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Williams Town open out, bearing S.W.b.W., haul in for the anchorage, W.S.W. The best berth is in three-and-a-half fathoms, with the light bearing S. E., and the jetty at Williams Town S.W. W.

Thunder, February 21st, 1846.

The following beacons have been erected on the Turks' Islands, for navi. gating the channels leading into the Hawk's Nest anchorage:

On Penniston Cay, a pole chequered black and white, twenty-eight feet long, the top of which is forty-two feet above the level of the sea.

On Toney Rock, a beacon, thirty feet in height, the top of which is fortyseven feet above the level of the sea.

On the north end of East Cay, a beacon twenty-two feet in height, the top of which is twenty-eight feet above the level of the sea.

The beacons are square open frames, having on the top a lantern; the frames of which are filled in with wood, and the whole painted black. The pole on Penniston Cay, in a line with the beacon on Toney, bearing N.W. † N., leads through the Great Cut. The beacon on East Cay, in a line with the east end of Cotton Cay, bearing E.b.S., leads between the S.W. end of the reef and the S.W. bank.

The beacon on Toney Rock, in a line with the west end of Cotton Cay, bearing E.b.S.S. nearly, leads clear to the southward of the S.W. bank. All the bearings are true by the plan.

(Signed) E. BARNETT, Commander.

Nassau, N. P., January 27th, 1846. A buoy having been placed on the point of Toney Rock Bar, at the entrance of the Harbour of Nassau, the Commissioners of Pilotage have directed the following instructions to be published for general information. J. A. BROOK, C.C.P.

A Spar Buoy, with a circular basket on its summit, has been placed on the north end of the Toney Rock Bar, in twelve-and-a-half feet at low water, spring tides.

Vessels obliged to enter without a pilot, should after crossing the Bar, endeavour to pass to the eastward of this buoy.

IANTHE SHOAL.-The following does not yet appear to have found its place on the chart, and we have therefore given it the name of the ship that has discovered it.

New York, March 9.-The following is a description of a shoal fallen in with by the ship Ianthe, of this port, says the Salem Register, on the passage from New Zealand to Manila, and not laid down in any chart at the present time. This shoal is directly in the way of whale ships, and other vessels bound to the islands in the Pacific.-" On the 9th of January, 1845, discovered a dangerous shoal near us-in all light sails, and hauled close to the wind to the S. and W., passing over the eastern edge, and within one or two ship's lengths of the shallowest part, which appeared to be of sharp rocks, not more than 8 or 10 feet under water; the water very much discoloured, of a milky whiteness. The coral branches could be very distinctly seen under the bottom; soundings not exceeding probably 6 or 8 fathoms. The shoal appeared to extend from S.b.E. to N.b.W., about half a mile. By means of two chronometers, that varied but little from the time of leaving Auckland, a period of 45 days, we placed the shoal in 145° 39′ E., and by a good meridian observation, in lat. 5° 53' N., the nearest land at the time being the Caroline Islands, about 85 miles distant."-Nautical Gazette.

NO. 5.-VOL. XV.

2 M

ELLEN SHOAL.-The following extract of a letter from Capt. A. Rodger, of the barque Ellen, bound to London, dated off Anjer, November 17, 1845, contains information of the existence of a shoal in a part of the sea which on the charts appears to be free from any thing of the kind.

"On the morning, 6h. 30m. A.M., of the 6th inst., we were so unfortunate as to discover a shoal by touching it. She only struck once and went over the rock without stopping; but that one blow took away the false keel, and nearly unshipped the rudder. It was a fine morning, wind light at S.S W., and sea smooth, and the watch washing decks, and in a place where no shoal is laid down in the latest published charts by Horsburgh:-it lies in lat. 0° 40' N., and long. 107° 34' E., the peak of the highest Tambilan N. 1° E, distant 20 miles, and in a line with Pulo Janang distant 10 miles. Very soon after I went in the boat with three men, and examined the shoal and found it to be about 100 yards square, and all sharp pointed rocks from 5 fathoms to 9 feet, which was the least water; but great part of it had only 15 to 18 feet, and some places 12 feet, and one place 9 feet over it. Had the Ellen got on the middle of the shoal, she would have lain there, and you might have had a visit of us in our boats,-there was 19 to 21 fathoms close to and all round it.-Hong-Kong Register.

Admiralty, April 9th.

