The Express.
London, England, 1862-08-27 00:00:00

WRECKS ON THE BRITISH COAST.

The Board of Trade return of the wrecks and
casualties which occurred on and near the coats of the
United Kingdom in 1861 bas just been published. From
this report it appears that the number of casualties is
greater than that reported in any of the preceding nine yeas,
and 261 in excess of the annual average of the last six years.
The numbers (exclusive of collisions) were, in 1857, 866; in
1858, 869 ; in 1859, 1,067 ; in 1860, 1,081; and in 1851,
1,171 ; and the increase is ascribed to a great extent to the
gales of January, February, and November, in 'which alone
there were 465 casualties, exclusive of collisions. The num-
ber of collisions, again, though slightly in mane of 1860,
is under the number of 1859, the three years 1859, 1860,
1861 haviog the respective numbers 349, 298, aid 323;
and on the whole the increase in the number of collisions is
not proportionately so great as the increase of other casu-
alties. In the number of lives lost there is a large increase
as compared with last year, mused by the gales of January,
February, and November, which increased the number of
casualties. In 1860 there were 536, while in 1861 there
were 884, but this number is less than the numbers in
1854 and 1859. The comparatively small number of lives
lost in 1860 and 1861 is owing chiefly to the absence of the
loss of any large passenger ship oe the coasts. From a table
appended, showing the force of the wind, it appears that
nearly one-half of these casualties happened with the wind
at and under force 8, or " fresh gale," or under circum-
stances in which a ship, if seaworthy, and properly manned
and sound, ought to be able to keep the sea.
Appended to the report are various other tables oompar-
ins past years with the present, and clarifying the casual-
' ties in various ways. The most important of these shows
the geographical distribution of the wrecks. According to
this. the three most fatal districts are from the Fern Islands
to Flamborough Head, from Flamborough Head to North
Foreland, and &arras and Lembay to Fair Head and Mull
of Cautire. In the former district, in 1861, there were 40
ships wrecked, with a tonnage of 5,129 tons, and 244 men ;
and the loss was, totally wrecked, 31; partially, 9 ; and the
number of lives lost, 147. In the second district the
figures are—ships, 24 ; tonnage, 3,998 ; men, .189; total
wrecks, 18 ; partial, 6 ; lives lost, 111. And in the
third—ships, 28 ; tonnage, 5,832 ; men, 216 ; total
wrecks, 22 ; partial, 6 ; lives lost, 144. This, in
the et two districts, is greatly above the aver-
age of the last 12 years, which, for the one district, is
5510.12, and the other 89; but this is probably accounted
for by the increase of the number of casualties to ships of
the collier class, through the prevalence of N. and E. to
B.E. winds. In the third district the average of the 12
ran, 1331-12, is but slightly exceeded.
The number of lifeboats under the management of the
National Lifeboat Institution has increased from 124 in
1856 to 179 in 1861, and as compared with 1860 the in-
ertias is six. The number of lifeboats under other manage-
ment was 59 as compared with 63 in 1860. Out of the
whole number, 106 are subsidised by the Board of Trade
direct, without the intervention of the institution ; and of
those remaining 14 are maintained by the institution, and
54 by local bodim. During last year the Board of Trade
and Admiralty have supplied the crews of some
of the Coast-guard stations with Captain Ward's life-belts
and Wellies, the use of which will diminish the risk they
run in putting to sea. To the mortar and rocket apparatus
sod lifeboats, as means for saving life, great credit a given ;
and from a tabular statement of the lima saved by assist-
ance from the coast during the last seven years, it appears
that the numbers have increased from 1,098 in 1855 to 1.516
in 1861. The sum paid to the Lifeboat Institution in 1861 is
2,8771.:8. 2d. The payments by the Board of Trade direct
for rewards and gratuities and for services at wrecks amount
to 1,2921. Is. ed. The expenses of maintaining the mortarand
rocket apparatus is 2,2461. 6s. 4d., being a total payment of
6,415/. lls. for saving and endeavouring to save life during
the year 1861.

FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE RIVER.-011 Sunday
last whilst five gentlemen were proceeding homewards from
Twickenham towards Chelsea, in • four-oared cutter, the
coxswain on raising himself in the boat missed his footing
amid fell overboard, causing sanely a ripple on the water,
sad neveragain rising to the surface. The name of the un-
fortunate deceased is Brown, for many years holding a clerk-
ship in the Merchant Seamen's Office, and at the time of
the melancholy occurrence secretary of the New South
Wales Emigration Society. His body has not yet been reco-
vered. He leaves a widow and large number of friends to
deplore his untimely end.
A letter from Verdieres (Var) relates the follow-
ing Waage and not very probable incident :—" A singular
circumstance occurred hem on the Emperor's fife day. The
mayor had organised a shooting-match, and offered a hand-
' some double-barrelled gun as the prize. A good number of
sportsman, legal and illegal, had entered their names to
compete, but, alas ! none of them won the prize, for just as
the sport was about to begin, a thunderstorm buret over
the town and the lightning struck the target in the centre.
On approaching the target after the storm, it was found that
the gun (which had been set against it, wreathed with laurel)
had disappeared, and that a few splinters of wood end frag-
ments of iron were all that remained. It would not be easy
to describe the surprise and chagrin of the competitors in
thus disoovering that an unexpected rival had stepped in
and borne off the prize without waiting for the usual for.