IT is with extreme regret that we have to announce the decease of this much-lamented and valued gentleman, by which event the Shipwreck Institution has been deprived of one of its founders, and of its first Chairman of Committee. For a period of nearly twenty- nine years, Mr. WILSON took the warmest interest in its success, and was the generous and zealous advocate of its claims; and it is a grateful tribute to his memory to put on record in these pages a short sketch, how- ever imperfect, of one who laboured so long and so diligently in the cause of the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck.

Mr. WILSON was born in London in the year 1767. His family was from the north.

His grandfather and father were of Hartlepool and Stranton Grange, county of Durham ; the latter having resided chiefly at Woodhouse, East Ham, Essex.

Having received a thorough commercial education, Mr. WILSON soon became established in the City of London as a merchant of considerable eminence. He was Chairman of the Society of Merchants trading to the Continent for thirty-four years, and had been a member of it for upwards of half a century ; and we also find that at the General Election in 1818, when a vacancy occurred in the re- presentation of the City of London by the resignation of Sir JAMES SHAW, Mr. WILSON was solicited by the most influential citizens to allow himself to be nominated the successor of the honourable baronet, as from his station, his ability, his principles, the amenity of his manners, and the high respect- ability of his character, he was generally confessed to be eminently fitted for the honourable post of a representative of the greatest commercial city in the world. And his success justified the anticipations of his friends, notwithstanding the circumstance of his being the first candidate for the City of London, not a Member of the Court of Aldermen, The assiduity, and ability with which he discharged his parliamentary duties gave universal satisfaction; and at the General Election in 1820, occasioned by the death. of His Majesty GEORGE III., we find him again re-elected for the City. In 1826, finding that his arduous parliamentary duties were beyond his strength and incompatible with his commercial pursuits, he withdrew from the representation of the City. The general respect entertained for him was thus expressed in one of the contemporary journals on the occasion of his retirement:—" During his filling of that high and distinguished office he conferred as much honour as he had received. The commercial interests of the empire, as well as the more local interests of his immediate constituents, never failed of receiving their merited attention from His Majesty's Government, or from the Senate, whenever they were advocated by him, be- cause his mercantile information, discriminating judgment, and sterling integrity, were well known and duly appreciated." ....

" The merchants of London owe many obligations to him, which it cannot be doubted they will be anxious to acknowledge by some public mark of attention, which shall speak at once their sense of his past services—their regret for their loss—and their good wishes, that on the return from his public duties to the less interrupted enjoyment of domestic comforts, he may have those of health and happiness." At the General Election in 1835, on the urgent solicitation of a large body of the electors, Mr. WILSON again came forward, in conjunction with Mr. LYALL, and Mr. WILLIAM WARD, as a candidate for the City, but this time without success.

Having thus briefly referred to Mr. WILSON'S parliamentary career, we now return to his connexion with the Shipwreck Institution.

In consequence of the calamitous shipwrecks, with great loss of life, every year taking place on our coasts, and the inadequate means provided for the rescue of the crews, the late Sir WILLIAM HILLARY published a powerful appeal to the nation in 1823. This appeal was warmly responded to by the public; but though there was much of general sympathy expressed for the objects proposed in the appeal, little more was done. But, happily for the cause of humanity, early in the year 1824 Sir WILLIAM was introduced by the late Mr. GEORGE HIBBERT to Mr.

