IN the face of the gratifying fact that our commerce is year by year expanding itself by many thousands of tons of shipping, it is a lamentable and mortifying truth, that the advance of our science and skill does not keep pace with this expansion, in diminishing the number of wrecks that every year play out their tragedy on our shores.

With unfailing progression, the wrecks and casualties, during the past year, have moved on from month to month, until the aggregate number amounts to 1,741.

So great is the number of our losses in shipping, that the admirable document of the Board of Trade, the Wreck Register, has become at last a publication of great importance and interest, chronicling, as it does every year, with unfailing accuracy, not only the loss or disaster to every vessel in our seas and on our shores, but also the number, so far as can be ascertained, of the precious lives lost therefrom.

It may be argued that this loss of life and destruction of property are the natural consequences of our immense and increasing commerce, representing, probably, seventy millions of tons of shipping, and of the value of five hundred millions of pounds sterling.

In commenting on the facts detailed in the Register, it is not our province to dwell minutely on the destruction of property, as that is a matter which concerns shipowners, underwriters, and others, but our observations will bear more particularly on the lamentable loss of life; although it is an encouragement to know that we are making great and rapid progress by our life-boats and other means to lessen such loss.

Our life-boats and rocket-apparatus have multiplied amazingly on the coast; and in lieu of having to lament, as in past years, the loss of 800 or 1000 lives during the last twelve months, the number who perished on our shores during that period amounted to 516 only, amongst 4,000 or 5,000 persons placed in imminent peril by shipwrecks; the number lost in 1863 being 620. Still, this is a large number; and it is to be hoped that the public will continue to support the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, that it may unceasingly use every effort to reduce even that number.

It appears from the Returns that 30,261 lives have been saved by life-boats, the rocket-apparatus, 'shore-boats, ships'-boats, and other means, from 1855 to 1864, inclusive —a fact which is without a parallel in the history of philanthropic efforts—and that 3,619 lives were thus saved last year alone.

During the past few years this country has been visited by terrific gales of wind ; and there is no question that the increase of our shipping casualties has occurred in particular gales of remarkable violence. For instance, in 1859 our shores were visited (among other gales) with the storm which proved fatal to the Royal Charter and 446 lives; in 1860, there was a succession of gales throughout the year; in January, February, and November, 1861, there were fatal gales from the N. to E. and S.E., which alone added upwards of 460 to the number of casualties in that year; in 1862, the westerly gales of January, October, and December added upwards of 540 to the number of casualties ; in 1863, the westerly gales of January, March, September, October, November, and December added upwards of 930 to the number of casualties ; and in 1864, the easterly and westerly gales of January, February, March, October and November added upwards of 400 to the number of casualties.

Of the 1,741 vessels which met with disasters in 1864, 1,434 are known to have been British ships, and 246 foreign ships ; while the country and employment of 61 are unkn&wn. Of the British ships, 454 only were foreign-going •, and of the foreign ships, 179 were making voyages to or from-the United Kingdom, and 13 were employed in the British coasting-trade.

The remaining 1,095 ships were employed in the coasting-trade, with the exception of a few foreign ships which were passing the coasts of the United Kingdom, on foreign voyages, and those whose country and employment are unknown.

Of the total number of casualties reported in 1864, 351 were casualties arising by collision, and 1,039 were casualties from causes other than collisions. Of these 1,390 casualties, 467 resulted in total losses, and 923 in damage more or less serious.

Of the 386 total losses from causes other than collision, 163 only were caused by stress of weather; 89 were caused by carelessness, incompetency, and neglect; 39 from unseaworthiness, or defects in the ship or her equipments; and 95 from various accidental causes.

As usual, the number of ships of the collier class meeting with accidents is nearly half of the whole number of ships to which casualties happened during the year, amounting to no less than 844; and this notwithstanding the loss of 74 fishing-vessels during the various gales of 1864. It is to the nnseaworthy and ill-found vessels of the collier class that the great number of casualties on our coasts is due. It is worthy of notice that, of the 1,741 ships to which accidents happened in 1864, only 136 were steam-ships; only 91 exceeded 600 tons burthen, and only 328 exceeded 300 tons burthen.

The tonnage of the ships is given as follows :— Vessels under 50 Tons 51 and under 100 101 „ 300 1301 „ 600 601 „ 900 901 „ 1200 1201 and upwards Vessels.

