New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-28

until then imposed "for the relief OF poor
mariners and seafaring men. without accounting
to the Crown" That the corporation fulfilled
the obligations thus imposed upon It IL shown
by the fact that in the early portion of the pres
ent reign it had on its books about ten thousand
pensioners, besides three thousand children. the
latter being the offspring OF men who had lost
in The service CT their country either their lives
or the power of earning their daily bread. In
1854, however. when by the Merchant Shipping
act the constitution of Trinity House was placed
upon q new footing. 1t was relieved OF good
deal of its charitable work, while the sphere
of its operations was restricted to a great ex-
tent to the all-important task OF lighting and
buoying the British coasts and waters. Trinity
House Still maintains some interesting old aims
houses in the Mile End Road where a limited
number of pensioners are lodged and main
tanned.
How vast are the present responsibilities OF
Trinity House in connection with the lighting
and buoying Of British waters in various parts
of the world may be gathered from the fact
that there are close upon nine hundred lights
along the coasts of he British Isles alone In
addition to these there is large feet of light
ships, no less tran four Of these lonely craft
being anchored on the Goodwin Sands Then
there q sufficient number Of sirens to form
a concert loud enough to deafen an entire
metropolis Besides these. there are several
thousand buoys of great variety of form and
color. some of them furnished with automatic
whistles, others merely with bells. as in the
olden days of the famous Abbot Of Aber5rothock
1t is largely owing to the fact that the buoy on
the Manacle Rocks was merely provided with
an antiouated bell and devoid of any of the
,1iObt "a
the Paris. like the Mohegan. has been wrecked
just at that particular point.
The headquarters of the corporation, Trinity
House, as it is styled, adjoin the Tower OF Lon
don. and we're built in 1895 from designs by
Samuel Wyatt. being the third house erected
for the corporation. The first was destroyed by
the Great Fire in 1866. and the second building
was situated in Water Lane. Deptford. The
courtroom of the present home OF the lr"hit!
Brethren is a magnificent chamber, richly deco
rated while the walls of this. as OF the other
apartments of the building. are adorned with
rare old portraits, with flags taken by Sir Fran
els Drake and other celebrated English com
manders from the enemy. and with relics OF
the Spanish Armada.
The brethren include among their members 4
few Of the most experienced seemen of the
world. mostly former officers of the mercantile
navy while the remainder are made up OF dis
tirguished statesmen, many of whom are not
even acquainted with the sea as yachtsmen'
Among the non-professonal brethren are LORD
Salisbury, Lord Rosebery, the Duke OF Argyll
and the Duke of Cambridge. who occupy the
places formerly held by the great Duke of Wei
lington. Lord Liverpool. Lord Palmerston and
Pitt Mr.. Gladstone was likewise an elder
brother of Trinity House. and it was the uni
form of this office which he invariably wore at
Court and at state functions. 1t looks some