§ LORD LOVAINEsaid, lie rose to move for Copy of the Reports to the Trinity House of the South Foreland, Varne, and Dungeness Light Keepers; and of all Reports from Professor Faraday subsequent to that of the 5th day of July, 1862, upon the Electric Light now in operation at Dungeness; and to ask the President of the Board of Trade, whether it is the intention of the Trinity House to include the use of the Electric Light in the altera- 328 tions contemplated at Portland? It was difficult to exaggerate the importance of the subject, as it involved the lives of thousands and the safety of an immense amount of property. In consequence of the requirements of the Board of Trade, the danger of mistaking the lights from ships in shallow waters for the lights from the ordinary lighthouses on shore, was very great, and had frequently led to most lamentable results. The electric light was an invention which had been for some time tried at Dungeness with the utmost success. It was a light which could not by possibility be mistaken for any other light. It possessed a brilliancy and power of penetration beyond all other lights, and it could be seen at an infinitely greater distance than the ordinary light. The testimony of the commanders of mail and other packets in the habit of crossing the Channel several times each week was decisive in support of the superior advantages of the electric light. Captain Smithett, of the Prince Frederick William, said he thought it would be a great boon to the seafaring part of the community if the electric light were generally adopted in all lighthouses. Professor Faraday likewise bore testimony to the immense advantages of the electric light as a guide to travellers, over the ordinary oil or other lights. When employed as a stationary light, it was twice as powerful as the ordinary revolving light, and eight times as powerful as the ordinary stationary reflector; and, used as a revolver, it would be fifty-five times more powerful than the ordinary light. In the face of these facts he had been astonished to hear that the Trinity House had actually sought the sanction of the Board of Trade to an expenditure of £10,000 at Portland for the old oil lamps, wholly ignoring the existence of the electric light, which had been in use for two years, without accident and with the best results. Remembering the number of wrecks which take place upon our coast, and the loss of life which accompanied them, he hoped that any partial saving which it was thought might be effected would not be allowed to stand in the way of the adoption of this light. But, in reality, he was informed that the cost of its adoption at Portland would not exceed one-half of what was proposed to be expended there by the Trinity House under the old system. He believed that the Dutch had preceded us, not in the use of the light, for it had been in the possession 329 of the Trinity House for four years and a half, and had been used here for two years and a half, but in the adoption of the light; and he thought it was matter of reproach to a great maritime nation like England that a little country like Holland should be the first to adopt such an invention. Holland had not only invited the inventor to put up a light of this description, but had allowed him to build a new tower for its more efficient trial. He might be told there were financial reasons against its adoption; but he must remind Her Majesty's Government that frugality might degenerate into parsimony, and caution become something like cowardice. There were matters in which the withholding of the necessary funds was a positive crime. In conclusion, he might be excused for mentioning to the House an anecdote as illustrative of what seafaring men thought of this light. The inventor of the electric light was showing it at the Exhibition during the last year. One day, whilst he was standing talking to the Secretary of the Trinity House, a rough-looking seaman came up to him, and having used certain expletives which he would not then repeat, said, "Why the—did you take this light down from the South Foreland?" The inventor said, "Here is the Secretary of the Trinity House, who commanded it to be taken down." The seaman then remarked, "The Trinity House are a pack of fools. What do they know about what is wanting as a good light? It is we who sail the seas who really know what is wanted." It was that invention that was much required for the maritime service. He hoped the matter would, without delay, receive the attention of the Government.
COLONEL CLIFFORDsaid, he rose to second the Motion. He was happy to find it was not necessary to make any attack upon the surplus of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, or to ask for any public money to effect the important improvement so highly recommended by the best authorities on the subject. The cost attendant upon the adoption of the electric light would be very slight, and could be defrayed altogether out of the ample funds in the possession of the Trinity House. It was merely a question as to what sort of lighthouse they should put up. Nor could the trial of the invention scarcely be said to be new, because it had been in actual operation under the superintendence of the Trinity House, who had kept the old ap- 330 paratus by them in case the electric light worked imperfectly—a contingency, however, which did not arise. As the noble Lord had stated, the Dutch, who were not accustomed to take the lead in these matters, had anticipated this country; for they had erected a light at Scheveling, and had built an iron tower for the purpose at the Texel. Then, again, Spain was not considered a very precipitate country; but he could speak from his own knowledge that the Spanish lighthouses were better than the English; and they had not a single light so vivid as that at Ceuta, near Gibraltar. He hoped the right hon. Gentleman would stimulate the Trinity Board into action in this matter.
§ MR. MILNER GIBSONsaid, that although the noble Lord was not at liberty, by the forms of the House, to move for the papers, he should have no objection to lay them on the table. Among them was the most recent Report of Professor Faraday to the Trinity House upon the electric light, as also the Reports of the lightkeepers of Dungeness, where the light was in use. As to the Question put to him, the Trinity House some time since suggested that it would be desirable to make improvements in the lighthouses at Portland. It was necessary, under the Act of Parliament, that all expenditure should be sanctioned by the Board of Trade. When they were asked to sanction new on lights at Portland, they replied that as the electric light was Tinder trial, and was considered by many scientific men to be a great improvement, they thought it desirable to defer the expenditure till further experiments were made. That was the position in which the matter stood. They did not think that sufficient time had elapsed to justify entire reliance on the electric light as a mode of illuminating lighthouses. As to intensity, every one admitted that its brilliancy was much greater than that of any other light. He believed the noble Lord (Lord Lovaine) did not exaggerate when he stated that it was eight times as powerful as the strongest dioptric oil light, both being fixed lights. Another advantage possessed by it was that at sea it was perfectly distinguishable from other lights, and in such places as Dungeness, where vessels came up to anchor, it was of importance to be able to distinguish clearly the lighthouse from ship and other lights. But a most essential matter, in the illumination of lighthouses, was that there should be certainty. It was not sufficient that there 331 should be a brilliant light; It was necessary to have a light that could always be depended upon and that would not fail. If the light went out suddenly, it might produce disastrous results. It was to test that point particularly that further inquiry was wanted. The electric light had been used for nine months at Dungeness, and during that time it had occasionally gone out for a moment or two, but he believed that occurred from want of attention on the part of the person in charge. The electric light required constant attention. Then came the question of expense. There were some places where the advantage of a good strong light was so great as to justify any expense, but there were other places where an inferior light would answer all useful purposes. That was an important consideration, because the cost of the lights in lighthouses was borne by the merchant shipping. The Government would not be justified for any fancy or caprice, or because they admired an improvement, in imposing on that interest a greater charge than was necessary to supply good lights. Within a very recent period, considerable reductions had been effected in the tolls paid by ships. A shipowner who formerly paid £100 in tolls h id now to pay only £40. That was a great financial improvement; but it must be recollected that reduction was not possible without a due regard to economy in management. He did not wish to be understood as saying a word to discourage this most important invention. On the contrary, he should be very glad to afford every opportunity in his power for giving it a fair trial, and nothing had reached him to make him suppose that the Trinity Board were not actuated by a similar feeling.
§ MR. BENTINCKsaid, he could not concur in the last observation made by his right hon. Friend. He believed that the trial of the electric light had been impeded by the action of the Trinity Board; and he was of opinion that Board annually wasted ten times the amount that would be sufficient to pay for the production of the electric light in every lighthouse in the kingdom.
§ LORD LOVAINEexplained that he bad not charged the Trinity Board with impeding the trial. What he said was, that the delays which had occurred called for a fuller explanation than had hitherto been given on the part of that Board.