323 432 658 237 41 31 19 Total 1,741 The age of the vessels is also given, as before, in the Register. During the six years ending 1864, 757 casualties happened to nearly new ships,—!, e., ships under 3 years of age;—3,152 to ships from 3 years to 14 years of age ; 3,894 to ships from 14 to 50 years of age ; 300 to ships from 50 to 80 years of age; 9 to ships between 80 and 90 years of age; 5 to ships between 90 and 100 years of age ;' and 3 to ships of above 100 years of age.

The greatest number of casualties, as usual, happened on the East Coast; but the disasters attended with the greatest loss of life on the coasts, during the six years ending 1864, occurred on the Irish Sea, between England and Ireland.

These shipwrecks are clearly defined on the accompanying Wreck Chart. On it is faintly represented the fearful scenes which play out their tragedy on our shores every winter. It will be observed that at the entrance of our great trading ports all over the kingdom the black dots on the Wreck Chart are very numerous; and while they indicate doleful shipwrecks, they also tell of coble deeds performed by our life-boat crews, in the face of death, in snatching many a life from a watery grave.

The cargoes of the vessels to which casualties happened in 1864 are given as follows:— Colliers laden 523 Colliers light.

Iron and Copper Ore, &o.

Stone, &c Timber Fishing Smacks 99 . 126 96 83 . 74 Other laden vessels 557 Vessels in ballast (not colliers) . 134 Passengers and general cargo . 49 Total ships . . . .1,741 The winds that have been most disastrous to shipping during the six years ending 1864 are here given ; the westerly winds, it will be observed, being by far the most fatal:— N., 272; N.N.E., 250; N.E., 386; E.N.E., 322; E., 303; E.S.E., 331; S.E., 434; S.S.E., 306 ; S., 346; S.S.W., 586; S.W., 943; W.S.W., 639; W., 556; W.N.W., 648; N.W., 653; N.N.W., 315.

As regards the force of the wind, out of the whole number of actual casualties in 1864, 794 happened when the wind was at force 8 or under—i.«., when a ship, if properly found, manned, and navigated, would keep the sea and make the voyage in safety; and 514 happened whilst the wind was blowing from a strong gale to a hurricane; 9 occurred with a variable wind; and 73 with a wind the force and direction of which is not known.

Happily, casualties from collisions are not on the increase, either absolutely or proportionally with other casualties. The annual average per cent, of all collisions reported, as compared with the total number of disasters reported during the four years ending 1860, is 23 • 98 ; and during the four years ending 1864, is 22-24.

But if only collisions properly so called— i. e., collisions between two ships both of which are under way—be taken, then the result will be as stated below : for the four years ending 1860, 17-18 per cent.; and for the four years ending 1864, 15-12 per cent. The numbers for the last three years are as follows: 1862, 247; 1863, 197; and 1864, 243.

The main causes of the collisions during 1864 are reported as being bad look-out, neglect and misapplication of the rule of road at sea, negligence, parting cables, and dragging anchors. Only 7 total losses by collision, and 31 partial losses by collision can, from the facts as reported, be attributed to inevitable accident.

The number of collisions reported in 1864, as happening in weather described as dark, very dark, hazy, or thick and foggy, is 101; whilst the number happening in weather described as cloudy, dark and clear, or clear and fine, was 190. Cases of collision have been reported in which no look-out whatever has been kept, or in which the deck of the ship has been left without any person in charge, and the helm has been lashed down, although the ship may have been sailing at full speed, and in a much frequented part of our narrow seas. In cases of this description the master of the vessel ought undoubtedly to be prosecuted.

The enactments in the Merchant Shipping Amendment Act of 1862, on the subject of collisions, and the rules adopted by Her Majesty's Government, and by the Government of the Emperor of the French, and accepted by all maritime nations, have now become better known, and will, it is hoped, lead to a diminution in the number of collisions.

We have thus attempted to analyse briefly this important Wreck Register, and we have seen that Death levies a heavy toll on our journeys on the sea. We pay dearly and suffer much.

Every one is now familiar with what is done by our noble fleet of Life-boats, the Life-preserving Apparatus of the Board of Trade, and various other means, to break the tyranny of the stormy waves, and to give safety to the 4,000 or 5,000 poor creatures who suffer shipwreck every year on our coasts.

