must be of the same construction and character as the masthead lights which other steamships are required to carry.

Article 4 of British Regulations.

Lights for sailing ships.

Rule 5. Sailing ships under way, or being towed, must carry the same lights as steamships under way, with the exception of the white masthead lights, which they must never carry.

Article 5 of the British Regulations.

A proposed modification, printed in Jenkins' Rule of the Road at Sea, (p. 69,) substitutes the following for the above:

Sailing ships under weigh, or being towed, shall carry side lights only, namely, a green light on the starboard side, and a red light on the port side, (of the same character, and in the same relative position, and screened similar to those of steamers, as in Article 3.)"

"If a sailing ship is not astern of the towing steamer, but is lashed alongside of her, or has one in either side of her, then she shall carry a bright white light at the foremast head, or below the foreyard, (where it can be best seen,) in addition to the two side lights, and the steamers shall carry none."

"Lights astern. Any vessel seeing the lights of another coming up astern of her, shall exhibit or wave a light at the stern until such vessel has passed."

Exceptional lights for small sailing ships.

Rule 6. Whenever, as in the case of small ships during bad weather, the green and red lights cannot be fixed, these lights must be kept on deck, on their respective sides of the ship, ready for instant exhibition, and, on the approach of or to other vessels, must be exhibited on their respective sides in sufficient time to prevent collision, in such manner as to make them most visible, and so that the green light shall not be seen on the port side, nor the red light on the starboard side.

To make the use of these portable lights more certain and easy, the lanterns containing them must each be painted on the outside with the color of the light they respectively contain, and must be provided with suitable screens.

Article 6 of British Regulations, as amended, 1863.

Lights for ships at anchor.

Rule 7. Ships, whether steamships or sailing ships, when at anchor in roadsteads or fairways, must' exhibit, where it can best be seen, but at a height not exceeding twenty feet above the hull, a white light,* in a globular lantern of eight inches in diameter, and so constructed as to show a clear, uniform and unbroken light, visible all round the horizon, and at a distance of at least one mile.

Article 7 of British Regulations.

1 By Order in Council of January, 1863, the words "between sunset and sunrise," were omitted here.

2 It has been proposed to substitute the words "a bright white light only," for the words a white light," after "hull." Jenkins' Rule of the

Lights for pilot vessels.

Rule 8. Sailing pilot vessels must not carry the lights required for other sailing vessels, but must carry a bright white light at the masthead, visible all round the horizon, and must also exhibit a flare-up light every fifteen minutes.

Article 8 of British Regulations.

Proposed alterations suggest that the range and intensity of the lights, and a fixed relative position for the side lights, should be determined. Jenkins' Rule of the Road at Sea, p. 72.

Lights for fishing vessels and boats.

Rule 9. Open fishing boats and other open boats shall not be required to carry the side lights required for other vessels; but if they do not carry such lights, they must carry a lantern having a green slide on the one side and a red slide on the other side; and on the approach of or to other vessels, such lantern must be exhibited in sufficient time to prevent collision, so that the green light shall not be seen on the port side, nor the red light on the starboard side.

Fishing vessels and open boats, when at anchor, or attached to their nets, and stationary, must exhibit a bright white light.

Fishing vessels and open boats shall, however, not be

prevented from using a flare-up light in addition, if considered expedient.

Article 9 of British Regulations.

Fog-signals.

Rule 10. Whenever there is fog, whether by day or night, the fog-signals described below must be carried and used, and must be sounded at least every five minutes, viz:

1. Steamships under way must use a steam-whistle, placed before the funnel, not less than eight feet from the deck;

2. Sailing ships under way must use a fog-horn;

3. Steamships and sailing ships, when not under way, must use a bell.

Article 10 of British Regulations.

Two sailing ships, or two ships under steam, meeting.

Rule 11. If two sailing ships, or two ships under steam, are meeting, end on, or nearly end on, in such manner as to involve risk of collision, the helms of both must be put to port, so that each may pass on the port side of the other."

This rule only applies' to cases where ships are meeting end on, or nearly end on, in such a manner as to involve risk of collision, and does not apply to two ships which must, if both keep on their respective courses, pass clear of each other.

