[Sidenote: Appearance of things at the Rock after the late gale.] [Sidenote: Writer sails for the Northern Light-houses.] The writer having also sailed on the 25th in the Light-house Yacht, on his annual inspection of the Northern Light-houses, wished, in passing the Bell Rock, to have landed, but this he found impossible, owing to the heavy sea which still ran upon it. The vessel, however, sailed as near the Rock as possible, that he might, in some measure, learn the state of matters after the late gales of the 22d and 23d. He could discern that the Beacon was in good order, but found that the strong Triangular-sheers of cast-iron, represented in Plate XI., at the Eastern wharf, were thrown down and broken to pieces; and that the North-west buoy had drifted from its moorings. The circumstance of the breaking of these sheers greatly surprised the writer, as they consisted of bars of iron, whose cross section was about 10 inches; having each four longitudinal ribs, of about an inch and a half in depth, and thus forming a common circumference of 16 inches. [Sidenote: 1808, October.] [Sidenote: Monday 31st.] [Sidenote: Visits the Rock on his return.] After sailing by the Orkney Islands, and visiting all the Light-houses on the coast of Scotland, the writer landed at Greenock on the 19th of October, and soon afterwards returned to the works at Arbroath. At half-past 11 A. M. on the 31st, he landed on the Bell Rock, and remained till half-past 3 P. M., examining every thing minutely, when he had the satisfaction of finding the stones and joints of the building quite entire. The Railways and Beacon were also in good order; while the moorings, and all the moveable apparatus, had been conveyed to Arbroath. [Sidenote: December.] [Sidenote: Arrangements for the Writer.] During the months of November and December, the affairs of the work-yard went forward in the usual busy manner. A small squad of artificers went off to the Bell Rock at each period of spring-tides, when the weather permitted, with tools and implements to repair and refit any temporary damage which the Beacon or Railways might sustain, and likewise to examine the state of the several courses of masonry. In the work-yard the masons were employed in hewing or cutting stones for the next year’s operations; the joiners, in preparing the upper framing of the accommodation part of the Beacon-house. The Tender was occupied in carrying off the workmen who landed at the Rock; in relieving the crew of the Floating-light in their turns ashore, and supplying that ship with provisions and necessaries; while the sloop Smeaton made several trips to the granite quarries of Aberdeen and Peterhead, and the Light-house Yacht was laid up in ordinary at Leith. In this state of arrangement, the business of the Bell Rock was left during the winter months; and the writer is now to continue the narrative, by giving the account of the operations of the year 1809. CHAPTER V.