To the Editor of the "Norru-Cama Dany News."
Sm,—I reed with much interest the leader in your issue of Oct 22nd re "The China Coast," and wish you could have found space in your columns for the entire correspondence "from a competent authority now in England."
I beg however, to recapitulate every statement made in my letter of July 23rd, and would emphasise the opening paragraph which you quoted at length in your recent article.
The Customs authorities have only very recently definitely decided to erect a light house on Tungying Island. That a light was to be placed somewhere, I allow. That it was the intention at first to put it on the island in question, I also to} grant but, after an extended survey of the position it was, as stated in my former letter, almost' determined to give up the idea and construct the building in perhaps some equally valuable direotion. t there may have been justification for hesitating to formulate an unchangeable plan I would not care to deny, as in this as in every other matter a difference of opinion exists. Some nautical men of undoubted experience believe that Tangying is not the most favourable spot for the erection lighthouse, and of course the pro and con had to be carefully weighed before an irrevocable decision was arrived at. It is the writer's opinion, however, that no more suitable place can be found hereabouts than the above island, and the letter of July 28rd to your paper was written mainly with the idea of exciting controversy and bringing the matter to a definite conclu: I was extremely pleased to learn within the last two or three weeks that a fixed determination had been come to, and the erection of a much-needed warning to mariners was to be commenced forthwith on this out-lying danger, the grave of more than one noble vessel.
It may be that the correspondence in your valuable columns had something to do with this settlement of the question if so, the publicity given to the affair has been of infinite service, and thanks are in no small measure due to the " North-China Daily News."
It is impossible for a resident in Great Britain to be fully conversant with what is going on out in China, and I would have wished the Imperial Maritime Customs could have found a champion out here, and at an earlier date, rather than one in when the Satter is settled. so many thousand miles away who comes
ith rej to your correspondent's remarks anent the height, etc., of the island as stated by me to be incorrect, I will repeat that 855 feet is about 300 feet, too high. I would give the Easter Peak, where I presume the lighthouse is to be placed, a maximum of 530 feet. The Western Peak may be50 feet higher, but certainly not more. The statement that the Admiralty charts are usual I think not quite the truth.
ion is quite a contrary one. I would gsk your informant if he is aware of the result of the enquiry into the loss of the Mohegan. Was it or was it not brought out at that investigation that even the charts of the coast of Great Britain differed greatly one with the other and lacked considerably of exactitude? As the chart under discussion is from an old survey, it is riot to be wondered at if there are errors in it; rather would marvel be if the case were otherwise. Even the altitudes of such small islets as Tungting and Pihting were Ritter appeared as 300 feet high on the ly incorrect on the first survey. The
old charts, to be brought down to 150 feet by the officers of the Rambler. In fact nearly all the summits on the coast charts taken from former examinations are inacourate,.it being the exception rather than the rule to find one that is anywhere near the mark. I would like to draw attention here to the disgraceful manner in which recent surveys are printed by the British Admiralty. We will fake two of Captain Moore's delineations for examples—chart number 1,124, Video to Cape Yangtze, and chart number 2,974, Changtau Harbour and approaches. In the first-named there is an in-let plan on a larger scale of Bonham Strait. Comparing the two prints on the same sheet of paper of this dangerous passage and the adjacent islands you cannot but realise the gross negligence and want of supervision shown by the British Hydrographic Office. One, of course, on an enlarged plan to have fuller information given which there is not space to show on the smaller scale, but in this case we can learn more from the latter, For instance, a reef of rocks, which covers and wncovers, charted' on the smaller scale, is fame heights expressed on the former do not shown on the large scale; similarly
not appear on the latter; again, a group of three or four islets printed on one chart is shown as a solitary rock on the other; a sounding of three fathoms rook bottom is again portrayed as one fathom sand bottom; a rock awash at low water on one chart appears as always covered on the other; and, to crown all, the threefathom danger line, to which particular attention should be paid on all charts, is left, out in several places. As to chart number 2,974, Ohangtau Har-hour, etc., the first thing that strikes one is, why, paper being so cheap, the Admiralty could not have printed 2 full sized chart; the next is the announcoment: "Surveyed by Captain Moore, etc., 1888, published by the Hydrographic Office 1898", thus taking ten years for work which should have been done in three months; surely a startling confession of incompetence from the Naval authorities of the foremost maritime nation of the world. The next incredible statement on this chartographic wonder informs the mariner that the flood tide sets to the eastward. This is laced in such a prominent position and with such an appearinoo of veracity that it quite took me in on first reading it. The topographical delineation shows carelessness in many directions, such as @ sounding of a quarter of a fathom sandwiched and ten fathoms, where there i no stich in between soundings of twenty fathoms
danger at such a distance from the adjacent land. The three-fathom line is also lacking in places, and in fact the whole Pes disgrace tony nautical Power, This, tint, including its foolscap size, would be it remembered, is a recent publication of the British Admiralty.
I think enough has been said about charts, but should your correspondent. compare the southern portion of the Gulf of Pechili as shown on chart number 1,256, "The Gulfs of Pechili and Liautang," and the same part of the coast as portrayed on chart number 1,262, "Hong-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.