THE admirably arranged and deeply interesting Tables compiled from the wreck register which the BOARD OF TRADE publishes each year, bring vividly before the mind the terrible loss of life and property which annually takes place on our coasts, and should have the effect of stirring ns up to adopt and encourage all possible means to mitigate and minimize so great an evil. We have recently had put before us the statistics for the year ended the 30th June, 1887, and it is sad to be compelled to confess, that notwithstanding all that has been done for us by science, and all that has been achieved by education and philanthropy, we are yet far enough off from a " golden age " in shipping affairs. It would certainly seem that the machinery afforded by the KOYAI, NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION for rescuing the poor shipwrecked mariner from a watery grave, is as necessary now as it was half a century ago.

The figures for the year we are treating afford little satisfaction, for not only did the number of vessels which met with accidents of all sorts on and near the coasts of the United Kingdom increase from 3596— the number given in the preceding year— to 4224, but, which is far more serious, the total number of lives lost as a result of those accidents showed an excess over the previous year of more than one-third, it having risen from 396 to 645, an increase for which there is apparently no explanation.

As we have already stated, the accidents which befell the 4224 vessels were miscellaneous; but speaking generally, they may be arranged under the following heads:—total loss, serious casualties, and minor casualties. Under each of these heads we find a considerable increase; those of total loss and serious casualty together, giving a total of 1582, or 292 more than in the year 1885-86, while the minor casualties increased from 2306 to 2642. Life was lost in 159 of the total losses, or in 43 more cases than in the previous year.

It appears that a third of the increase in the number of vessels meeting with casualties—628—is accounted for by the increase in the number of cases of vessels involved in collisions, of which there were no less than 1423, as against 1232 in the year 1885-6, and that, exclusive of collisions, the number of total losses rose from 310 to 338, the serious accidents from 651 to 818, and the minor casualties from 1403 to 1645. Of the 4224 casualties, 3851 fell to the share of British and Colonial ships and steamers, Foreign vessels meeting with accidents in 373 instances.

It is interesting to note the localities of the casualties other than cases of collision, as they furnish a sort of general idea as to the portions of our coast which experienced the worst weather during the year under consideration. The localities were as follows:—east coast of England, 732; south coast, 626; west coast of England and Scotland and east coast of Ireland, 1006; north coast of Scotland, 95; east coast of Scotland, 133, and other parts 209. Total, 2801.

The lives lost as a result of the 4224 casualties were—east coast of England, 58, or 35 less than in the preceding year; south coast of England, 63, or 1 more than in the year 1885-6; west coasts of England and Scotland and east coast of Ireland, 307, an increase of 217 over the previous year; north coast of Scotland, 33 or 20 more that in the previous twelve months; east coast of Scotland, 28 or 4 more than in the year 1885-6; other parts, 156. Total, 645.

In the accompanying chart will be found little black dots denoting all the spots where the more serious casualties happened on the coasts of our "tight little island" during the year ended the 30th June, 1887. We have only given the localities of the cases of total losses from all causes, and serious casualties arising from causes other than collision.

We have also shown the position of all the Life-boat stations of the KOY.AL NATIOWAI LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, which it will be seen have been established where they ate most needed, forming a rescuing chain all around our coast.

As many as 4,358 British, Colonial and Foreign vessels were wrecked on the coasts of the United Kingdom between 1861 and the 30th of June, 1887, in each of which cases lives were lost, the total number being 19,992.

Last year -we had the satisfaction of stating that there had been a decrease in the number of lives lost in the year 1885--6, as compared with the previous year; but we cannot, unfortunately, make a similar gratifying report as regards the year 1886-7, the total number of lives lost, as has been already stated, having increased from 396 in the preceding year to 645—of which 524 were from British and Colonial vessels, and 121 from Foreign vessels; 96 were lost in. foundered vessels; 88 in collisions, 218 in stranded vessels (as again/si 112 in the previous year), 104 in missing vessels, and the remaining 139 in various -ways—explosions, washed overboard, etc.

The following Table is interesting as showing how curiously the number of vessels meeting with casualties fluctuates from year to year. To give a fair idea of these fluctuations, we give the figures for each year since June 1854—1854 (last six months), 458; 1855, 1,141; 1856, 1,153; 1857, 1,143; 1858, 1,170; 1859, 1,416; 1860,1,379; 1861, 1,494; 1862, 1,827; 1863,2,001; 1864, 1,741; 1865, 2,012; 1866,2,289; 1867,2,513; 1868, 2,131; 1869,2,594; 1870,1,865; 1871, 1,927; 1872, 2,381; 1873 (first six months), 1,206: 1873-4, 2,191; 1874-5, 4,259; 1875-6, 4,554; 1876-7, 5,017; 1877-8,4,436; 1878-9,3,716; 1879-80, 3,138; 1880-81,4,297; 1881-2, 4,367; 1882-3, 4,363; 1883-4, 4,405; 1884-5, 3,764; 1885-6, 3,596; 1886-7, 4,224.

Total, 90,168.

Terrible as it is to consider that in these years 23,831 souls perished from shipwreck on our shores, it is a matter for deep thankfulness to know that that number would have been more than doubled had it not been for the Life-boats of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION and other means of rescue, for the prompt use of which the Society granted rewards, which were together instrumental in saving 23,939 lives.

Since 1824, when this Institution was established, up to the 31st December last, the Life-boats and those other means to which reference has been made, rescued 34,043 persons from a watery grave. .

This article would be incomplete were we to conclude it without drawing special attention to the excellent life-saving work which is done year after year by the rocket-apparatus of the BOARD OF TRADE.

The 295 stations supplied with the apparatus saved 143 lives in the year ended the 30th June, 1887.

In view of the figures which we have given, it ought to be superfluous for us to make a direct appeal for help to carry on and maintain efficiently the important work of the Institution, but recognizing the fact that things are not always as they should be, we earnestly call on all those who take any interest in the rescue of "those in peril on the sea" to lend a helping hand.