ONCE again the Board of Trade has issued its important and interesting Annual Blue Book, supplying all sorts of statistics and furnishing every possible information relative to the shipping casualties- and wrecks which take place each year on the coasts of the United Kingdom and elsewhere. On this occa- sion the tables constructed from the Wreck Register more especially deal with the statistics for the year ended the 30th June, 1892, and in accordance with our usual custom we propose to give our readers, in a condensed form, a digest, which we trust will be easily understood, of the facts and figures to be obtained from them. In doing so, however, we cannot refrain from pointing out how clearly and strongly they indicate the absolute need of an organization such as the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITU- TION, assisted by the Rocket Apparatus, so -well managed by the BOARD OP TRADE.

Year after year—unfortunately with only an occasional exception—the ship- ping casualties on our coast increase, not- withstanding our much-vaunted scientific improvements and the better education and condition of our seamen. In the year nnder consideration the increase was a large one, the total number of casualties having bounded up from 4,198 to 4,710, or an increase of 512. This fact is bad enough when looked at simply from a " lost property" point of view, but the evil is terribly augmented when we find that, as a natural outcome, the loss of life increased also, the total having risen from 523 to 565, an increase of 42.

The 4,710 shipping casualties in ques- tion comprised every class of vessel sus- taining damage, whether from collision, foundering, stranding or other cause, but for the purposes of comparison we will classify all the casualties under the three following heads:—(1) total loss; (2) serious casualties; (3) minor casual- ties. In the previous year, while the number of minor casualties showed a fair decrease, the more serious cases increased in number; but in the present instance we regret to have to report a serious increase all round, the serious casualties under heads Nos. 1 and 2 having risen to 1,866, an excess of 189, and the minor casualties to 2,844, giving an increase of 323. ' Unfortunately life was lost in 163 cases,-whereasin the previous year the cases resulting in loss of life numbered only 155.

As might be expected a large propor- tion, more than a third, of the casualties were cases of collision, the total being 1,580, or 106 more than in the previous year. Excluding collisions, the cases of total loss increased from 344 to 362, and the serious casualties from 857 to 996.

The total of minor casualties rose from 1,523 to 1,772.

Of the total number of casualties (4,710) 4,209 befel British and Colonial ships and steamers and 501 Foreign vessels, the former showing a large increase of 515 as compared with the year 1890-91, while the latter showed a satisfactory decrease of 8.

The localities of the casualties, ex- cluding collisions, were:—East coast of England 782, south coast 593, west coast of England and Scotland and east coast of Ireland 1,231; north coast of Scotland 93, east coast of Scotland 168, and other parts 263; total 3,130, or 406 more than in the previous year. It has been found, as a rule, judging by results, that the east coast is the most dangerous to shipping, but curiously enough for the past three years matters have been re- versed, and the west coast has proved more disastrous than any other.

The loss of life resulting from the casualties, collisions and all other cases being included, was distributed as fol- lows:—East coast of England 119, or 82 more than in the year 1890-91; south coast of England 130, or 17 less than in the previous year; west coast of England and Scotland and east coast of Ireland 106, a falling off of 16 as com- pared with the year before; north coast of Scotland 21, or 4 more than in the previous twelve months; east coast of Scotland 44, or 24 more than the year 1890-91; other parts 145; total, 565.

We have entered on the accompanying chart of the United Kingdom a small black dot against every place where a shipping casualty of any importance happened on our coasts during the year ended the 30th June, 1892. This will at a glance show our readers the position of affairs. It will be seen that no great length of coast visited by shipping has been free from casualties. We have also shown on the chart, as has been our wont, the precise position of the 304 Life-boats of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, so that it can be easily judged whether the boats have been judiciously placed.

There were 5,060 British, Colonial, and Foreign vessels wrecked on our shores between 1861 and the 30th June, 1892, all of which resulted in loss of life, the total number of lives thus sacrificed being 530 THE LIFE-BOAT.

[!ST NOVEMBER, 1893.

22,514. Of the 565 lives lost in the year 1891-92, 472 were from British and Colonial vessels and 93 from Foreign vessels. Comparing these totals with those of the previous twelve months, it will be found that the number of lives lost from British and Colonial vessels decreased by 15, while those from foreign ships show a total increase of 57. Of the 565 persons who were drowned 65 were lost in foundered vessels, 93 in collisions, 208 in stranded vessels, 104 in missing vessels as against 165 the year before, and the balance (95) in ex- plosions, washed overboard, etc.

The following table furnishes the number of vessels which have met with casualties on the coasts of the United Kingdom each year since June 1854.

Although the totals have at times fluctu- ated very considerably, there has un fortunately been only too generally an upward tendency in them:—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; 1890-91, 4,198; 1891-92,4,710.

Total, 111,696.

Happily most clouds have their silver lining, and it is a matter for thankful and devout congratulation that, notwith- standing 26,353 lives have perished on our shores from shipwreck within the past generation, the Life-boats of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, and the other means employed and recognized by it, have been instrumental in rescuing in the same period 27,373 lives, so that the lives saved have ex- ceeded those so sadly lost by 1,020. In 1892 alone the Institution bestowed rewards for the saving of 1,056 lives.

The work done by the Life-boats in the year 1891-92 was admirably supple- mented by the assistance rendered to those in peril given by the 302 Rocket Apparatus Stations of the Board of Trade, resulting in the saving of 389 lives, or 173 more than those saved by the same means during the previous year.

The figures which have been given clearly demonstrate the perils and dangers to which our seamen are con- stantly exposed for the benefit of the community at large, and it is surely the duty of the public to recognize and acknowledge their indispensable services by taking all possible means to protect them and to minimize their sufferings.

This end could not be more satisfactorily attained than by supporting liberally the Life-boat Institution, which has probably rendered greater benefits to the shipping community than any other organization, and is much in need of efficient help at the present time.