munich, Augsburg, Ulm, (on the Danube) Stutgardt, and by the Rhine to England. In our limited space it is quite impossible to do more than notice the work; but in compliance with the usual custom of reviewers, we subjoin an extract, which, perhaps, may serve to show the lively tone of the writer. "At Insbruck," Mr. Barrow says, "we were curious to look at the Capuchin convent, connected as it had been with two German emperors, Maximilian and Francis. It stands in the main street, towards the upper end, its front occupying a considerable extent. We were admitted without difficulty, and were immediately struck with the general neat comfortable appearance of the building. The walls were carefully white-washed, pure as snow. The corridors into which the several cells, or apartments of the monks open, being of great length, and kept purely and perfectly white, have a cheerful and pleasing effect. The apartments in which the monks sleep and pass their time when they wish to be alone, were all locked but one, which had the key in it, but we were prevented from looking in by being told that the owner was unwell, and most likely in his room. The rest of the fraternity were at supper, and we were told that from the cuisine, (an excellent one, fit for any of our clubs,) we might see them seated at table, unknown to them, and unobserved. "Accordingly we went thither, and looking through a small hole in a sort of revolving dumb-waiter in the wall, by which the dishes are passed into the dining-room, smoking hot from the kitchen, we could see what was passing. This luxury, I was going to say, had not reached the refinement of modern days, in our country, but I recollect breakfasting with the late Sir W. Curtis, on board his yacht in Plymouth Sound, and we had mutton-chops sent into the cabin from the kitchen, by a similar kind of roundabout, one at a time, hot and hot: Sir William observing, that a mutton-chop was not eatable unless served up broiling hot from the gridiron." Wonderful improvements have taken place during the peace in our own messes, and the midshipmen's mess is now no doubt, very superior in all respects to what the captain of olden times would have set down to; but this great refinement of the roundabout has yet to be introduced!" INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan.-By J. L. Stevens, &c.; in Two Volumes.-Murray. Such a title as "The incidents of travel" wears a most seducing aspect, but ENLARGED SERIES.-NO. 10.-VOL. FOR 1841. 4 Y our readers here will not be disappointed with the narrative of such incidents, given as this is, in a familiar, easy strain, dictated by a mind at once well stored and well regulated. Selected for a diplomatic mission, Mr. Stevens has availed himself of the opportunity thus afforded him, of visiting a comparatively new country, and making his observations which will hereafter be referred to, as an only authority, at a time when it was distracted by political convulsions; giving him the opportunity of placing a description of the horrors of civil warfare, in contrast with the beauty of nature in all her grandeur. We must content ourselves at present, with following Mr. Stevens through his first volume. Landing at Ysabel, in the Gulf of Dulce, he proceeds by the Motagua river through Gualan, and Chiquimula, to the ruins of Copan, and with his friend Mr. Catherwood succeeds in surmounting all obstacles in the way of exploring, and making elaborate drawings of these most extraordinary monuments, which have defied the powers of the Antiquarian to assign even the date of their existance. To appreciate them fully as also the pains bestowed upon their representation, we must refer our readers to the work itself, assuring them they will be repaid by attending to our recommendation. Leaving his friend Mr. Catherwood in his interesting pursuit of sketching, Mr. Stevens proceeds to Guatemela arriving at the very crisis of its civil dissensions when the hostile Generals Carrera and Morazan, were disputing its possession. This part of the work forms a lamentable trait in the history of the country, and it is somewhat extraordinary, that no sooner does the volcano of civil commotion rest awhile, than parties are formed, pic-nics are the order of the day, and Mr. Stevens travels on to the Pacific, after as a matter of course enjoying them with his new friends. The port of Istapa is the first point he arrives at on the Pacific, and we afterwards find him at Sonsonate and the Gulf of Nicoya, from whence he proceeds to Nicaragua. This important inland lake, some account of which Mr. Lawrance of Her Majesty's surveying-vessel Thunder, gave in a few of our recent numbers, appears to have formed one of the main objects of Mr. Stevens's attention, as he gives a plan of its level above the Atlantic and Pacific with considerations of the method of forming the communication between these oceans by a canal. But we must reserve this important subject for another number, and shall endeavour to give our readers a more satisfactory view, than the foregoing, of Mr. Steven's very interesting and useful work. A CODE OF SIGNALS, for the use of the Mercantile Navy,—By J. Walker, R.N. Two volumes. Allen, Leadenhall-street.. There is, perhaps, as much variety of opinion on the subject of signals, as there is on several knotty points of seamanship; and yet the object is nothing more than to make known from one ship to another a message, be it long or short, with the greatest economy, this of course involving the least number of flags with the most comprehensive expressions. There have been various attempts to supply a Code of Signals to our merchant shipping, and Marryat's have long taken the lead, and so far established themselves as to be found in our men-of-war. Not long ago, Phillips's signals for the merchant service appeared, and subsequently a Code of Signals, which were to be used by ships of all nations, were brought forth by Capt. Rohde, of the Danish navy; nevertheless, we believe, neither of these displaced their earlier rival in Capt. Marryat. The perfections and imperfections of the latter are long since known, and we believe that a new edition has lately appeared, in which the author has done his best to improve them. Lieut. Walker however appears to consider them so imperfect, as to induce him to produce the code before us. The principle on which the present code has been drawn up, appears to have been to avoid a long string of flags, which is no doubt objectionable, and to effect this Lieut. Walker has divided them into sections and numbers in sections. The former amount to 234, but the latter never exceed 99, so that a single signal, although at two mastheads, may after all consist of five flags, indeed as the system of sections is adopted throughout, no signal can be made without its two component parts at different mastheads. All this we consider objectionable, |