Notice is hereby given, that all transport and convict ships taken up in future, as well as all freight ships engaged for the conveyance of troops, ammunition, and gunpowder, will be required to be fitted with Harris's lightning conductors, and a preference will be given to such ships so fitted, as may hereafter be taken up for the conveyance of ordinary public stores.

UNITED YACHT CLUB.

On Saturday the 18th of April, 1846, a party of yachtmen belonging to the Cowes, Ryde, Plymouth, Harwich, and Southampton clubs met at 87, St. James's Street, facing the west entrance to Pall Mall, to consider a proposal relative to the formation of an "United Yacht Club" in London, to which intended association no one should be admissible without the qualification of being already a member of some royal yacht club, and consenting moreover, if elected into the proposed metropolitan club, still to continue also in some one or other of the eleven royal yacht clubs of Great Britain and Ireland, on breaking which express condition, any member would cease instanter to have the entré or belong any longer to the proposed United Club.

On the meeting being formed, it was carried unanimously that THOMAS WILLIS FLEMING, Esq., Commodore of the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, Ryde, should take the chair. WM. KNIGHT, Esq., Rear-Commodore of the Royal Harwich Yacht Club, then explained the proposal that had been entrusted to him by the proprietor of the house, No. 87, St. James's Street. The details or nature of this proposal we fear we are not at present at liberty to disclose, and we shall therefore simply state that certain satisfactory arrangements were made, and thereupon it was carried unanimously:

I. That the gentlemen now present do constitute themselves a club, to be called the "United Yacht Club."

II. That William Knight, Esq, counsel to the Royal Western Yacht Club, and Rear-Commodore of the Royal Harwich Yacht Squadron be requested

to accept the office, and to act as Honorary Secretary to the United Yacht Club.

(Mr. Knight immediately consented to undertake the duties.)

III.—That the house, No. 87, is a proper site for the United Yacht Clubhouse.

IV. That the said club-house open for the accommodation of members on Monday, the 1st of June, 1846, being the anniversary of Lord Howe's victory; on which date the members shall dine together.

V.-That the ambassadors and representatives of every maritime power be ex-officio honorary members of the United Yacht Club.

VI.—That the annual subscription be eight guineas, and not seven, as at first proposed, and that, for the present, members be admitted without payment of entrance fee.

Other business having been transacted, twenty-two candidates, including four flag-officers, were admitted members of the United Yacht Club; thanks were voted to the chairman, and the meeting soon, for the most part, separated, though, as it was "Saturday night," the gallant band did not forget before "getting under weigh" to toast "success to the undertaking" in bumpers of "sparkling champagne." Now, with six hundred yacht-owners in the kingdom, and several thousand yachtless members of yacht clubs the United Yacht Club cannot but meet with rapid success. At some future period we may return to the subject we have now so briefly touched upon. To bring into one focus the elite of our eleven royal yacht clubs must tend to diffuse and increase naval knowledge, and to foster an aquatic spirit, than which nothing is more advantageous to England.

BUFHAM'S "GENERAL EAST COAST SIGNALS."

Sutton Bridge, April 9th, 1846.

SIR, I was mnch gratified on receiving the back numbers of the Nautical, to find that some "Master Mariner" had so kindly noticed the little work entitled "The General East Coast Signals." The author takes this opportunity of publicly acknowledging his kindness, and offering his sincere thanks.

Having for many years thought something might be done in the way of telegraphing at sea with the regular ship's colours, he determined, by adding another, (a white,) flag to the above, to attempt to supply a desideratum in the maritime affairs of our country, by preparing a code of the above five flags, "whereby conversation on any subject may be carried on between two ships at sea, as far as flags may be seen,” and at the most trifling cost.

They were never intended to supersede either Marryatt's or Watson's signals; but merely to be used by those ships that do not possess them (the latter,) in consequence of the immense cost of Marryatt's, and the objections on the part of many, to pay the trifling expense of Watson's.

The latter are used principally off the different stations established by him for the purpose of reporting vessels to their owners and merchants, and not so much for communicating with each other at sea. Mr. J. H. Bernard, the superintendent of Watson's telegraph stations, has been pleased to say of the "General East Coast Signals," in a letter to the author, "I think your signals may be of very great utility to vessels in the East Coast trade, by enabling them to make known their wants to each other. As far as economy goes, I have never seen any code to equal yours."