It is true that no man can contend with the elements. It is inevitable that shipwrecks will occur from various causes in our seas and on our coasts; but we nevertheless maintain firmly that skill and precaution can successfully battle with the most fearful storms to a large extent. Sailors are a careless race, and, indeed, they must always be so, for a calculating youth would hardly select a sailor's life for his profession in the absence of the noble instinct which impels our young men to make that choice.

As we have often said before, those saved by Life-boats would probably perish in their absence in ninety-nine cases out of every hundred. The following cases which amongst scores of others occurred last winter will show clearly the character of these Life-boat services:— On the 20th February last, the Blakeney Life-boat went out and rescued a crew of 13 men from the barque Amana of Sunderland, which was totally wrecked, during thick weather, about 3 miles east of Blakeney Harbour. The life-boat also brought ashore 5 men who had previously boarded the vessel in their own boat, and were unable to reach the land again in her.

About 9-30 P.M., on the 7th December, the St. Nicholas lightship was observed throwing up rockets, and a light was seen as if from a vessel in distress on the Scroby Sands. The Yarmouth large life-boat was immediately launched, and proceeded in the direction of the signals of distress, which were found to proceed from the Austrian brig Zorniza, of Lucine, which had stranded on the Scroby Sands. Every exertion was made by the life-boat's crew to save the vessel, and they ultimately succeeded in getting her off the sand; but having previously lost her rudder, she was quite unmanageable, and again got on the sand. The crew, consisting of 12 men and a pilot, were then taken on board the life-boat with great difficulty, and afterwards brought safely ashore. The sea was very heavy, and one of the beachmen's yawls, the Bravo, was damaged to such an extent in endeavouring to assist the vessel, that her crew of 7 men left her and gladly got into the life-boat, fearing their own boat would sink.

About 3 A.M., on the 25th November the Mary Hartley life-boat was launched, and proceeded, in tow of a steam-tug, down the river to Buddonness, near Dundee, to the rescue of the crew of a vessel reported to be in distress. At daylight the schooner David and John, of Montrose, was seen amongst the broken water, near No. 2, Gaa Buoy, in a dangerous position. The lifeboat immediately pulled to her, and with considerable difficulty got alongside, and took off the crew of 4 men, and afterwards landed them in safety. The weather was very stormy. The schooner was left at anchor, but sunk soon after the crew had been taken off.

On the 7th December signals of distress were observed on a vessel near the Little Orme's Head. The Sisters' Memorial lifeboat was launched, and found the vessel at anchor, with her mast carried away. She proved to be the flat 'Morning Star, of Carnarvon. With the assistance of the lifeboat, the vessel and her crew of 3 men were brought safely into Llandudno. It blew very hard from S.S.W. at the time.

There are at present 150 life-boats on the coasts of the United Kingdom belonging to the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION and 35 to local boards. The mortar and rocket apparatus stations now number 243, and are under the management of the Coastguard and the Board of Trade.

During the year 1864, and the first eight months of 1865, 627 lives (besides 28 vessels) were saved by the life-boats of the National Institution alone, and 395 by shore-boats and other means, for which it granted rewards. A sum of £2,297 was expended by the Institution in the same period in rewards; and £34,128 on its various establishments round the coasts of the British Isles.

In the presence of facts like these the Life-boat Institution need have no misgiving in respect to pecuniary support whilst it pursues vigorously and successfully the great and national objects for the promotion of which it was established more than forty years ago.

It is gratifying and encouraging to find that in proportion as the sphere of the operations of the Institution increases, its Committee of Management and Officers become deeply sensible of their great and responsible duties, and of the high trust which the British public has reposed in them. Its local Branches, and the sailors who are ever ready to man the life-boats, fully participate in this feeling of responsibility ; and so long as this mutual feeling is maintained and strengthened, the cause of suffering humanity must be the gainer.

In conclusion, we may ask, who can read the account of the life-boat services without indorsing the eloquent words of Miss FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE when she recently said, in sending her 201. to the Life-boat Institution, " I can never see the accounts of the heroic deeds constantly performed in this cause, without feeling that the age of heroes has not passed away; and may God bless, as he has so manifestly blessed, the valiant NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION ?"