From the gradual increase of tire depth of water in I all directions from the rock, it must satisfactorily r appear that it has a sufficient base to support it for ages, against the impression of the sea. By an awn tive consideration, however, of the form of the rock s' under water, at.. of the ground which surrounds it, together with the nature of the stone, and the pro bable effects of the continued wash of the sea violent ly agitated ; it does not seem an overstrained hypo thesis to imagine, that this rock, at a remote period, was of much greater extent, and perhaps considerably above the level of the highest tide.
From the position of this rock with regard to the If much frequented firths of Forth and Tay, lying about 11 miles from the nearest land, a distance too great for the mariner to be benefited by land-marks on the shore ; while the rock itself is only visible about two hours before low water of spring-tides, even to vessels near it, and is scarcely seen at all in neap-tides. The Edystone rocks off Plymouth ate at the same distance from land as the Bell Rock ; but previous to the erec tion of the Edystone lighthouse, the highest, or house rock, was always seen above the surface of the water, and to a certain extent formed a beacon of it self in the day-time, which was not the case at the Bell Rock. Under these circumstances,theBell Rock has been justly considered the most dangerous reef of rocks upon the whole coast of Great Britain ; and must have proved fatal to many missing ships, whose fate must for ever remain unknown.
The baneful effects of such an obstruction to na vigation had been long and severely felt, not only by the commercial interest of these firths, but in a great er or less degree by ,all 4essels navigating the North .Sea and the German Ocean. Not merely were ves sels lost upon the rock itself, but far greater num bers were cast away upon the neighbouring shores in endeavouring to avoid it, or foundered at sea in con sequence of keeping out too long, from the terror of approaching the coast where such a sunk rock lay in their course.
The three great inlets for shipping in storms upon the east coast of Great Britain are, the Thames, the Firth of Forth, and the Murray Firth. To these
vessels resort, in storms, from the north, east, and south-east ; and in such cases the Firth of Forth lies open in a peculiar manner as a place of safety. Of this the dreadful and continued gale from south-east, which occurred in the month of December 1799, af fords a memorable and striking instance, when the ships in Yarmouth Roads were driven from their moorings, and all vessels in the German Ocean drift ed upon the coast of Scotland, a very great number found shelter in this Firth. Many, however, were wrecked in endeavouring to seek safety in higher la titudes ; and it has been reckoned that seventy ves sels were upon this occasion lost, with most of the crews, upon the east coast of Scotland ; many of which might have been saved had not the fear of the Bell Rock in a great measure induced them to avoid entering the Firth of Forth.
It is no wonder that the erection of a lighthouse upon the Bell Rock should have so much interested the public mind, not as a local improvement only, but as one essentially calculated to improve the navi gation of the whole north seas,•by opening the Firth of Forth as a general rendezvous for shippinc in easterly storms. By such an erection, Seen as a bea con by day, and exhibiting a light under night, this most dangerous rock is rendered at once the place of departure which ships will hail from, and for which they will steer in making the coast. .
On the completion of a work of so much enter prise and difficulty as the Bell Rock lighthouse, we most heartily congratulate the public,. and willingly contribute our mite of ptaise to that Honourable Board the Commissioners for erecting lighthouses on the northern parts of Great Britain improve ments pervade the whole coast Of Scotland. By them this measure was taken up and brought before Parliament in the year 1807. The foundation stone was laid on Sunday the 10th of July 1808, and the whole was finished within the year 1810. , See the article LIGHTHOUSE. (S)