building.

Sunday, 20th May.

The wind was southerly to-day, but there was much less sea than
yesterday, and the landing-master's crew were enabled to discharge and
land twenty-three pieces of stone and other articles for the work. The
artificers had completed the laying of the twenty-seventh or first
course of the staircase this morning, and in the evening they finished
the boring, trenailing, wedging, and grouting it with mortar. At twelve
o'clock noon the beacon-house bell was rung, and all hands were
collected on the top of the building, where prayers were read for the
first time on the lighthouse, which forcibly struck every one, and had,
upon the whole, a very impressive effect.

From the hazardous situation of the beacon-house with regard to fire,
being composed wholly of timber, there was no small risk from accident:
and on this account one of the most steady of the artificers was
appointed to see that the fire of the cooking-house, and the lights in
general, were carefully extinguished at stated hours.

Monday, 4th June.

This being the birthday of our much-revered Sovereign King George III,
now in the fiftieth year of his reign, the shipping of the Lighthouse
service were this morning decorated with colours according to the taste
of their respective captains. Flags were also hoisted upon the
beacon-house and balance-crane on the top of the building. At twelve
noon a salute was fired from the tender, when the King's health was
drunk, with all the honours, both on the rock and on board of the
shipping.

Tuesday, 5th June.

As the lighthouse advanced in height, the cubical contents of the stones
were less, but they had to be raised to a greater height; and the walls,
being thinner, were less commodious for the necessary machinery and the
artificers employed, which considerably retarded the work. Inconvenience
was also occasionally experienced from the men dropping their coats,
hats, mallets, and other tools, at high-water, which were carried away
by the tide; and the danger to the people themselves was now greatly
increased. Had any of them fallen from the beacon or building at
high-water, while the landing-master's crew were generally engaged with
the craft at a distance, it must have rendered the accident doubly
painful to those on the rock, who at this time had no boat, and
consequently no means of rendering immediate and prompt assistance. In
such cases it would have been too late to have got