The only cases in which it applies, are when each of the two ships is end on, or nearly end on, to the other: in other words, to cases in which, by day, each ship sees the masts of the other in a line, or nearly in a line, with her own, and, by night, to cases in which each ship is in such a position as to see both the side lights of the other. It does not apply, by day, to cases in which a ship sees another ahead crossing her own course; or, by night, to cases where the red light of one ship is opposed to the red light of the other; or, where

the green light of one ship is opposed to the green light of the other; or, where a red light without a green light, or a green light without a red light, is seen ahead; or, where both green and red lights are seen anywhere but ahead.

1 Articles 11 and 13 of British Regulations.

2 The following substitutes for the first paragraph have been proposed. (Jenkins' Rule of the Road at Sea, p. 72 :)

"A sailing ship on the port tack shall keep out of the way of a sailing ship on the starboard tack, and a sailing ship which is to windward shall keep out of the way of a sailing ship which is to leeward."

"A steamer having another end on, shall port.

On her port side, shall port."

3 The qualifications which follow are from the Order in Council of 1868.

This amendment of the rule seems to have introduced uncertainty in its practical application.

The collision of the Bombay with the Oneida, near Yokohama, Japan, January 24, 1870, gave rise to a discussion of the terms of this rule in the Pall Mall Gazette, issues of March 21st, 22nd and 24th, and April 12th, 1870.

In the issue of the 21st March, a writer (" Byng Giraud ") avers, that collisions at sea are to some extent caused by what he supposes to be the unsettled state of the rule of the road at sea.

And in the issue of the 24th March, the same writer quotes the language of Mr. S. Cave, Vice-President of the Board of Trade: "Collisions are not caused by observance, but by neglect or misconception, of these rules."

In the issue of March 22nd, a writer ("T. G.") says, in substance, as follows:

Article 13 applies to two ships under steam, each meeting the other "end on, or nearly end on."

nearly end on, will each show to And in the case of such meeting, port, and each passes to the right

In no other position than end on, or the other both her colored side lights. each ship is required by this Article to of the other. This Article can never apply to one of two ships, (as assumed by "Byng Giraud,” in letter of 21st instant,) and can never apply at all, unless it applies to both of "two ships meeting end on, or nearly end on."

If one of two ships is required to act under this Article, they are both required to do so.

An Order in Council has expressly stated that this Article applies only to two steamships, (at night,) “each of which is in such a position as to see both the side lights of the other."

Article 14 applies to two ships under steam, each crossing the path of the other, so as to involve risk of collision.

So long as the courses of the two ships cross, one of the ships will always have her red light exposed to the green light of the other—one is always to the left of the other. And this Article requires the one to the left to "keep out of the way of the other."

So long as like is exposed to like-i. e., the green light of one ship is exposed to the green light of the other, or the red light of the one ship is exposed to the red light of the other-the ships are "passing ships," and there is no danger of collision.

If each ship sees the red and green lights of the other, they are “meeting end on, or nearly end on.”

So long as a green light is exposed to a red light, the ships must be "crossing ships," and collision is almost inevitable, unless the one to the left keeps out of the way.

In the issue of the 24th March, a writer ("R. E. Hooppell") suggests, that the simple revision required is the leaving out from the rules the words "or nearly end on,” as being ambiguous and misleading.

This suggestion was approved by "Bynd Giraud," in the same journal.

Two sailing ships crossing.

Rule 12. When two sailing ships are crossing, so as to involve risk of collision, if they have the wind on different sides, the ship with the wind on the port side must keep out of the way of the ship with the wind on the starboard side, except when the ship with the wind on the port side is close-hauled, and the other ship free, in which case the latter ship must keep out of the way.' But if they have the wind on the same side, or if one of them has the wind aft, the ship which is to windward must keep out of the way of the ship which is to leeward.

Article 12 of British Regulations.

1 Cited and applied in Dean v. Mark; The "Constitution," 2 Moore's Privy Council Rep., (N. S.,) 453; 10 Jurist, 831; 10 Law Times Rep., (N. S.,) 894.

Two ships under steam crossing.

Rule 14.' If two ships under steam are crossing, so as to involve risk of collision, the ship which has the other on her own starboard side must keep out of the way of the other."

1 Article 14 of British Regulations.

Article 13 is superseded by Rule 11.