ON the 1st of April in the present year occurred one of those fearful wrecks which ever and anon startle even the inhabitants of these sea-girt islands, accustomed as they have been from time immemorial to the periodical sacrifice, by shipwreck, of large numbers of their fellow-countrymen; and which, if there were not an instinctive repugnance in the human heart to discover its own nakedness, would surely be sufficient to raise the questions amongst us, whether or not we have adopted every available means for preventing such sad disasters ?—whether or not we have evinced that care for the preservation of human life which its value demands of us, and which our duty towards our neighbour requires at our hands ? In bringing to the notice of our readers an account of the wreck of the Duke of Sutherland, we are not actuated merely by a desire to excite their compassionate sympathy ; or to wound their feelings by a recital of the circumstances connected with it; still less do we do so for their amusement only; but we conceive that it may serve a practical purpose, as illustrative of the imperfect system which still exists in this country for saving life from shipwreck.

The facts of this sad catastrophe, as extracted from the public accounts of it, are as follows.

On the 1st of April, 1853, the steamer Duke of Sutherland, having on board 52 souls, made her appearance off the harbour of Aberdeen, having performed her periodical journey from London with her accustomed ease and punctuality; while those embarked n her, amongst whom were 24 passengers, male and female, were anticipating an almost immediate landing, amidst their friends awaiting them on the shore. Nor does here appear to have been any reason why ON the 1st of April in the present year occurred one of those fearful wrecks which ever and anon startle even the inhabitants of these sea-girt islands, accustomed as they have been from time immemorial to the periodical sacrifice, by shipwreck, of large numbers of their fellow-countrymen; and which, if there were not an instinctive repugnance in the human heart to discover its own nakedness, would surely be suffi- cient to raise the questions amongst us, whether or not we have adopted every available means for preventing such sad disasters ?—whether or not we have evinced that care for the preservation of human life which its value demands of us, and which our duty towards our neighbour requires at our hands ? In bringing to the notice of our readers an account of the wreck of the Duke of Sutherland, we are not actuated merely by a desire to excite their compassionate sympathy ; or to wound their feelings by a recital of the circumstances connected with it; still less do we do so for their amusement only; but we conceive that it may serve a practical purpose, as illustrative of the imperfect system which still exists in this country for saving life from shipwreck.

The facts of this sad catastrophe, as extracted from the public accounts of it, are as follows.

On the 1st of April, 1853, the steamer Duke of Sutherland, having on board 52 souls, made her appearance off the harbour of Aberdeen, having performed her periodical journey from London with her accustomed ease and punctuality; while those embarked n her, amongst whom were 24 passengers, male and female, were anticipating an almost immediate landing, amidst their friends awaiting them on the shore. Nor does here appear to have been any reason why ON the 1st of April in the present year occurred one of those fearful wrecks which ever and anon startle even the inhabitants of these sea-girt islands, accustomed as they have been from time immemorial to the periodical sacrifice, by shipwreck, of large numbers of their fellow-countrymen; and which, if there were not an instinctive repugnance in the human heart to discover its own nakedness, would surely be sufficient to raise the questions amongst us, whether or not we have adopted every available means for preventing such sad disasters ?—whether or not we have evinced that care for the preservation of human life which its value demands of us, and which our duty towards our neighbour requires at our hands ? In bringing to the notice of our readers an account of the wreck of the Duke of Sutherland, we are not actuated merely by a desire to excite their compassionate sympathy ; or to wound their feelings by a recital of the circumstances connected with it; still less do we do so for their amusement only; but we conceive that it may serve a practical purpose, as illustrative of the imperfect system which still exists in this country for saving life from shipwreck.

The facts of this sad catastrophe, as extracted from the public accounts of it, are as follows.

On the 1st of April, 1853, the steamer Duke of Sutherland, having on board 52 souls, made her appearance off the harbour of Aberdeen, having performed her periodical journey from London with her accustomed ease and punctuality; while those embarked n her, amongst whom were 24 passengers, male and female, were anticipating an almost immediate landing, amidst their friends awaiting them on the shore. Nor does here appear to have been any reason why they should have entertained any doubts of their voyage terminating as favourably as it had hitherto been performed. Their ship was a good one and well equipped, and no one has impugned the skill of her commander and officers, who had, moreover, the advantage of being well acquainted with the port. The time, too, was in broad daylight, and as the vessel had been delayed without the harbour until the signal was made that there was sufficient water on the bar, there was time for her to be placed in the most favourable position for entering it. Every- thing, therefore, so far as human foresight could perceive, concurred in her favour; but all was to be of no avail. We will, however, narrate the circumstances in detail, in the words of eye-witnesses, as published at the time :— " On the afternoon of Friday, the 1st April, the city of Aberdeen was thrown into a state of great excitement by the wreck of the steamer Duke of Sutherland, Captain ROWLAND, just arrived from London, at the very mouth of the harbour, and the loss of many lives before the eyes of thousands of their fellow-citizens, who, though almost within speaking distance, and recognising amongst them their own personal acquaintances, felt themselves powerless to save them.

