The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-27 00:00:00

WRECKS.

The parliamentary return giving the names of
the ships wrecked on the Goodwin Sands, occa-
sioning loss of life, for the 12 years ending in Dec.,
1862, is an instructive document. From this
official paper we gather:that 16 sailing vessels and
one steamer were lost on these sands during the
years 1851 and 1862, with a sacrifice of 89 lives.
This is an average of casualties considerably less
than might have been looked for from the position
of the sands in the fair way of the navigable chan-
nel. Only two of the vessels exceeded 200 tons
register, so that the Goodwin cannot be chargeable
for a large per-tentage of wrecks or loss of life, as
the average wrecks on the coast may be taken at
1,300 vessels, 'with 800 deaths from drowning,
yearly. Less than 1 per cent. of the foregoing
occurs on the Kentish sands, which is a proof that
their position is well known to navigators, for out
of the total of 17 casualties in 12 years 11 of the
vessels were foreigners. If evidence were required
of the efficiency of the lights along the Channel
and the care of our mercantile marine officers in na-
vigating their ships between the land and the sea-
ward sands, it is to be found in the return from
we quote ; for, as there were but six British vessels
lost in the 12 years, with 56 persons, the dreaded.
Goodwin cannot be so dangerous as represented. It
is not on the sandbanks that our ships are cast
o from takes
the
wholesale away. The greateste
gatheredles loss f
life
place on the coast, as may be
following table, exhibiting the totals for 11 years
to 1860 :

No.
Fern Islands to Flamborongh Head 523
Flamborough Head to the North Foreland 957
North Foreland to St. Catherine's Point 465
St. Catherine's Point to Start Point Bl

Start Point to Land's End

Land s EndtoHartland Point, including
Scilly
Hartland Point to St. David's Head .. 410
St. David's Head and Carnsore Point to
Lambay Island and Skerries, AngleE ea .. 879
Skerries and Lambay to Fair Head and

Mull of Cantire
Cape Wrath to Buchan Ness ............ 197
Buchan Ness to Fern islands
All other parts of the coast 842

Total lives lost 6,883
Of the casualties, therefore, on and around our
coasts, the spits or sandbanks are accountable for a
very small per tentage. Collisions, striking on
rocks, driving ashore in gales of wind, and strand-
ing in logs, are the chief causes of the destruction
to life and property. A glance at the wreck ch art
betrarrs the fact that the majority of ships are lost
in the vicinity of lighthouses. The coasts of the
United Kingdom are well lighted up, and as ships
are steered for the lights a large proportion of ves-
sels are no doubt wrecked through not observing
them till too late, or from the state of the atmos-
phere, the look-out men not seeing the lights on
land from the altitude at which they are placed.
From the Nore to the Foreland there is a succes.
sion of lights blending into each other, and if the
light vessels were provided with steam whistles for
foggy weather, we should not have to chronicle the
loss of any vessel properly manned and equipped.
The light vessels are stationed at distances close
enough to each other to make wreckage on the
Goodwin Sands almost a crime, the more particu-
larly as there is a refuge from every wind that
blows. A ship well found in ground tackle ought
to ride out the heaviest wind and seas that are to
be met with off our shores. Our light ships are
never lost, and simply because their chains are
good, and their mushroom anchors heavy enough to
hold on by.—Shipping Gazelle.

THE ENTENTE CORDIALE.—Lean horned cattle
are now conveyed by steamer from Southampton to
Carenton, in France, to be fattened in the pastures of that
neighbourhood, and then reconveyed to this country to be
killed for the English market, so that English soldiers pro_
bably now derive their pugnacity and prowess from French
fed oxen, and the very raw material of our a-la-mode beef
is furnished by Franca•

DEATH FR oig EXCITEMENT DURING TUE. STORM.
—Oa Tuesday evening the death of Miss Emily
Thibault, aged 18 years, occurred at her father's residence,
mandeville-terrace, Kilburn, under melancholy circum-
stances. It appears that the unfortunate young lady Was
easily excited, and was always alarmed at thunder and
lightning. She was left at home apparently in good health,
but while she was occupied in washing some lace by the
window durirg the violent :term which passed ever the
oWroiAiS, she became seriously alarmed, fearing some-
thing W"ll,lll32"pen to lwr, and sudcleuly f;;;',

ka?irut.i.