Arrangements have just been completed with Mr. Bernard for reporting off

the different telegraph stations, any ship carrying the "General East Coast Signals," on payment of fifteen shillings per annum, without purchasing their flags. And it is hoped that few ships will remain unregistered at these telegraph stations, when so great a boon is now offered at so trifling a sacrifice.

Vint and Carr, not Trial and Carr, as in the communication of the "Master Mariner," are the printers of this little manual, where it may be had. A letter enclosing fifteen postage stamps, addressed to T. Buffham, Sutton Bridge, Wisbeach, will secure the transmission of a copy of the "East Coast Signals," to any part of the kingdom, free.

The insertion of this in your valuable miscellany will much oblige, sir,
Yours respectfully,

To the Editor of the Nautical Magazine.
THE AUTHOR.
We shall give our readers our opinion of the work in an early number.

THE ROYAL NAVY OF FRANCE AT DIFFERENT PERIODS.

The following table shews the number of ships of the line and seamen of France at the different periods expressed against them, and is drawn from the authority of the Baron Charles Dupin.

1680 under Louis XIV.
1780 66 Louis XVI.

Ships.
100

Seamen.

66,000

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The following is compiled from a return recently made to the American Senate.

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Note. Great Britain has besides the above, her Indian navy, 26 contract

mail steamers, under control of Government, and 72 revenue vessels carrying 310 guns. Russia has in addition, her Caspian fleet. The United States their revenue vessels, consisting of 13 sailing vessels, total tonnage 1,443; 8 steam vessels, total tonnage 3,110; the whole mounting 61 guns, and manned by 769 men. Of the two Sicilies and Portugal the report says, “It is probable a portion is in ordinary; they have a few war steamers, the number not known."

HER MAJESTY'S STEAMER TERRIBLE.

The Terrible war 'steamer of 1847 tons, was constructed by Mr. Lang, built at Deptford, under his superintendance, and launched in February 1845. She broke in launching only five-eighths of an inch in length between the perpendiculars of 226 feet, having been built on his new principle of uniting the frame timbers together with dowels, and felt between the joints, making one solid substance of the bottom so that the ship would swim without the planking on the outside. She has also the safety keel which has been found so very beneficial for the preservation of lives in many vessels since its adoption. Her inboard works are diagonally formed, which has produced great strength to the fabric. She has two decks of guns right fore and aft, eight on each, which are as follows,-in the bow on a slide and pivot so as to fire fore and aft, in a line with the keel, and round the sides two in number, Monk's long 56-pounders 11 feet, and right aft in the stern, two of the same, each gun with the carriage and slide 6 tons and a half, can be fought all round the stern and quarter; and two 9 feet 6 inch guns on the upper deck, 68 pounders, each gun slide and carriage 5 tons; two of Monk's long 56-pounders which can be fought in a line with the keel, on each bow, or on the broadside if required; and two of the same right aft in the stern, and two 68-pounders on each broadside as on the upper deck, making 16 heavy pieces of ordnance. She can fight five great guns from her quarter abaft at one point, if required.

She is well proportioned to her size, being comfortably high between decks, has only the captain's cabin on the main deck, like a frigate, having her gun room and officers' cabins on the lower deck abaft, and her crew berthed forward on the same deck, has a free passage with a good circulation of air, fore and aft on all her decks, and is well ventilated. Her engines are of a noble structure by Messrs. Maudesley and Field, 800 horse-power. She has four separate boilers and four funnels, the two after ones made to lower down to enable her to set her square mainsail. When sailing she has three masts, and in fact is a regular frigate in every respect. She carries her lower or main deck ports high from the water, and is very buoyant, bold, and war-like in appearance. She went to Spithead from the Downs, against a strong head wind and sea, with two boilers, at the rate of 8 knots, when the ships were riding at their anchors with their yards pointed to the wind, and she passed the Widgeon Dover packet, dividing the sea on each bow in gallant style, neither rolling nor pitching; but as easily as if in a calm, much to the admiration of her captain and officers. The guns were fired from each deck, from every port-bow, stern, and broadside, without the least shake being felt in the ship, not even to crack a pane of glass, or disturb the fabric in any part. On her arrival at Spithead she fired a salute of 17 guns to the Admiral's ship, which astonished the people of Portsmouth, as no steamer had ever attempted the like. She can take on her deck in midships without interfering with the passage fore

• Described in an early number of this Magazine.

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