FAMOUS ENGLISH BEACON

Press, Volume LI, Issue 15268, 3 May 1915, Page 10

FAMOUS ENGLISH BEACON

I■■ :■ V — ... - MAY BE LIGHTED AGAIX. , • (niOM A COBEISFOXBWT.) ■ "" ■ IjONDON", MarelrlS. Sir Arthur Conan Doylo, ,who. lives down at Crowborough, in, Snaaex, -.atid f who takes as kcon an interest as, \ per- jj haps, any man in England in every. detail connected frith the history of iis J country, must often pease, ono fancies,' in thocourso of His walks und in6tftr% drives, to tako stock of an-unconnnoJl- . . Jy interesting relic of -the- past wEithraisos its venerable head to ftho> skies • in his near neighbourhood. •* - • Particularly interesting at the 'present* timo is this' quaint old structure, - one view of which more than a.litU* suggests some queer, ship, for it i? one iof the oldest of the .ancient beacon* , which were constructed throughoutth<L'~. . country, to warn the inhabitants of mv» impending invasion. This Crowbor- *- ough beacon is over 800 years old/ana . its light, the holder of which; can still be seen, gave warning of the approach .— of the Spanish Annada-r-bcing. qnVef .' those • "twinkling points 'oV fire' 7 - iioscribed by Mocaulay-in his great poem, —and like\vi6C, no dpubt.. of the. u«d; \ ing, of the Dutch Fleet and, Inter,. cfthe *Yonng:Chevalier, i ' •. • ?*-.-1 In England the beacons were •*&&- ---up by a tax levied on the counties, aW '■ had *>vatcP?.s regularly stationed , '« - thorn, and horsemen to spread taqm ■ ; tellijionco in tho day, when the-btsftoon/ . could not be seen. -They were care- _, fully organised when the Armada was ■ looked fV. i* ■»"-?" * work on Malvern Hill, which hadpUy- - ed an historic part in bygono.da.wwaa lishted np in-anticipation of "β-f , ™?, of tho Crimean war, and afforded -an ■ interesting amusement to Kientinc persons in. estimating the distance' at , - which the blazo conld be seen tant hills. Again, on the nWjJ-.J , tho 21st of Ji.no, ; 1?87 a raultit .de o jubilee beacons, throughout thelen£U> . of the kingdom, . fronv Malrern Hfi!, tho time taM™ its transmission "thence to the i»w country being seven -minutes! _;; Fire-signals of. this kind it scew- . were in nee in the earliest timje, • «y . notices of them aro found in arv remaias of ancient Persia Palestiw and .Greece. " Tho«m«t s made by kindling -a pile of -W-«- . tho tops of lofty, mountaini,and, kfiPinp; tho flamo bright '»? ,al B" t ing the firo so covered as to emit » denao smoke by day. There were, rar . ious preconcerted mothode of exhibit in s tfio light or smoke. Thus w ' of Parliament-of Scotland of<£*? 4' rects that one bale cm fire "»•»-'?* warning of tho approach of the En 6 lish in any manner; two bales b }™"~< ■ beside oach other that they are cow - in X indeed," and four, bales that -they arc coming in great force. ..-1... . Jt remains to be eren *&**?;** " con at Crowborougli. where Cong Dovlo orpinised a volnnter /"S"* which the Government refused «> nise. will bo lighted onro more togjionnco a German landing on-WW" ,4 .