" The harbour of Aberdeen has long been known as an unsafe one; and several vessels —among them one or two steamers—have before this been lost in attempting to enter it. Lying immediately behind, and to the north of the promontory of Girdleness, the last link of the great Grampian chain, the channel does not run straight out to sea, but takes a slight northerly direction.

Hence it is easy of access for ships coming from the north; but when vessels arrive from the south they cannot run in directly after rounding the promontory, but must still hold a north-westerly course till they have cleared the rocks to the south of the harbour; after which they must come sharp round, or they will go ashore on the pier- head. The danger of this catastrophe is much increased when the wind is blowing fresh from the southward, and still more when, in addition to this, the river is in flood, as the current then sets strong against the pier on the north side of the harbour.

" All these incidents combined in the destruction of the unfortunate Duke of Sutherland. The Dee had been flooded for several days past in consequence of the melting of the snows among the hills in its upper course, and the wind, which had been fresh and blustering all day from the south, had raised a considerable sea, which broke in great sheets of surf upon the sandy beach to the north and south of the harbour.

In the main channel of the stream, however, there was nothing to alarm, nothing to pre- vent any ship from taking the harbour.

The sea was rolling high, indeed, but it rolled in what sailors call whole water, and hence when the Duke of Sutherland was seen rounding the Girdleness-point, about half-past five o'clock in the afternoon—that is about the usual time that she was expected to make her voyage—no fears were expressed by any one of her safe entrance.

It was a grand sight to see the magnificent vessel battling with and mastering the swelling waves as she rounded the head- land. That feeling lasted but a minute, however; she had scarcely cleared the rocks to the south when the experienced eyes of some old fishermen saw that she was too far to the northward, and comprehending the impossibility of her beating off against the united force of wind and tide, the exclamation was raised that she was ' a gone ship.' The prediction was but too fatally verified. In less time almost than it takes to tell it, she struck with tremendous force against the rocks lying seaward at the head of the pier, and then, turning broadside on to the waves, lay a helpless log on the waters. The alarm was soon spread, and in a few minutes the pier was crowded with thousands of spectators, the more adventurous of whom rushed to the extreme point of the pier, within a very few yards of where the ill-fated vessel was stranded, though the sea occasionally broke right over them, as it was already doing over the ship's decks. The full peril of those on board was instantly comprehended. She was an iron vessel, and it was feared would not hold long together, especially as it was seen that she had grounded amidships. The event too speedily realized their worst fears.

Within less than ten minutes from the time she struck, the bow of the vessel was torn shear from the waist and was drifted up the harbour, while the main part remained hard and fast upon the rocks. So rapidly had the sea broken her up and found an entrance into her, that within a very few minutes from the first shock the waves could be seen from the pier dashing up from the interior of her hold black and discoloured by the coals. No lives, we believe, were lost when the fore part of the vessel was torn away, for the sailors had, when the vessel first struck, ran aft to lower the life- boat that lay on the starboard paddle-box, being that nearest to hand. Some parties said they could hear the captain, who was on the paddle-box at the time of the accident, give orders for their doing so ; at any rate it could hardly be his orders that the ship's crew should save themselves in her.

Such, however, was the case. The life-boat on the starboard, or shore side, was got out, and was immediately filled with persons from the wreck ; but, with the single exception of a little boy about ten years of age, there was not a single passenger among them. They were the seamen and firemen of the ship, headed by the chief mate. It may be that after landing the greater part of their number, the rest intended to return and bring off the passengers; but however that might be, their intentions were not put to the test; for after pulling a short way through the surf at the back, or north side of the pier, a tremendous sea struck the boat and upset her, throwing some ten or fifteen persons into the boiling ocean. In all probability most of them would have perished but for the gallantry of the spectators on shore; some of the stoutest of whom dashed into the sea, and being held by the linked hands of others nearer the shore, succeeded in bringing every one, the boy among the rest, safely ashore. It is to be regretted that, in the eagerness to save these unfortunate persons, all thought of securing the capsized life-boat was forgotten, so that she drifted away to the northward, and all chance of rendering her useful in saving other persons, by manning her with a fresh crew from the land, was frustrated.

" While these things were taking place on board, other and highly praiseworthy exertions for their safety were made ashore.

