this part of my duty, I beg
to state that, in my opinion, Professor Holmes has practically
established the fitness and sufficiency of the magneto-electric light
for lighthouse purposes, so far as its nature and management are
concerned. The light produced is powerful beyond any other that I
have yet seen so applied, and in principle may be accumulated to any
degree; its regularity in the lantern is great; its management easy,
and its care there may be confided to attentive keepers of the
ordinary degree of intellect and knowledge.' Finally, as regards the
conduct of Professor Holmes during these memorable experiments, it is
only fair to add the following remark with which Faraday closes the
report submitted to the Elder Brethren of the Trinity House on the
29th of April, 1859: 'I must bear my testimony,' he says, 'to the
perfect openness, candour, and honour of Professor Holmes. He has
answered every question, concealed no weak point, explained every
applied principle, given every reason for a change either in this or
that direction, during several periods of close questioning, in a
manner that was very agreeable to me, whose duty it was to search for
real faults or possible objections, in respect both of the present
time and the future.' [Footnote: Holmes's first offer of his machine
to the Trinity House bears date February 2, 1857.]

Soon afterwards the Elder Brethren of the Trinity House had the
intelligent courage to establish the machines of Holmes permanently at
Dungeness, where the magneto-electric light continued to shine for
many years.

The magneto-electric machine of the Alliance Company soon succeeded to
that of Holmes, being in various ways a very marked improvement on the
latter. Its currents were stronger and its light was brighter than
those of its predecessor. In it, moreover, the commutator, the
flashing and destruction of which were sources of irregularity and
deterioration in the machine of Holmes, was, at the suggestion of M.
Masson, entirely abandoned; alternating currents instead of the direct
current being employed. [Footnote: Du Moncel, 'l'Electricite,'
August, 1878, p. 150.] M. Serrin modified his excellent lamp with
the express view of enabling it to cope with alternating currents.
During the International Exhibition of 1862, where the machine was
shown, M. Berlioz offered to dispose of the invention to the Elder
Brethren of the Trinity House. They referred the matter to Faraday,
and