§ MR. KENDALLasked, Whether (Sir Goldsworthy Gurney having been in correspondence with different departments of the Government during the past thirty years on the subject of artificial light, having experimented on his Lime and Bude lights for the Trinity Board in 1835, having suggested these lights to the War Office for signalling in 1855, and to the Admiralty in connection with a Coast Line Telegraph for signalling by means of flashing lights in 1859, and also constructed a new light more suitable for this purpose in 1862, which was placed by him in Her Majesty's ship Resistance at the request of the Admiralty for the purpose of testing that light) the Admiralty are now, after five years of its continued use in that ship, satisfied that this light is available for ship lighting, and are disposed to extend its use to signalling by means of flashing lights, an apparatus for which was constructed by Sir Goldsworthy Gurney, and the attention of the Admiralty called to the same in 1862; and, whether the light and plan of signalling at present used by Captain Doty and Captain Colomb are not in fact the same, or nearly so, as those of Sir Goldsworthy Gurney, who has been unable to attend to these matters since 1863, owing to a violent attack of paralysis.
MR. CORRY, in reply, said, Reports had been made to the Admiralty on the use of the lights in Her Majesty's ship Resistance, and in consequence of their 603 favourable character a gentleman connected with the Department of Controller of the Navy had been appointed to inspect them, and say whether they could be applied generally to ships of war. He had not sufficient information to enable him to say whether the Admiralty would be disposed to adopt them as signals by means of flashing lights. With respect to the last part of the Question, he was unable to express any opinion. The question, if decided at all, should be decided by a Court of Law.