WHEN the maritime character of this country is considered, and the liability of a large portion of its population to be at one time or another exposed to the " dangers of the seas," surprise maybe well excited at the facts—that but a small proportion of this population are acquainted with the art of swimming—that the practice may be considered to be confined to one sex only, and that even on many parts of our coasts the boatmen and other seamen, who are constantly hazarding their lives on the sea in the pursuits of their daily calling, are unable to swim. And yet how many persons every year lose their lives on our coasts, rivers, and canals, through ignorance of the art! This ignorance is still more calculated to awaken astonishment when we reflect that the practice of bathing the entire person, and especially in sea-water, is of a strengthening and invigorating character, very conducive to health in most constitutions; that it promotes cleanliness -which has been denominated a virtue, ranking next to Godliness; that by the young it is invariably looked on as an agreeable and exciting recreation in the warmer months of the year, and moreover, that it is an exercise of that manly and active kind which is usually congenial to the British character.

Amongst the ancients we believe that it was, in common "with other gymnastic and athletic exercises, a part of the education of youth. We are told, in the account of the shipwreck of St. Paul at Melita, that the Centurion commanded those that could swim, first to cast themselves into the sea; and that on the same occasion the Roman soldiery, wished to kill all the prisoners, lest any of them might swim to the land and escape. The knowledge of swimming was therefore common at that period. Yet how much more necessary an accomplishment is it now, when, through the increased knowledge of navigation and the consequent increased commerce and intercommunication between distant parts of the earth, the sea has, become the great highway of the world! To what cause then must be attributed the neglect of so useful and attractive, and, to many, so invaluable an acquirement? Is it that people lack opportunity for learning ? that they have no time to learn ? that, except to those who reside near a sea-beach, it is expensive ? that it is not the custom, or that it may appear doubtful whether they may ever have occasion to put it in practice, except as an amusement ? Any or all of these reasons may have influence with different persons; but, be the reason what it may, the fact is patent, that the majority of men cannot swim, whilst to the other sex it is an unknown art As regards the fishermen and other boatmen on our coasts, the want of opportunity cannot be pleaded, whilst the utility of it is in their case doubly manifest. We are inclined to think that the principal cause of their frequent, and, in some parts of the coast, universal, neglect of an acquirement so useful to them, is the natural inertness of their class, who are proverbially slow.to change, and are satisfied to do as their fathers did before them.

Howthen is thisunsatisfactoiy state of things to be mended, and a more general knowledge of swimming to be introduced ? We think that it must chiefly be done by offering inducements to the young to learn and practise it, as such kinds of bodily exercises if not learnt in youth are seldom acquired at later periods of life, and if then commonly practised they are handed down from the youth, of one generation to those of succeeding ones, as are all their ordinary sports.

Our concern is of course chiefly with the maritime population on our coasts; as regards the general population of the country, we will merely suggest that as we have matches of various kinds—regattas, boatraces, horse-races, steeple-chases, cricketmatches, &c.—all which encourage a taste for and perpetuate those popular and manly sports, so we think that swimming-matches might very advantageously be added to the number, that the silver cup or other prize would be as honourably won by the dexterous swimmer as by the expert horseman or the. fortunate owner of a clipper-yacht.

Neither do we see why such a sport on any of our rivers or waters might not be attended with all the effort and enlivenment which the presence of the softer sex invariably affords on such occasions. A sufficient covering of the person to meet all the requirements of decency could be worn by the swimmers without at all impeding their motion in the water or preventing the free action of their limbs, and the most refined modern prudery could scarce take alarm at the sight of so much of the " human form divine " as the bared arms and shoulders of the swimmers would display.

As regards the teaching of the youth of our maritime population of the humbler classes to swim—to, in fact, form a new habit, and introduce a new custom of so invaluable a character amongst them, which would then perpetuate itself to the great advantage of succeeding generations—we think that the promotion of so great an end is an object worthy of the ambition of any one who may have sufficient influence and pecuniary means to bring it about.

As regards the manner of carrying it into execution we think that— 1st, It would be indispensable to offer a sufficient personal inducement, apart from the supposed advantage of possessing the knowledge itself.

2nd, A teacher or teachers of swimming according to the extent of district or amount of population, who were themselves well practised in the art, would be required to give daily gratuitous instruction to all who would avail themselves of it.

3rd, As our summer seasons are short) the course of instruction should commence at the first setting in of warm weather in early summer, in order that a sufficient amount of proficiency might be attained by the pupils in their swimming-schools before the approach of cold weather again, to keep up their interest in the subject until another winter should have passed away.

The first of these objects might be obtained by a liberal distribution of prizes, in proportion to relative proficiency. These at first might consist of articles of dress, fishing-hooks amd lines, the smaller descriptions of nets, telescopes, or other things which it might be the ambition of sailor lads to possess, with the promise of a complete new boat, fully equipped, to be competed for at the end of a second year, which would be a sufficient attraction to induce nearly every young man and boy in a neighbourhood to qualify himself to compete for it.

The establishment of such swimmingschools might be effected either by the chief landed proprietor or other wealthy resident of a neighbourhood, or by an association of persons subscribing together to promote them. In illustration of the practicability of such a plan, and as proof that the idea is not altogether chimerical, we are happy in being able to announce that a nobleman possessing extensive estates on the northeastern coast of England, who had already distinguished himself by placing life-boats along that coast, by erecting a sailor's home on a magnificent scale, and by evincing, a general interest in the welfare of the seafaring people on his property, has now further displayed a generous disposition and a true appreciation .of the advantages and responsibilities attached to great wealth and high station, by making the attempt to in- troduce the custom of swimming amongst the boatmen and fishermen on his estates, and who has engaged a swimming-master from London to assist in effecting his praiseworthy object.

We need scarcely add that we allude to his Grace the Duke of Northumberland, K.G., whose name is already familiar to all our readers, and whose noble example we now beg to hold up with the hope that it may find many imitators elsewhere.