In my description of the _French_ Lighthouses I have been much indebted to M. Renard’s book, “Les Phares.” The information given respecting _British_ Lighthouses has been drawn from a variety of sources, the more important of which are duly acknowledged. I have also derived many particulars from personal examination; and some interesting data and corrections have been supplied by Mr. Thomas Stevenson, the Engineer to the Board of Northern Lights, and the worthy member of a family long associated with lighthouse engineering. The Illustrations are from photographs, unpublished sketches, and other authentic originals. Those of the French Lighthouses are copied, by permission, from M. Renard. W. H. Davenport Adams. _May 1870._ [Illustration] Contents. BOOK I. ANCIENT HISTORY OF LIGHTHOUSES. I. The Fire-towers of the Mediterranean, 9 II. The Pharos of Alexandria, 17 III. The “Tour d’Ordre” of Boulogne, 30 IV. The Tower at Dover, 38 V. The Colossus of Rhodes, 43 BOOK II. THE SCIENCE OF LIGHTHOUSES. I. How they are Administered, 49 II. Geographical Distribution of Lighthouses, 62 III. The Illuminating Apparatus of Lighthouses, 68 IV. The Interior of a Lighthouse, 95 BOOK III. LIGHTHOUSES OF GREAT BRITAIN. I. The Story of the Eddystone: A.D. 1696, 1706, 1759, 108 II. The Smalls Lighthouse, 133 III. The Bell Rock, A.D. 1807-1811, 139 IV. The Skerryvore Lighthouse, 171 V. North Unst, 1854.—Sunderland, 1841, 181 VI. Lighthouses on the English Coast, 180 BOOK IV. LIGHTHOUSES IN FRANCE. I. The Tour de Cordouan, 212 II. The Lighthouses of Cape La Hève, 224 III. The Lighthouse of the Héaux of Bréhat, 233 IV. The Grand Barge d’Olonne, A.D. 1861, 245 V. The Lighthouses of Walde, the Enfant Perdu, and New Caledonia, A.D. 1859—1863—1865, 249 BOOK V. THE AUXILIARIES OF LIGHTHOUSES. I. Floating Lights: Lightships, 253 II. Landmarks, Beacons, and Buoys, 264 BOOK VI. LIFE IN THE LIGHTHOUSE.