WE heartily congratulate the BOARD OF TRADE on the very satisfactory information it has been able to place before the public, in its recently-issued Annual Blue Book, relative to the shipping casualties on the coast of the United Kingdom during the year ended the 30th June, 1893. The information is satisfactory— highly satisfactory—because the Board has been able to show, not only that there was a very marked decrease in the various classes of casualties during the period under consideration as compared with previous years, but also, which is of much greater importance, that the loss of life consequent on the casualties was less than one-half what it had been in the preceding year. In passing, however, it should be pointed out that the Life- boats of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION and the Rocket Apparatus of the BOARD or TRADE were in no small degree the happy means of reducing the number of those who perished to such a comparatively low figure. In our Wreck article last year we reported with regret that the total number of casualties on our coast bad risen to 4,710, whereas in the present instance the total has dropped to 3,499, a very large decrease of 1,211; while the total number of lives lost as a result of the casualties fell from 565—the number for the year ended the 30th June, 1892—to 275, a net decrease of 290, or more than 50 per cent.

The 3,499 casualties included those of all sorts befalling all classes of vessels, collisions, fouNderings, strandings, etc.; but, following our usual rule, we purpose to classify them all under three principal heads: — (1) total loss; (2) serious casualties; (3) minor casualties. In the year 1891-92 there was a considerable increase under each of these heads, but in the year 1892-93 there was a general fall; the serious casualties under heads Nos. 1 and 2 having come down from 1,866 to 1,282, a decrease of 584, while the minor casualties were reduced to 2,217, a falling off of 627. Life was lost in 89 out of the 3,499 casualties, but bad as this was, it was a considerable percentage improvement on the previous year, when there was loss of life in 163 of the total of 4,710 casualties.

As usual the collision cases were greatly in excess of any other class of accident, the total being 1,285, but this number, large as it is, is less by 295 than that shown for the previous year. Excluding collision cases, the cases of total loss fell from 362 to 189; the serious casualties from 996 to 673, and the minor casualties from 1,772 to 1,352. From these figures it will be seen that a very gratifying improvement is shown "all along the line." Of the 3,499 casualties in the year 1892-93, 3,173 befel British and Colonial ships and steamers and 326 Foreign vessels, the former total being a Large decrease of 1,036 as compared with the year before, while the latter was a falling off of 175.

The localities of the various casualties, irrespective of collisions, were:—east coast of England 547; north coast 367; west coast of England and Scotland and east coast of Ireland 827; north coast of Scotland 114; east coast of Scotland 145, and other parts 214; total 2,214, or 916 less than in the previous year.

The loss of life resulting from casualties of every description, including collisions, was as follows:—east coast of England 36, or 83 less than in the year 1891-92 ; south coast of England 36, or 94 less than in the previous year; west coast of Eng- land and Scotland and east coast of Ire- land 98, a decrease of only 8 as compared with the year before; north coast of Scot- land 34, or 13 more, this being the only increase, than in the year 1891-92 ; east coast of Scotland 12, or 32 less than in the previous twelve months; other parts 59; total 275.

A black dot has been entered on the • annexed chart of the United Kingdom against every spot where a shipping casualty of a serious nature happened on our coasts in the year ended the 30th June, 1893, so that our readers will at a glance see which parts of the coast have proved the most disastrous. The chart also shows the exact position of the 311 Life-boats of the Institution which serve as a protective chain around our rockbound shores.

Between 1861 and the 30th June, 1893, there were no less than 5,149 British, Colonial and Foreign vessels wrecked on our coast, everyone of which resulled in the loss of life, the total number of per- sons so perishing being 22,789. Of the 275 lives sacrificed in the year 1892-93, 228 were from British and Colonial vessels, and 47 from Foreign vessels. If these totals are put side by side with those of the previous year it will be found that the number of lives lost from British and Colonial vessels was reduced by 244, and that those from Foreign ships showed a decrease of 46. Of the 275 lives lost 68 | perished in foundered vessels, 57 in col- lisions, 61 in stranded vessels, 45 in missing vessels, as against 104 the year before, and the remaining 44 in explosions, washed overboard, etc.

It will be seen from the following table that during the last 40 years there has been a considerable fluctuation each year in the number of vessels meeting with casualties on the coasts of the United Kingdom, the totals being sometimes higher, sometimes lower, the general ten- j dency, however, being an upward one ; but j the year we have been specially treating was a remarkable exception to the general rule, the total number of vessels meeting with casualties (3,499) being considerably j less than in any year since 1873-74, excepting the year 1879-80, when the total ; was unusually low (3,138) :—1854 (last six months), 458; 1855, 1,141; 1856 I 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, 1892-93, 3,499. Total, 115.195.

Sad as the loss of life which takes place year after year from shipwreck on our shores undoubtedly is, it is a matter for great thankfulness that notwithstanding in a little more than a generation as many as 26,628 lives have so perished, no less than 27,961 lives were saved in the same period by means of the Life-boats of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION and the other means employed and re- warded by the Institution. The number of lives saved, therefore, exceeded those lost by 1,333. In 1893, rewards were granted by the Committee for saving 598 lives.

The good work done by the Life-boats in the year 1892-93 was well supplemented by the aid given to distressed vessels and.

crews by the 303 Rocket apparatus and other stations of the BOARD or TRADE, which resulted in the rescue of 614 lives, as against 389 lives saved by the same means in the year 1891-92, the increase being 225.

Glad as we have been to draw attention to the decrease in the loss of life last year arising from shipwreck on our shores, the fact must not be lost sight of that, not- withstanding improvements in the lighting of the coast, the establishment of electrical communication for life-saving purposes, the removal of dangerous wrecks, our large fleet of Life-boats and all the other valuable means in use to prevent the loss of life, there must and will always be shipwrecks and shipping casualties, re- sulting in many lost lives and sorrowing families. The clear duty still remains therefore for all, old and young, rich and ! poor, to do what in them lies to minimise " sorrow on the sea " and to aid, even if the contribution be a very small one, in maintaining efficiently the LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, which points to its grand life-saving record in the past as an incontestable proof of the very great ; benefits it has conferred and is still I conferring, not only on this country but I on the other countries of the world, deserving in return gratitude and loyal support.