ONCE again the Board of Trade has issued its very clear and valuable Annual Report—in the shape of a Blue Book—relative to the shipping casualties which occur on or near the coasts o) the United Kingdom. The recent issue deals with the relative statistics for the year ended 30th June, 1906. The tables provided in the Report are full of interest and are well set out. Any taking an interest in our ships and sailors, and those who assist the important life-saving work carried on year in and year out by the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, will find them well worth their examination and study.

It is our practice each year to draw special attention to the figures shown in those tables of the " Wreck Abstracts : which more directly relate to the LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION and its doings, these being, naturally, more especially interesting to the supporters of the Institution, and tending to show the great importance and necessity of its useful operations. We propose therefore, in a concise form, to deal, firstly, with the shipping casualities which occurred on or near our coasts during the year ended 30th June, 1906, and secondly, with the lives which were so unfortunately lost as the result of such casualties.

The total number of the casualties for the year in question was 3,685, a satisfactory decrease of 321 as compared with the year 1904-5, and the total number of lives lost as the result of the casualties was 269, a considerable decrease of 115 as compared with the previous year, when the number of those who were drowned was 384. The total of casualties (3,685) included accidents of all sorts and to vessels of all classes, namely, founderings, strandings, collisions, missing vessels, &c., and the casualties in question are classified by the Board of Trade as follows: (1) Total loss; (2) Serious casualties; (3) Minor casualties.

The cases of total loss and serious casualty show a decrease of 50 when compared with the previous year, the total number being 1,167. There was a very considerable falling-off in the number of minor casualties, which fell from 2,789 to 2,518, a decrease of 271.

96 casualties resulted in loss of life, an increase of 5 when compared with the year 1904-5.

A large proportion of the 3,685 casualties were collision cases, as has generally been shown, the total this time being 1,336, or 173 less than in the preceding year. The cases of total loss, excluding collisions, rose from 206 to 216, but the number of serious casualties fell from 654 to 628, a decrease of 26. There was also a falling-off in the number of minor casualties, which totalled 1,505, or 132 less than in the year 1904-5.

It is interesting to note that of the 3,685 casualties 3,273 befell British and Colonial vessels and 412 foreign vessels, the former being a satisfactory decrease of 320 as compared with the previous year, and the latter a decrease of only 1.

The localities of the 3,685 casualties, excluding collisions, were as follows:— East Coast of England, 619, i.e., 13 more than in the year 1904-5; South Coast 481, or a considerable increase of 65 ; West Coast of England and Scotland and East Coast of Ireland 766, a fair decrease of 142; North Coast of Scotland 149, a falling-off of 2 ; East Coast of Scotland 153, or an increase of 2; other parts 181, or 84 less than the preceding year; total, 2,349, a decrease of 148 as compared with the corresponding total of the previous year.

The loss of life resulting from the 3,685 casualties, including all the casualties, and allocated to the several localities previously mentioned, was :—East Coast of England 51, an increase of 3 over the year 1904-5 ; South Coast of England 43, or 39 less than the total of the preceding twelve months; West bast of England and Scotland and East Coast of Ireland 70, an increase of 1 only; North Coast of Scotland 33, a decrease of 12; East Coast of Scotland 22, an increase of 5; other parts 50 ; total 269.

On referring to the Chart of the United Kingdom, issued every year, it will be observed that a black dot is entered against each position on the coast where a serious casualty occurred during the year ended on the 30th June, 1906, and also that a red line is entered against the precise spot where each of the 279 Life-boats of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION is stationed. The Institution's Life-boats are so placed that they may be able to render help to the crews of distressed vessels with the least possible delay.

Between the year 1861 and the 30th June, 1906, as many as 6,711 British, Foreign and Colonial vessels were unfortunately wrecked on or near the coasts of the United Kingdom, and in each of these cases life was lost, the total number of those perishing being 28,693.

Of the 269 lives lost during the year 1905-6, 206 were from British and Colonial vessels and 63 from foreign vessels. On comparison with the figures of the preceding year it is found that there was a decrease of 86 as regards British and Colonial vessels and a decrease of 29 as regards foreign vessels.

Of the 269 lives lost, 27 were in foundered vessels, 90 in collisions, 89 in stranded vessels, 25 in missing vessels, and 38 in explosions, washed overboard, &c. It is an interesting fact that of the 269 lives lost during the year 1905-6, only 13 were passengers, the rest of those who perished (256) being officers or members of the crews of the shipwrecked vessels.

The number of vessels incurring casualties on or near the coasts of the United Kingdom must necessarily vary from year to year. The following table gives the statistics for rather more than the last half century :— 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), 1206 ; 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; 1880-1, 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; 1890-1,4,198; 1891- 2, 4,710; 1892-3, 3,499; 1893-4,4,951; 1894-5,4,917; 1895-6,4,620; 1896-7, 5,277; 1897-8, 4,964; 1898-9, 5,040; 1899-1900, 4,067 ; 1900-1, 4,008; 1901 -2,4,124; 1902-3,4,357; 1903-4,4,668; 1904-5, 4,006; 1905-6, 3,685. Total 173,879.

The "Wreck Abstracts" for the last 53 years show that during those years a total of 32,532 persons perished from shipwrecks on or near the coasts of the United Kingdom. It is, however, a matter for the deepest gratitude to know that during the same period 36,307 lives were rescued by the Life-boats of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, and the other means employed and recognised by it. Had it not been, therefore, for these grand and successful efforts in life-saving, the number of the lost would have been more than doubled.

It should be noted thai the number of lives saved exceeded the number of tAose lost by 3,775.

H.M. Coastguard, who will, we trust, long be employed in the important lifesaving work which they so admirably carry on, continue, by means of the rocket apparatus, aided by the rocket brigades —all ably superintended by the Board of Trade—to save many lives. There are now as many as 331 life-saving stations undei.1 their care, and the number of lives saved during the year 1906-7 by this means was 268, an increase of 127 as compared with the total for the previous year.

The Committee of Management of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION would earnestly appeal for further aid and liberal support to enable them to continue to carry on the great national life-saving work which for upwards of fourscore years has been the happy and very successful means of saving lives from shipwrecks on or near our coasts. The fact that since 1824 upwards of 47,000 lives have been so rescued, either by the Life-boats of the Institution or by the other means which it either employs or rewards is a sufficient justification for a call on the British Public for substantial help and cordial sympathy..