prize8-7, Exercise 2: Three systems

Model answer (check the details):

| Country | Who ran the lights | When | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | A central state commission, with engineers of the state | From 1811 | A single system, early adoption of Fresnel's lens (1823) |
| United States | The federal government: first the Treasury, then (from 1852) a Lighthouse Board | From 1789 | A national network, slow to adopt the new lens under the Treasury, improved after the 1852 reform |
| Britain | Separate boards: Trinity House (England and Wales), the Northern Lighthouse Board (Scotland), the Irish Lights commissioners | Trinity House from 1514; the Scottish Board from 1786 | A mixed system funded by dues, with strong engineering traditions in Scotland and England |

What the table suggests: a central authority can act quickly and consistently but may be run by an official who resists change, as in the United States before 1852; separate boards allow local engineering traditions but vary in method. In each case the quality of the engineers and the willingness to adopt new optics mattered more than the form of the authority.

Care: this is a general comparison. Check the dates and powers of each authority against its own history.