The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-09 00:00:00

THE ADMIRALTY. REGISTER OF WRECKS

FOR 1853.

(From the Lifeboat, or. Journal of the National Ship-
wreck Institution for October.)
In the Lifeboat Journal, No. 11, we gave as one rea-
son for the discontinuance of the register of shipwrecks
on the coasts of the United Kingdom, which we had
previously inserted, that a wreck register was being
compiled at the Admiralty, which would he annually
presented to Parliament. That document for 1353 has
now been published, which enables us to furnish our
readers with a summary of its contents.
It is, as usual, a fearful list, numbering 332 disasters ;
hut it is gratifying to observe, so far as loss of property
is concerned, that the register for 1853 shows a very
considerable decrease in the number of wrecks and casual-
ties, as compared with the preceding year, when 1,115
occurred.
In the gales of February, March, April, and July,
1853, the numbers exceeded those of the same months
in 1852, and the month of May in each year produced
the same amount ; but in all the other months of 1853
the numbers fell much short of those in the correspond-
ing months of the previous year.
This may be accounted for by the fact that the gales
of the winter months of 1853 were less frequent and of
shorter duration, although they blew with •ccasional
violence. On the other hand, however, the year 1853
records a less of 989 lives, being 69 more than were lost
in 1852, when the number, so far as is known, was 920.
This increased number in proportion to the number of
wrecks was caused by the great sacrifice of life which
occurred in two or three individual instances. Thus, the
loss of the Annie Jane shows 360 alone, that of the
Queen Victoria 83, and of the Dalhousie 59.
There can be no doubt that these total numbers for
eaoh year show considerably less than the actual amount
of loss of life which has occurred on and around our
coast, as there are no means at command for ascer-
taining the number of those whose vessels sail out of
port and are never again heard •f. The lives of
fishermen and other boatmen are undoubtedly also
often lest without any official returns being made of
the same.
The Admiralty Register of Wrecks is compiled princi-
cipally from the Coastguard returns, from Lloyd's pub-
lished list, from the Shipping and Mercantile Gazette,
and from the official reports of Lloyd's agents around
the coast to the Admiralty. It is prepared by Com-
mander J. V. Read, R.N., and although imperfect, as
any such register must be, there is no doubt that it is
the most complete account of wrecks published.
Annexed to the returns is a wreck chart, on which a
black spot marks the site of each wreck, fire, or colli-
sion, as far as it can be ascertained.
The following is a summary of the Register :
The wrecks on the coasts and in the seas of the United
Kingdom, in the year 1853, were 832, which may be
th us classed :
Totally wrecked 369
Totally lost in collision
Damaged seriously, and had to discharge 386
Damaged seriously in collision 25
The number of casualties in each month were :
January, 106 ; February, 91 ; March, 52 ; April, 78 ;
May, 41 ; June, 26 ; July, 45 ; August, 33 ; Septem•
ber, 70 ; October, 96 ; November, 71 ; December, 123.
Total, 832.
Of these, 253 occurred on the east coast of Great
Britain ; 76 on the south coast, and 130 on the west
coast ; 81 wrecks took place on the coasts of Ireland ;
6 were cast on shore at Scilly ; 11 at the Channel
Islands ; 3 at Orkney and Shetland ; and 12 at the Isle
of Man ; the remaining 260 wrecks occurred in the sur-
rounding seas.
The whole loss of lives during the year, as far as has
been ascertained, amounts to 989.
Of these, 18 went down with the Herald, which sunk
off the Start, after collision with a schooner at night,
on the 15th of January ; 83 in the Queen Victoria
steam-ship, which ran on tho rocks near the Bailey
Lighthouse, Dublin, at night, and sunk on the 15th of
February ; 11 (the crews of two Lessientouth fishinc,
boats) were lost on the 23d of February ; 11 in the
barque Irene, upset in the Mersey on the 26th of
February in a heavy gale ; 16 in the Duke of Suther-
land steam-ship, wrecked at the pierhead, Aberdeen, on
the let of April ; 12 in the Richardson, which sunk near
St. Bees Head on the 22d of April ; 12 in the Olive
Branch, which sailed from Shields for London, on the
25th of April, and has not been heard of since ; 10 in
the St. Tudno, which sailed from Newcastle on the 17th
of May, and has not been heard of ; 360 in the Annie
Jane, from Liverpool, bound to Montreal, wrecked on
Isle Vateria, Hebrides, in a heavy gale, on the 28th of
September ; 59 in the Dalhousie, which foundered off
Beechy Head, on the night of the 19th of October ; 20
died on board the Isaac Wright, which was stranded on
the Irish coast, and put back to Liverpool in distress
on the 4th of October ; 15 in the California packet, from
Sligo for New York, laden with iron, which foundered
160 miles west of Ireland, on the 4th of November ; 60
in the Marshall steam-ship, which foundered off the
Humber, in collision with the barque Woodhouse' at
night, on the 28th of November; 19 who were washed
overboard from the E. Z. at sea, in distress, on passage
from Liverpool to New York, on the 6th olDecember ;
10 in the Caravene, wrecked near Black water Head,
Wexford, in a heavy gale, on the 19th of December ; 18
in the Chatham, wrecked on the bar of Drogheda, in the
night of the 19th of December • and 9 in the Eva screw
steam-vessel, which parted asunder and sunk off Larnbay
Island on the 27th of December. The remainder were
lost in smaller groups ; to which are to be added an un-
certain, though, without doubt, a large number drowned
in missing ships.
How many painful reflections is such a return calcu-
lated to awaken in every mind ? That 1,009 lives
(which may be taken as a probable average) should be
thus, every year, prematurely cut off on our own coasts
alone, is, indeed, a melancholy fact. There is no other
calling of life than that of those whose " business is on
the great waters" in which so constant and great a sacri-
fice of life takes place. •
When the scourge of war is raging, we hear of larger
numbers perishing together in a comparatively short
time. We are, however, accustomed to look on war as
a great but necessary evil, which the wisdom of a Di-
vine but benevolent Providence sees fit to inflict on his
creatures at intervals of time, doubtless, to promote the
ultimate benefit of mankind, by the changes which, in
the present imperfect condition of this unsettled world,
can, perhaps, only by such means be brought about. We
are accustomed to look on those who perish on the field
of battle as men whose calling and duty it is to seek
such an end when their country's good shall requ;re such
a sacrifice ; and renown and glory have in all ages been
held to accompany such a death ; all of which reasons
contribute to make it a picture less gloomy and sad to
look upon than that encountered in the daily avocations
of life, when the last struggle is with the elements alone,
and the gurgling waters, as they close over their vic-
tim, separate him for ever from all the ties of life.
But, after all, the most painful part if the subject to
our minds is the question which forces itself on us,—
How much of the sacrifice of life and consequent human
misery might have been prevented ? A sense of neglected
opportunity 18, probably, ono of the most painful reflec-
tions which ever saddens the human breast, as, without
doubt, it is one of the most alarming that ever arouses
the long slumbering conscience at the last hour. But a
nation collectively may be awakened to a sense of " ne-
glected opportunity" as well as an individual ; and, as
with an individual, well it is if such takes place before
it be too late—before the opportunity be taken away.

Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge sent
to Downing-street, at an early hour yesterday morning,
to obtain the latest intelligence from the Crimea. Col.
Mundy saw Lord Burghereh, and it was understood his
lordship would have an interview with her royal high-
ness during the day.
His Excellency the Swedish and Norwegian Minister
has left town for Paris.

The Duke and Duchess of Argyll are entertaining a
select circle of visitors at InTorary Castle. His grace is I
expected to arrive in London the week after next. .
The Duchess of Sutherland received despatches from
her son—Lord Frederick Leveson Gower—attached to
the Rifle Brigade, in the Crimea, yesterday.
The Duke of Buccleuch, having obtained a fresh lease
of Montagu House, Whitehall, from the Crown, an emi-
nent architect, by his grace's orders, has prepared plans
for the construction of a new mansion on the present
site, which will shortly be commenced. The noble duke
has taken the Countess Brownlow's mansion in Belgrave-
square during the rebuilding of the new edifice.
His Excellency the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland and
the Countess St. Germans, who are staying at Port Eliot,
Cornwall, are expected to return to the Viceregal Lodge
at Dublin, at the close of the month, for the winter.
The Earl of Jersey, who has been severely indisposed
at Middleton, which caused the countess and Lady Cle-
mentina Villiers to be telegraphed for from the Earl of
Haddington's, Tyninghame House, near Dunbar, N. 8.,
is somewhat better. The Hon. Francis Villiers leavesthe noble earl's mansion in Berkeley-square to-day, for
for
Newmarket. The Major and Lady Adela Ibbeaon (his
lordship's youngest daughter) are staying at Plymouth,
where the gallant officer is on the staff of Sir Harry
Smith.
PCehewton, of the
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«' regret to learn that Viscount novsteaar ltueiftnntoErilg.land on Satur-
asmo
among
gf the Earl Walde.
the list of those
gSrcaovtse),Fau,shilaisear
name appears
p(eldenst
that app y ery serious
danger-
ously hurt, and
"severely wounded" aatptehaehbatt!enosfoAf lama; is
o entertainedfho a s to
Exchequerh i his lordshipsa and
Mrs.
. recovery.Gladstone
chTarhaectcerhaanroee
are staying with Sir Stephen Glynne and a family circle,
l Chancellor
at Hawarden Castle, Flintshire, where they arrived on
Thursday, from visiting the Earl and Countess of Elles-
mere, at Worsley-hall.
We are happy to announce that Captain Clifford,
RN., of H.M.S. Sphinx, son of Sir Augustus Clifford,
who met with the severe ac3ident (the fracture of both
legosspbil
ytat,heaabdreapkrainggreessfing atoaws faing;roouprea)b,lyis
as be ethan be e Haselaxr
H -
pected, the severity of the injury being considered.
The ordinary session of the Chamber of Deputies of
the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg was opened on the 3d
by 134E0 EvarY, i the name of the Kin et liolland.