Act of 1788.
A bill was accordingly brought into the House of Commons by Sir Ilay Campbell, M. P., when Lord Advocate for Scotland, and ex officio one of the Commissioners of the Northern Light-houses, which passed in the session of 1788, empowering the Commissioners to levy a duty of 1½d., or one halfpenny more per ton upon British ships, and 3d., or one penny per ton additional upon foreigners; and, in the mean time, to commence collecting half duties till the whole of the four light-houses mentioned in the former act were lighted, when the full duties were to become exigible. Already about L. 4000 had been expended on the light-houses of Kinnaird-Head and Kintyre. By this new act, however, the Commissioners being empowered to borrow a further sum of L. 3000, were not only enabled to forward the operations already commenced, but, with this additional duty, it was expected that they would soon be in a condition to answer the calls of the shipping interest for additional erections on the coast.
Island Glass.
1789.
Considerable progress had been made in the course of the former season with the erection of the Light-house at Island Glass in Harris, which was finished and lighted on the 10th day of October 1789, the following being its specification:—The Point of Island Glass, one of the Harris Isles, is situated in North Lat. 57° 50´, and Long. 6° 33´ west of London. Ru-Ushiness bears from the light-house, per compass, E. NE. ½ E., distant 8 miles; northern extremity of Shiant Isles E., ½ S., southern extremity of ditto E. by S. ½ S., distant 11 miles; Skerne Rock SE., ½ E., distant 3 miles; Skergraidish Rock S. SE. ¼ E., distant 9 miles; Point of Trotternish in Sky S. SE. ¼ E., distant 16 miles; Point of Vaternish S. SW. ¼ W., distant 15 miles; Dunvegan-Head SW. ½ S., distant 20 miles; Point of Roudil, at the entrance of the Sound of Harris, W. by S., distant 14 miles. The light-room is elevated 70 feet above the medium level of the sea, and will be seen from E. NE. ½ E., from W. by S., and intermediate points of the compass south of these points.
North Ronaldsay Light-house.
While the works of Island Glass were proceeding, a light-house was also erected, and lighted 10th October 1789, on the island of North Ronaldsay, in Orkney; but, as the light at this station was afterwards removed to the neighbouring island of Sanday, it will fall more properly to be noticed in the form of a Tower or Beacon, into which the building was converted, after a Light-house had been established at the Start Point of Sanday.
Pladda.
Application for Pladda Light-house.