balance of wages
to receive, which he said would be sufficient to carry him to the West
Indies, and he accordingly took leave of the Lighthouse service.

Tuesday, 1st March.

At daybreak the Lighthouse yacht, attended by a boat from the floating
light, again stood towards the Bell Rock. The weather felt extremely
cold this morning, the thermometer being at 34 degrees, with the wind at
east, accompanied by occasional showers of snow, and the marine
barometer indicated 29.80. At half-past seven the sea ran with such
force upon the rock that it seemed doubtful if a landing could be
effected. At half-past eight, when it was fairly above water, the writer
took his place in the floating light's boat with the artificers, while
the yacht's boat followed, according to the general rule of having two
boats afloat in landing expeditions of this kind, that, in case of
accident to one boat, the other might assist. In several unsuccessful
attempts the boats were beat back by the breach of the sea upon the
rock. On the eastern side it separated into two distinct waves, which
came with a sweep round to the western side, where they met; and at the
instance of their confluence the water rose in spray to a considerable
height. Watching what the sailors term a _smooth_, we caught a
favourable opportunity, and in a very dexterous manner the boats were
rowed between the two seas, and made a favourable landing at the western
creek.

At the latter end of last season, as was formerly noticed, the beacon
was painted white, and from the bleaching of the weather and the sprays
of the sea the upper parts were kept clean; but within the range of the
tide the principal beams were observed to be thickly coated with a green
stuff, the _conferva_ of botanists. Notwithstanding the intrusion of
these works, which had formerly banished the numerous seals that played
about the rock, they were now seen in great numbers, having been in an
almost undisturbed state for six months. It had now also, for the first
time, got some inhabitants of the feathered tribe: in particular the
scarth or cormorant, and the large herring-gull, had made the beacon a
resting-place, from its vicinity to their fishing-grounds. About a dozen
of these birds had rested upon the cross-beams, which, in some places,
were coated with their dung; and their flight, as the boats approached,
was a very unlooked-for indication of life and habitation on the Bell
Rock, conveying the momentar