§ MR. HANBURY-TRACYsaid, he would beg to ask the Vice President of the Board of Trade, Whether it is the intention of the Government to erect a Lighthouse on the Great Basses, for which the shipping of the commerce of the East have for years been subject to a charge without any return or advantage whatever; and, whether the Ceylon Government have not offered to construct and maintain this Lighthouse; and, if so, what objection exists to the proposal?
§ MR. STEPHEN CAVEIt is not the fact, Sir, that the shipping of the commerce 310 of the East has been subject to a charge for a Lighthouse on the Great Basses without any return or advantage. No charge has been made in respect of any Lighthouse there. In 1863 a Light Ship was placed at the Little Basses, and since then a toll of 1d. per ton has been imposed on all ships passing the Light which enter or leave British ports. The net receipts from this toll are about £7,500 a year. Out of this has to be paid interest on the construction of the Light Ship, and of a spare Light Ship, and the expenses of maintenance, including the crew and tender. As regards the erection of a Lighthouse on the Great Basses, the Ceylon Government have sent home certain proposals which are totally inadequate. Careful plans and estimates have, however, been prepared by Colonel Frazer, who erected a Lighthouse on the Alguada Reef, Bay of Bengal, and by Mr. Douglas, engineer of the Trinity House, and these are now under the consideration of the Colonial Office, Board of Trade, and Trinity House. There are considerable difficulties both as to the work itself and the mode of providing funds. A Correspondence on this subject will be found in a Return laid on the table in 1863.