WILSON, who cordially threw himself into the cause, feeling that there was a sort of claim on those engaged in Foreign Commerce, to assist in any plan for the pre- servation of the lives of those by whom that commerce is carried on. Accordingly, we find him immediately taking steps to hold a preliminary meeting at the London Tavern on the 12th of February, 1824, when, having been called to the chair, the following re- solution was unanimously carried:— " That this meeting, taking into consider- ation the frequent loss of human life by shipwreck, and believing that by the preconerted exertions of practical men and the adoption of practicable means, such calamities might often be averted, are of opinion that a National Institution should be formed (to be supported by voluntary donations and subscriptions), for the Preservation of Life in cases of Shipwreck on the coasts of the United Kingdom; for affording such immediate assistance to the persons rescued as their necessities may require ; for conferring rewards on those who preserve their fellow- creatures from destruction; and for granting relief to the destitute families of any who may unfortunately perish in their attempts to save the lives of others." It was then arranged that a general meeting should be convened on the 4th of March following, with the view to the formation of a National Shipwreck Institution. In the meantime, Mr. WILSON was successful in obtaining the consent of His Majesty KING GEORGE IV. to become the patron of the institution; of their Royal Highnesses the DUKES of YOKE, CLARENCE, SUSSEX, CAM- BRIDGE, and PRINCE LEOPOLD to be its Vice- Patrons ; and the Earl of LIVERPOOL its President. The two Archbishops, the Bishops of LONDON, DURHAM, BATH and WELLS, and BRISTOL, with many others of the most distinguished of the nobility, gentry, and merchants in the kingdom, also gave their names in support of the Institution as Vice- Presidents and Members of Committee. On the 4th of March a general meeting, most respectably and numerously attended, was accordingly held at the London Tavern, at which the Archbishop of CANTERBURY (Dr. MANNERS SUTTON) presided; the Institution was formed and at once sprung into importance. Thus Mr. WILSON had the gratification of seeing the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck established on a permanent basis, and from that hour to within a few days of the close of his useful career, its interests occupied a large portion of his valuable time.

In 1825, H.R.H. the DUKE of YORK pre- sided at the first anniversary dinner of the Shipwreck Institution; and the chair of the next dinner, in the year following, was ap- propriately taken by H.R.H. the DUKE of SUSSEX, at Mr. WILSON'S solicitation.

At the Annual General Meeting of the Institution in the same year, presided over by the late gallant and revered Admiral Viscount EXMOUTH, the services of Mr. WILSON on behalf of the Society were publicly recog- nized by his being presented with the gold medallion of the Institution, " for his arduous exertions in furtherance of the welfare of the Institution." He had also this year the satis- faction of seeing life-boats stationed by the Institution at Boulmer and BIyth, in North- umberland ; Bridlington, in Yorkshire; Bos- ton Deeps (now removed to Skegness), Lin- colnshire; Dungeness, Newhaven, Brighton, Weymouth, Plymouth, Penzance, Bideford, Douglas, Isle of Man; Courtmacsherry, in Cork; Rossglass, Dundrum Bay, and Ark- low. Some of these boats are now in use, and have been instrumental in saving hun- dreds of lives.

On the 30th March 1830, Mr. WILSON addressed a communication to his Grace the late Duke of WELLINGTON, soliciting the honour of his granting an interview to a deputation from the Shipwreck Institution, to point out the serious defects in the Salvage Act, and to apprize his Grace of the serious loss the Institution had sustained in the death of the late Earl of LIVERPOOL, President of the Institution, and to solicit him, as holding the same distinguished situa- tions in the State, to allow his name to be placed as President of the Society. His Grace returned the following characteristic reply:— " Londm, 30 March, 1830.

" The Duke of WELLINGTON presents his compliments to Mr. WILSON, arid has received his letter of this day.

" The Duke has devoted his whole time to the Service of the public. He would willingly receive the deputation from the Committee of the National Institution for the Preservation of Lives from Shipwreck; but he assures Mr. WILSON that he is tinder the necessity of attending one or other of two Committees of the House of Lords every day, and in the House of Lords every after- noon except Saturday. The remainder of his time from morning till night is scarcely sufficient, for his public duties.

" The Duke feels that he should only deceive the Society if he was to pretend to be of any service to them by seeking to be appointed their President. He has already more public duties to perform than he can well attend to, and he begs leave to excuse himself for declining the honour which they are disposed to confer upon him." In the early part of 1851, being then in his eighty-fourth year, conscious that his power to serve the Institution must be drawing to a close, he redoubled his exer- tions in its behalf, with the desire of seeing it before his death more widely known, and established upon a basis more proportionate to the strength of its claims.