A life-boat, which was left lying in the harbour, ready to be launched either to the north or the south side, was very early resorted to by the spectators; and, as soon as hands enough could be got together, she was launched into the surf behind the pier, and manned by a crew of twelve hardy sea- men. With incredible labour and exertion the boat.was impelled through the waves, and reached the steamer in safety. Here a scene of great confusion and excitement occurred. It was impossible to allow the i boat to come close alongside the steamer, or she would infallibly have been dashed to pieces against the ship's quarter, which was swaying fearfully from side to side, giving 'warning of the fate which soon afterwards befell it; the only resource for the passengers, therefore, was to spring from the ship's side into the boat. In doing so many seemed to be severely hurt, others fell short and dropped into the sea; and though several of them were rescued by the boat's crew, yet it was inevitable that many perished. They succeeded in filling the boat, however, with rather more people than was consistent with prudence; but it is gratifying to add that the boat, with her precious freight, was speedily and safely got ashore. The voyage to land was accomplished much more easily than that to the ship, as the sea was now nearly at high flood, and the current was setting in strong upon the land. The same cause that brought the life-boat so speedily ashore of course impeded her return, which the brave fellows on board showed great alacrity in attempting. It was fruitless, however. For a long time they put forth the most strenuous exertions in contending against the wind and the sea; but, scarcely had they gained a few yards, in a comparative lull, than a tremendous sea rushing in upon the land would overpower all their exertions, and drive them farther in than they were before. After continuing for a considerable length of time at this fruitless task, it was at length suggested that the boat might be towed out beyond the extreme violence of the surf by the people on the pier, she was brought accordingly close below it, and a rope being handed np, she was dragged a short way through the surf. But it was soon found that this course was equally ftitile with the other. The boat was dragged along, indeed, but she was dragged through the billows instead of rising to them; and in a short time it was found that she was fast filling with water. The attempt was, therefore, given up, and we are not aware that a fresh crew was thought of.

At all events the life-boat made only one voyage to the ill-fated ship.

" A still more disastrous event befell an- other attempt that was made from the shore.

One of the boats used for the purpose of salmon-fishing in the districts, and whose flat bottoms and other peculiarities cause them to be considered good sea boats at least, as they can be kept head on to the sea, was lying on the beach at the time. The brother of Captain ROWLAND, his brother-in-law, and four other persons, resolved to make an attempt to reach the vessel with this boat, and endeavour to rescue some of the persons on board. For a time all went on well.

So long as they kept under the lee of the pier, they made way and actually succeeded in reaching the ship. But there their success ended. When they reached the steamer, and thus became exposed to the full fury of the wind and current, the frail craft was whirled away in an instant, nor could all the exertions of the crew keep her more than a minute near the vessel. During that brief period two individuals leaped from the ship and attempted to get on board. Both fell into the sea—one perished, the other was caught by the boats' crew and got on board, thus prolonging his life alas! but a few minutes; for, in attempting to bring the boat's head round so that they might pull for land, a heavy wave completely swamped her. She sank immediately, amidst the shrieks of the crowd, who thus saw the horrors of the scene inconceivably increased by the destruction of the brave fellows who had gone to the rescue of the others. Of the seven men thus thrown in the sea, only one managed, by laying hold of an oar, to reach the land in safety; all the others were swallowed up in the foaming surf.

" While these things were going on, the waves were doing their work of destruction on the devoted steamer. We have already mentioned that in an inconceivably short space of time she parted in front. In about half an hour afterwards the stern and the quarter deck were swept away. The masts had gone some time before; the last that was seen being the mizenmast, which swayed fearfully to and fro in the water for some time before it finally disappeared.

Nothing remained but the middle part of the ship, with the starboard paddle-box, on which the survivors of the crew, now re- duced to some dozen persons or so, were congregated, and whose cries could be heard above the howling of the tempest, as their persons were distinctly seen from the shore. It is probable that even this part of the vessel would have followed the others, but that the weight of the machinery had caused it to take a firmer hold of the rocks, and to present a more solid resistance to the waves than the forecastle or the poop. The disappearance of these latter portions of the ship was so rapid as must have appalled the stoutest hearts. Hence the impatience of many on board to trust to their own efforts to escape, and not to wait for the exertionstorturingly lingering as they must have appeared to them—made from the shore.

At an early period of the catastrophe many persons were observed rushing to the life- buoys and other apparatus for saving life that were to be found on board. A seaman belonging to Her Majesty's ship Archer (lying in the harbour), who was standing on the pier, with extraordinary bravery leaped right off into the surf, and made his way to a man apparently clinging to the stakes of a net. His gallantry was fruitless, beyond the universal admiration its brilliancy excited ; the man was found to be dead, and not clinging to but entangled by the net. It is gratifying, however, to add, that the seaman, whose name, we under- stand, is ROBE, succeeded in reaching the shore in safety.

