THE Board of Trade have recently pub- lished, in accordance with their annual custom, a Blue Book overflowing with interesting information and tables of figures such as to delight the most enthusiastic statistician, furnishing elaborate details relative to the wrecks and their accom- panying horrors, which took place on the coasts of the United Kingdom during the year ended the 30th June, 1890. In drawing attention to the subject our aim is to show the importance of the great work carried on by the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, without which the loss of life and property would have been very much greater than it was.

Tear after year we find the number of casualties steadily increasing, but it is satisfactory to know that there is not always a proportionate increase in the number of lives sacrificed, from which we may justly infer that the methods and plans adopted to save lives in danger are more efficient than in days gone by. The total number of vessels meeting with casualties in the year ended the 30th June, 1890, was 4,344, or 72 more than in the previous year; but although there was this increase in casualties resulting in the loss of an enormous amount of valu- able property, it is most satisfactory to find that so far from there being, as might have been expected, an increase in the number of lives lost, there was an absolute decrease of 51, the total for the year being only 406. This decrease added to that of the previous year gives an aggregate decrease of nearly 30 per cent, in two years. "We sincerely trust that this pro- gressive state of affairs may be maintained.

The 4,344 casualties included every description of accident that can befall a vessel, but may for convenience sake be classified under three heads, namely, total loss, serious casualties and minor casual- ties. Under the first two and more important heads a slight decrease is shown, the excess in the aggregate total being made up by unimportant accidents.

The numbers are as follows:—Total loss and serious casualties 1,548, or one less than in the 'previous twelve months, and minor accidents 2,796, or 73 more than in the previous year. We may suppose from this that either those in command of vessels are more skilled than formerly, or that they are exercising more care than was their wont. The fact, however, that life was lost as a result of 139 of the casualties is by no means satisfactory, because in the year 1888-9 only 180 casualties resulted in life being lost.

Almost a third of the casualties—1,432 —were cases of collision, this number being a decrease of 51 as compared with the year 1888-9. Not including colli- sions, the cases of total loss fell from 295 to 281; but on the other hand unfor- tunately, the serious casualties increased from 804 to 826, and the less important accidents from 1,690 to 1,805.

It is interesting to know that of the 4,344 vessels suffering, 3,945 were British and Colonial ships and steamers, the remaining 399being Foreigners, the former total showing an increase of 101 and the latter a satisfactory decrease of 29.

The localities of the casualties, exclud- ing collisions, were as follows:—East coast of England, 774; south coast, 565; west coast of England and Scotland and east coast of Ireland, 1,085; north coast of Scotland, 112; east coast of Scotland, 154; and other parts, 222; Total, 2,912, or 223 more than in the previous year. From these figures it would seem that during the year under consideration the west coast proved more dangerous than the east or other parts of the coast. This is rather unusual.

The loss of life, collision cases being included, is thus given:—East coast of England, 52, or 23 less than in the pre- vious year; south coast of England 78, or 108 less than the year before; west coast of England and Scotland, and east coast of Ireland, 100, an increase of 32 as compared with the previous twelve months; north coast of Scotland, 39, or 13 more than in the year 1888-9; east coast of Scotland, 21, nearly double the year before; other parts, 116; total, 406.

A general idea as to the* shipping disasters which occurred on the shores of the United Kingdom during the year ended the 30th June, 1890, will be ga- thered from the accompanying chart, from a glance at which it will be seen that very few parts of the coast have been fortunate enough to escape the black dots indi- cating the localities where casualties took place. The exact position of the 303 Life-boat stations of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION is a} so given, and it will be seen that the Life-boats have been placed at such places where wrecks most frequently occur.

Between 1861 and the 30th June, 1890, 4,742 British, colonial, and foreign vessels were wrecked on our coast, involving loss of life in every case, and the number of lives lost in these wrecks was 21,426.

Any decrease in the number of lives lost must necessarily be considered as satis- factory, and we are therefore glad to be able to repeat that during the year 1889-90 only 406 persons perished as compared with 457 in the previous year. At the same time we cannot but hope that in future years this number may be still further diminished. Of the 406 lives lost 377 were from British and Colonial vessels and 29 from Foreign vessels. By far the larger proportion of the losses fell therefore on British and Colonial vessels; but we may note that while the total of lives lost from our own ships and those of our colonies was less by 64 than in the year 1888-9 the number lost from foreign vessels was nearly trebled, the total having increased from 10 to 29. Of the 406 lives lost 68 were lost in foundered vessels ; 95 in collisions, or 81 less than in the previous year; 93 in stranded vessels, only 2 more than in the preceding twelve months; 78 in missing vessels, and the remainder—72—in explosions, washed overboard, &c.

It is interesting to notice how curiously the number of vessels meeting with casu- alties on the shores of Great Britain fluctuates from year to year. This is shown by the following totals, giving the totals from June, 1854, to June, 1890:—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; 1887-8, 4,004; 1888-9, 4,272; 1889-90, 4,344. Total, 102,788.Although it is to be deeply regretted that in rather more than thirty years as many as 25,265 lives have been lost from shipwreck on the coast, we cannot but express our unqualified satisfaction that in the same period, thanks to the Life- boats of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION and the other means recog- nised by it, 25,541 lives were saved, so that the number of persons saved exceeded the lost by 276. From the 1st January to the 22nd October 1891 the Life-boats and the other means referred to have been instrumental in rescuing 432 persons, a record fully justifying the Committee of the Institution in appealing for the liberal support of the public.

The 303 Rocket Apparatus stations of the Board of Trade also did some capital rescue work in the year 1889-90, result- ing in the saving of 132 lives.

Oar main object in drawing special attention to the foregoing statistics has been to emphasize the unpleasant fact that each year there is a terrible loss—we may call it waste—of human life on British shores; and such being the case, it is clearly our duty as a great maritime people to do all that can be done to reduce such a deplorable loss to a minimum.

Surely this important end may in no small degree be attained by assisting to main- tain in thorough efficiency a truly national society like the ROYAL NATIONAL LITE- BOAT INSTITUTION, in the interests of which we very earnestly appeal.