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aTHE CAPE NELSON LIGHTHOuSE. Since a beavon light was erected at Alexandria in the year =30 B.C. for the protection or guidance of mariners, no mele compete or perfect appalrtus Of like character than that which was illumi e naed on Cape Nelson for the first time SIs' night hon ever been known. It com bines all the newest improvementl known to science, except that it is cot lighted by the elect'ic fluid as probably it will be by-and.bye when that mode of illumination has become simplified and cheapened. The y aim of the lighthouse engineer is to con" centrate the light produced by the com h bustion of hyrdo carbons and Fropel them in one particular direction. This has teen arcomdpli~ah to a great extent durin many years by means fErt of the cateptric, or reflective system, and the i diopi?ic, or refracting system. But with the best of these there was a waste of illuminating power varying b. tween 35 and 50 per cent. For oar new lighthucse, it is claimed that all the illami l natio produced is utilised-or all withia y 5 per cent. It is known es a Ikoophete, and its m.rit seems to lie in the great reflec tire towers of a series of glass prisms or Sran?ed behind the lamps, which parallelise their rays and throw them out to sea. Y It is not necessary to describe the Cape Nelson lighthouse tower in our present issue, as it has already been described in 9 our columns more than once, but we may repeat that it has been most soundly built by Messrs. Horne and Slingo-who had the contract for its rection-and gives fair promise of lasting as long as the crust of the earth endures, unless in the mean p time it succumbs to an earthquake or other violent convulsion of nature. Besides the tower. deeply founded in the living rock, there have been erected at the Cape three very comfortable dwelling hoces, with storehobses, stables, outhouses and other t' conveniences. These varions erections are securely fenced in with a subshtant lime stone wall, under the protection of which the lighthouse keepers may possibly crc ceed in growing " green ksil and leeks" in favourable seasons, but the Cape Nelson " country is not favocrable to vegetation a, except ints its mor primitive forms, and produces little of its own accord except lichens and mesembryanthemnms. From y this oat, however, its condition will be ameliorated by the presence of three or I four families with their domestic pets and y other belongings. l- To trace back the Cpe Neison light. o bouse to its earliest origin would occupy n much time and space, but this issue of the SPortland Garnui.an mast not appear with out something on that branch of th er :bje:t. For the lighthouse had a ad long history before the first sod was turned on the promontory on which it 0 now proudly rears its head, and probably d the history of it while still in nubilbe will be morn picturesque than anything there will be to say about it during the thoas " aid years or s it is likely to remaid.. In in 1330 there was an interco!oaial convention e3 on the sabject ot the lighting up of the t Australian coast, and representatives of a. the several co:oai a aunertook on beha!f of the Government to do certain porticos of I this necessary work. The erection of a :h, light on Cape Nelson or Cape Bridgewater was among' other things a'cepted as a 0 duty to be fulfilled by the clo iy. A few particala.s in regard to the agitition which ad resulted in the important event of last nt rening will be found in our report ti. (to appear oo Fridoy) of the speech y delivered by the Mayor, Mr. P. W? he I Sherill. at the banquet given by at him to celebrate the important occurrence. - Wee?ay just mention here, however, that m meats doui?g the psit quarter of a t century on the subject of the g_ Cape Nelson light, and for the same period Sbhas ceaselessly tormented Its representsa aot tires in both Houses of Parliament to the se like effect with the reward now being re - corded, in the triomphant success of its e long continued eforts. When the British all Gorernment soucht to tranquillise the tnr bulent Highlanders after the rising of '45, Sit employed as a means to this end the con?tru?ltio of roads for the better cmov-. tI rent of troops, and one of thooe through SGlncoe, costructed by Sir John Wade, seemed such a marvel of engineering skill - to the Highland mind, that one enthusiaa. tic admirer erected a monument to it : with the inscription: st;t "en ht w uSn Othis rut tere t: ws made w' ?w = op yoo- htis aa b::ss Geneal In like manner many a storm-toased mariner, when he ftinrst sihtls the Cape Nel. SsonpLnAsr aftera long -ryage from Europe or. India. will lift p his hands and Iless the Portland Borough Council, incledino, we hope, in his inrorstion, Mr. P. W. Shevill and IMr. W. T. Pile. The contract for building the liebthoase tower was let so long since as-in May, 1?,_iand the work wae to hare been com pleted in a year, but much difcnlty was experien:ed in procuring stones of the sizes specified by the Public Works Department. and the date for completing the work bad to be extended several times. eA commencement was Made with the stone that came from a quary within two = or three miles of the site of the tower, near •a farm known as Chinnery's, but this source of supply was soon exhausted of blo-ks of the specified dimensions; then a new quarry was opened beyond Wattle Hill. and stone obtained from it But this was a reot'y and tedious proce, many single stonees rnstilnting a load for three horses over the difficlt road to be tea. vettred between hsa sosth cemetery and the Cape. We nderstand Th- contractors I rake o claim paon the Osrernment fo, hased their ealca'stion., an Mhr.Tseedale. ! SInspector of Pul;e Workr , went into I calcnlations with the rontractlors up-o the l aubjec. obut with hb:it rr-olt we ba.e not It was the desire of the Commtitin_.r i Pnblin Workts, Mr. Deki, ta lieht aup the Cap. Nelsn bacon with Ii ow binds but he difseretd atthe lat moent it wmald be I! Simpsible fotr him to lees eown in tins" So andertak this imp rtast aabh. H ther, r fore telegraphed to Mr. Wrinon to invite ti I Mayor to perform the dtry. whieb be aise ftlly consented to tdo. Brt it we felt there t hbould be soos little .litriin of the booona or the reasponsaibi'itles of the ocersios- od a it was rra?oed that MIr. Sheillihoouldligbt up the two lamps that are to send a clear or | colorles, lighr nineteen nanti?al mile eat to u isea whil Mr. W. T. Pile illaminstel thC e rel Ide ibts already dmcriboed. Is other parts of onr preasot 5na partinc n r .r aies of thbe arrival of the Despteh leb lr day afietnoes with spasens-gs-and seo. d with the s·anusr at sonast on Satnrd and I st obuerve the experimn*al lightint of that ol Ieenriog from the sea, hbt this inteaion on n his part was froatratal by his beinig dtaind '. ni at the Cape, whither he hat prooead by ' ritie nd. ly midnight of the day ,at At eibht o'clock yesterday mornig there th we symptorms ail over lbhe town of some. be hn nosunal heing in the wind. As, h maet'fr o0 fact si w were in the wind i- Ort Mean's store, Oswlrr street. and other bi. : b eUs premises of many ef our old residents. 1l

About three o'clock there ma a-rushing to and fro of vehicles eollectig pasasngers to proceed to Cape Nelson, agn one numerous party. engineered by ~Ir. C. Farr and drawo by four horses. waso we understad. occun pied by invited friodda a Mr. ShevilL Another numeroua party wer in charge of Cr. McMullen, also driving four b,rses, and there were besides aereral pries parties on the same errand. THE BANQUET. The Mayor had Invited a numerane party. comprising ll the represeatative resident of the town and district, to meet h;m at Mae's Hotel at eight o'clock to celebrate, by means of eparkliln wines and speeches; the lighting up of the Cape Nelson pharno. soo after the hour named, the company to the number of fifty st down to the enjoyment of one of those decant, light repasts, for which Mac's Hotel. Portland, is famous. The speeches were forcible and pointed, bht the hour at which the proceedings terminatsd was to, adorance to admit of our glvirg the addresse ipsisiaa rnrba in our preseut iroe. How ever, we have a full note of the procealingo , and will give a complete report of them in onr Friday a issu.

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