" We have reserved to the last another attempt to communicate with the ship, though, in point of fact, it was attempted before some of those efforts we have been narrating, Captain MANBY'S apparatus for firing over the ship a ball from a mortar, having a line attached to it, was brought down to the pier end and was early brought into action. It happened, however, that there was no one—not even the person in charge of it—who understood its management, and several attempts were made to discharge it, which just as frequently failed.

The impatience and excitement of the by- standers rose to a great height, and in the same proportion the flurry and nervousness increased of the persons who were attempt- ing to discharge it; and it is probable the apparatus would have been wholly useless had it not been for a party of the officers of the Archer, already mentioned, who made their way to the place, and succeeded in discharging a rocket right over the heads of the survivors, now huddled on the paddle- box, amid the joyous exultations of the crowd. Even then, however, the apparatus was incomplete. The cradle or basket in which to place the persons that were to be handed along the lines was wanting, and the only mode of securing them was the neces- sarily imperfect one of fastening them by small lines. The consequence was that more than one or two individuals dropped into the sea; and among them, we regret to say, was the captain himself. He was among the earliest that attempted to come ashore in this way; but before he had passed half across the yawning gulf his strength failed him, he lost his hold, and fell into the sea. The majority, however, were more successful, and before daylight had utterly gone all the survivors were got on shore in this way.

" It will have been seen that there was no great amount of heroism displayed by the crew on board. We Lave already mentioned that the mate and part of the crew were the first to leave the wreck in the ship's life-boat; the men generally displayed great anxiety in escaping by the life apparatus, taking precedence of the women for that purpose; and lastly the captain himself, whose untimely fate, however, may well dis- arm all severe criticism on his conduct, was among the first that attempted to prove the efficiency of the life apparatus. From this list, however, must be excepted the head steward of the steamer, Duncan Christie, who remained by the vessel till he had seen every one else out of her, giving directions and assisting with praiseworthy energy in securing the lines round the females and others that were to be passed over the gulf between the wreck and the pier, and then— it is gratifying to be able to add—himself succeeding in getting safely to land.

" We are happy to be given to under- stand that a public subscription, which already amounts to a considerable sum, has been opened for CHRISTIE, in acknowledgment of his meritorious services on the distressing occasion." Such is a recital of one of the latest of those tragedies whose periodical recurrence, as before observed, we have become so inured to, that we apparently receive them as matters of course—as fatal necessities which it were useless to prepare against—or as the decrees of a Providence who has seen fit to mingle gall with the cup of human happiness, and which it were therefore unavailing to resist.

Whether, however, such be or be not the causes of the apathy and indifference which, so far at least as any practical effects are concerned, is exhibited on this subject, we have this fact before us, that up to the present time, in an important British port, and that acknowledged to be an unsafe one, no preparations have existed to meet a casualty which might at any moment have occurred, and even the Rocket or Mortar apparatus (for the accounts vary as to which it was), that had at some former time been supplied to afford assistance on such occasions, had been suffered to fall into a state of neglect and no persons had been taught its use; so that had there not fortunately been a man-of- war lying in the harbour at the time, some of whose officers on their arrival at the spot successfully brought it into play, it is ques- tionable whether any person would have been saved but those who landed in the boats ; whilst on the contrary, so far as can be judged from the published accounts, had there been an efficient life-boat in the port, and had the rocket or mortar apparatus been in a state of readiness and in proper order, not a single life need have been sacrificed.

We think it may be useful to consider this sad calamity— 1st, As showing the constant liability to accidents of even the powerful, well-equip- ped steamer, up to the very moment of her entering the port she is bound to, thereby evincing the necessity of a constant preparation and the folly of supposing that because a particular port has not for a long time been the scene of shipwreck, it is therefore entitled to expect a perpetual immunity from it.

2ndly. As affording an instance of the deficiency of preparation and means of succour to shipwrecked persons which actually does exist in this country at the present time, and the almost impossibility of those on shore rendering any important services, however close the wrecked vessel may be to them, unless they are supplied with all proper ap- paratus and .with hands practised in their use.

3rdly. As showing the call which there is for the establishment of a governmental supervision of the means employed for saving life from shipwreck around the whole coasts of the United Kingdom, and for the enactment of a law which should compel every port to maintain adequate means for the succour of vessels in distress, as they are already to support an efficient police for the protection of persons and property on shore.

This is a subject which we may return to; but, for the present, we will leave it to our readers to consider whether the existing state of things is satisfactory, or whether, when we reflect that six or seven hundred lives annually perish on our own shores, so great a sacrifice of human life, and so con- tinual a drain upon our nursery of British seamen, are not evils of sufficient magnitude to be deserving of some more serious endeavours to alleviate them than have hitherto been attempted.