THE Board of Trade have recently issued their most interesting and well- arranged Annual Blue Book, furnishing abstracts of the returns relative to the many shipping casualties which occurred on or near the coasts of the United Kingdom during the year ended 30th June, 1907. In accordance with our usual practice we submit to our readers a digest of the " Abstracts " in question, and especially of those which more directly bear on the great life-saving work of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE- BOAT INSTITUTION. In doing so, we feel sure that a comparison of the figures, supplied with the corresponding figures of the previous year, will prove interesting. Notwithstanding every- thing that has been done of late years —and that " everything" includes much —to improve our ships and those who man them, as well as the lighting, etc., of our dangerous coasts, numerous serious shipping casualties continue and will we fear ever continue to take place, but it is the sole and im- portant object of the Life-boat Insti- tution to reduce the sad death-roll resulting from wrecks on our shores to the smallest dimensions possible and to provide succour and safety for the tempest-tossed mariner.

We will, in the first place, deal with the shipping casualties themselves, and then with the lives which were so sadly lost as a result of the casualties. The total number of casualties in the year 1906—7 was 3,784, an unfortunate in- crease of 99 as compared with the pre- vious year, and the total number of lives lost was 324, a somewhat large increase, namely, 55, as compared with the year 1905-6. The 3,784 casualties included shipping accidents of every description, such as founderings, .strandings, col- lisions, missing vessels, etc., and the Board of Trade classifies the casualties as follows :—(1) Total loss ; (2) Serious casualties; (3) Minor casualties. The cases of total loss and serious casualty show an increase of 99, the total num- ber being 1,266. Curiously enough the number of minor casualties was the same as in the previous year, namely 2,518. As many as 105 casualties resulted in loss of life, an increase of 9 as compared with the preceding year.

A very considerable proportion of the 3,784 casualties were, as usual, collision cases, the total of such cases being 1,472, or 136 more than in the year 1905-6. The total losses, excluding collisions, increased from 216 to 220, but there was a slight falling off in the number of serious casualties, excluding collisions, the number being 611, a decrease of 17. There was also a decrease in the number of minor casualties, excluding collisions, the cases under this head numbering 1,481, as against 1,505 during the previous year.

Of the 3,784 casualties 3,331 befell British and Colonial vessels, and 453 Foreign vessels, the former being an unsatisfactory increase of 58 and the latter of 41 as compared with the year preceding.

The precise localities of the 3,784 casualties, excluding collisions, were :— East Coast of England, 643, an increase of 24; South Coast, 446, or 35 less than in the year 1905-6; "West Coast of England and Scotland and East Coast of Ireland, 690, a good decrease of 76 ; North Coast of Scotland, 170, an increase of 21 ; East Coast of Scotland, 159, also an increase of 6 casualties ; other parts, 204, or 23 more than the preceding year; total, 2,312, a net decrease for the year, 37.

The loss of life arising from the 3,784 casualties, all classes of casualties being included, and allocated as in the case of the casualties, was: East Coast of England, 112, a large increase of 61 over the previous year ; South Coast of England, 69, or 26 more than the total for 1905-6; West Coast of England and Scotland and East Coast of Ireland, 48, a decrease of 22 ; North Coast of Scotland, 20, a decrease of 13; East Coast of Scotland only 3, a large decrease of 19; other parts, 72; total, 324.

On reference to the Chart of the United Kingdom, issued yearly, it will be seen that a black dot is placed against each spot on the coast where there was a serious shipping casualty during the year ended 30th June, 1907, and a red line is also placed against the exact position of the 280 Life-boat Stations of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE- BOAT INSTITUTION. Special care has been exercised in the placing of these Life-boats with a view to their render- ing as expeditious assistance as possible to the crews of distressed vessels.

Between the year 1861 and the 30th June, 1907, 6,816 British, Foreign and Colonial vessels were wrecked on or near the coasts of the United Kingdom, and in every one of these cases life was lost, the total number being 29,017.

The number of lives lost from British and Colonial vessels in the year 1906-7 was 257, and 67 from Foreign vessels; the total for the year in question being as stated above, 324. As regards the number of lives lost during the year from British and Colonial vessels, there was an increase of 51, and an increase of 4 as regards Foreign vessels. Of the 324 lives lost, 49 were in foundered vessels, 118 in collisions, 77 in stranded vessels, 37 in missing vessels, and 43 in explosions, washed overboard, etc. It should be noted that of the total lives lost (324) only 15 were passengers, the remaining 309 being officers or members of the crews of the vessels shipwrecked.

The number of vessels incurring casualties on or near the coasts of the United Kingdom must of necessity vary considerably from year to year. The Statistics given below furnish the figures 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), 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 ; 1880-1, 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; 1906-7,3,784. Total, 177,663.

The Board of Trade " Abstracts " for the last fifty-four years show that dur- ing those years as many as 32,856 lives were lost in shipwrecks on or near the coasts of the United Kingdom. During | the same period, however, the number ! of the lives saved by the Life-boats of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITU- TION and the other means employed and recognised by it exceeded those lost by 4,700, the total of the saved being 37,556.

It should be noted with satisfaction that a grand work in life-saving on our coasts is also energetically carried on by H.M. Coastguard, by means of the rocket apparatus, assisted by the rocket brigades, all being ably managed by the Board of Trade. There were in July last as many as 338 life-saving stations under their care ; and the total number of lives saved by the life-saving ap- paratus during the year 1907-8 was 120, a decrease of 148 as compared with the total for the preceding year. We cannot but hope that the Coastguard may be employed for many years to come, not only in carrying on this important work, but also in ably co- operating in the future as in the past with the Life-boat service. Their help has been invaluable.

To maintain the Service of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION in thorough efficiency necessitates a very large annual income. Every effort is made to keep down expenses and unprofitable outlay, but efficiency is everything, and to ensure this the Com- mittee of Management earnestly appeal to the British Public for liberal financial support. The fact that nearly 48,000 lives owe their safety to the Institution and to the means it adopts or rewards is alone a sufficient claim for unstinted recognition and help..