About this time his Grace the Duke of NORTHUMBERLAND honoured Mr. WILSON with several interviews on the subject of the Institution, which resulted in his Grace's accepting the office of President to the In- stitution on the 1st May 1851.

Much to the gratification of Mr. WILSON, his Grace has since, on several occasions, taken the chair at the ordinary general meetings of Committee, and assisted in the proceedings of the Institution, and the following extract of a letter from his Grace respecting the name that should be inscribed, on behalf of the Institution; on the Exhibitor's Medal of the Great Exhibition,—Mr. WILSON having sug- gested that either his Grace's name or that of Mr. George Palmer should be engraved thereon,—will show how truly the President appreciated his worth.

"Whitehall Gardens, 14 Oct. 1851.

" MY DEAR SIR,— * . » * I have no hesitation in giving my opinion. The exhibitor's medal is due to you, and should have inscribed on it, ' THOMAS WILSON, Esq., Chairman of the Royal Shipwreck Society, &c.,' and when we recollect that it was to your humanity and zeal that we are indebted for this Institution, and to your untiring perseverance that it has been so long continued, I am sure every subscriber to it will rejoice that this graceful compli- ment should be paid to you, and not one of them more sincerely than " Yours very truly, " NORTHUMBERLAND." Just within a year of the date of this gratifying letter, Mr. WILSON'S career of usefulness was almost suddenly closed by a short illness of very acute suffering, borne with much patience. He died on the 10th October, 1852, in his 85th year, endeared to all who knew him in private life by the gentleness of his manners, the warmth of his affections, and the sterling integrity of his principles. Though he had attained to such an advanced age, his cheerfulness never forsook him, and he preserved to the last the full possession of his faculties.

The General Committee, at their meeting on the 16th of last month, having heard the announcement of the demise of their late lamented Chairman.

Resolved, That, although so truly British, and such a great testimony of the benevolence of the late THOMAS WILSON, Esq., formerly M.P.

for the City of London, exists in the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Lives from Shipwreck, of which he was the co-founder, it is perhaps an unparalleled cir- cumstance that, at upwards of four-score and four years, he filled the chair of the last General Meeting of Committee with that sound judgment, universal urbanity and kind- ness, which had been his characteristic during eight»and-twenty years and six months; that he had arduously and constantly given his personal attendance as Chairman on all occa- sions, and exerted himself by the influence of his name—honoured as one of the most respected merchants of the Metropolis—to raise and recruit funds for the maintenance of the Institution, as .well as liberally, himself and family, contributing towards the same. In his office as Chairman, and in co- operating with his colleagues on the Com- mittee, having endeared himself to them in a singular manner by his wisdom and friendly bearing, one feeling animates them to offer the most cordial address of condolence pos- sible to his family, to whom, though long spared by the Divine will to them in fulness of years, his loss must be a void irreparable; but who must derive a consolation from that which in the history of philanthropy has scarce its parallel in the fact, that during the Chairmanship of the late Mr. WILSON, re- wards have been granted, under his sanc- tion, for preservation of nearly 8,000 lives.

Who can estimate the amount of anguish and mourning that has been turned to prayer- ful gratitude and joy ? the agony, destitution, and weeping that have been spared, from those who would probably have been widows and orphans, but for the acts of benevolent self-devotion, encouraged by the honorary and other rewards of the Shipwreck Institution, of which Mr. WILSON was the active and untiring parent; and that even when these generations shall have passed away, to whom the remembrance of his great worth is yet fresh, his memory will be embalmed by the existence of a Society promoting still those generous deeds of self-devotion, that will in all times adorn the annals of this maritime country.

[Signed by the Duke of NORTHUMBERLAND, President, and the Members of Committee.].