[Sidenote: Wind-gauge, and nomenclature for the winds much wanted.]
The wind had shifted this morning to N. NW. with rain, and was blowing what sailors call a fresh breeze,--for as yet a correct and efficient wind-gauge remains a desideratum with the mechanical philosopher; and we have unfortunately no proper or satisfactory nomenclature for expressing the force of the wind. To speak, perhaps, somewhat intelligibly to the general reader, the wind was such, that a fishing-boat could just carry full sail. The weather did not look very favourable in the morning; but as it was of importance, especially in the outset of the business, to keep up the spirit of enterprise for landing on all practicable occasions, the writer, after consulting with the landing-master, ordered the bell to be rung for embarking, and at half-past 11 the boats reached the rock, and left it again at a quarter past 12, without, however, being able to do much work, as the smith could not be set to work from the smallness of the ebb and the strong breach of sea, which lashed with great force among the bars of the forge.
[Sidenote: Difficult passage from the Rock to the Floating-Light.]
Just as we were about to leave the rock, the wind shifted to the SW., and, from a fresh gale, it became what seamen term a hard gale, or such as would have required the fisherman to take in two or three reefs in his sail. The boats being rather in a crowded state for this sort of weather, they were pulled with great difficulty towards the floating-light. Though the boats were handsomely built, and presented little obstruction to the wind, as those who were not pulling sat low, yet having the ebb-tide to contend with, the passage was so very tedious, that it required two hours of hard work before we reached the vessel.
It is a curious fact, before noticed, that the respective tides of ebb and flood are apparent upon the shore about an hour and a half sooner than at the distance of three or four miles in the offing. But what seems chiefly interesting here is, that the tides around this small sunken rock should follow exactly the same laws as on the extensive shores of the mainland. When the boats left the Bell Rock to-day, it was overflowed by the flood-tide, but the floating-light did not swing round to the flood-tide for more than an hour afterwards. Under this disadvantage the boats had to struggle with the ebb-tide and a hard gale of wind, so that it was with the greatest difficulty they reached the floating-light. Had this gale happened in spring-tides when the current was strong, we must have been driven to sea in a very helpless condition.