Mull of Kintyre
Mull of Kintyre Light-house.
At the Mull of Kintyre, one of the most inaccessible and difficult of the Northern Light-house stations, the buildings were nearly prepared for the light-room by the month of November; but the season being too far advanced, and it appearing from Mr Smith’s report, that there would be some risk in conveying the apparatus to the light-house at this inclement season, the Commissioners resolved to delay the further progress of the work at Kintyre till the following spring.
1788.
The operations at the Mull of Kintyre were recommenced in the month of April, but, owing chiefly to the inaccessible great difficulty that was experienced in transporting the building materials connected with the lantern or light-room, over the mountainous district of Kintyre, it was the month of October before the light could be announced for exhibition, when public advertisement was made of the lighting of the house to the following effect.
“The Mull of Kintyre Light-house is situated immediately above the rocks known to mariners by the name of The Merchants, in North Lat. 55° 17´, and Long. 5° 42´ west of London; the eastern entrance of the Sound of Isla, bearing from the Light-house by compass, N. by E., distant 33 miles; the Mull of Kinho in the Island of Isla N. NW., distant 25 miles; and the northern extremity of Rathlin Island, on the coast of Ireland, NW. ½ W. distant 13 miles; the Maiden Rocks S. by W. ½ W., distant 21 miles; and Copland Light-house S. by W. ½ W., distant 40 miles. The light-room is elevated 240 feet above the medium level of the sea, and will be seen from N. NE. to S. by W., and all intermediate points of the compass north of these points. The light will be exhibited on the 1st day of December 1788, and every night thereafter, from the going away of day-light in the evening till the return of day-light in the morning.”
Light-house duty too small.
In the progress of the works of the Northern Light-houses, it soon became evident, from the diminished state of the funds, that the light-house duty of 1d. per ton upon British vessels, and 2d. upon foreign bottoms, was too small. By the original act, also, this duty was only to be levied after the whole of the lights at the four stations had been exhibited to mariners; but the Board having found that it would be expedient to commence the collection of the duties so soon as two were lighted, resolved on applying to Parliament for a new act.
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.