The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-23 00:00:00

TIIE LOSS OF LIFE AT SEA.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. " "fe
SlR,—Your articles on " Our maritime marine tot,
attracted my attention, especially that of the 22d inore
,4
wherein you say, that wherever there is an error tw
no t
it
should be found a willingness to improve, but lot -sd the
fold our hands while property is being sacrificed, an did'
national character for maritime efficiency remains at a
COMA."

19 91511

There was a time when "our mercantile marina
somethinglooked upon by the country as more 00--,0
mere vehicle for making money, when Englishniell c°oo
point to it with pride as the nursery for our searo°ll
the source whence they could at all times look for Sty of
and support for its defence of the country in the 11°1r
need.

A suicidal policy has brought about the existing :01
of things, and now the general public take little in
in-
the matter beyond ther own safety and protection. h
We (the public) say—we care little aboutyour nierce've
shipping acts—we applaud your enterprise, and Wei;.;spot
no objection that our lives should bo assessed at 4.-
f da
ton, if it is for the protection of British comnlerc: lilts
far as we are concerned—you may build as Yci"er in
the—insure as you like (for the insurer is but a parto ,ea
venture) and do as you like—all that we are con_cetlo
in is, that if we take your money for wages, orb ' to
.ours for passage- money, in both casesyou are lt: If
give us save deliverance. We want no new laws, bit",°t°l/0
that measures shall bo adopted by which the lave
(;"
land shall, when necessary, be brought into operatf°°‘ 'on
Probably the time is not yet ripe for the introduce of
of a public prosecutor in this country,but the It
life at sea has become so excessiveandal the
life tlia'itite°
time is ripe for a maritime prosecutor— we say a ui toe fie
prosecutor, for an Admiralty prosecutor would be
stricted, and the law as propounded and accepted 3t late
~dile)
court-martials 1.M.5.( Amazon and H.M.S. Croce as
has shown that in questions of loss of life, the "",(011
well as the army, ought to be amenable to the civil 13°
instead of which the civil power was a dead letter. , tea
We will ask Parliament that such an officer be aPP°II3OO
independent of the Board of Trade and Admiralty' fjoi
evidence of the death shall supply the place of the
delicte, and that whether the capital which the sbiP l
ors
sents belongs to shipowners or insurers, in all cas°s et
shall bo one registered proprietor or managing c'erlier-.tor
In Scotland such an officer exists in the ProV:'ol3
Fiscal, who carried an indictment to the Court of °°(l--1110
and when the Merchant Shipping Act was plead: „Olt
assembled judges said, " No, we have nothing to "°,„ the
that, for you have rendered yourselves amenable
law of the land, and by such you must be tried." 18
fo
On that occasion the captain was sentenced core
months' imprisonment, and the mate to sevent slat,
transportation, the elaborate and written judgmet'cosy
ing " that should it be found, on any fut tire re
sion, that life was lost from any device
er ° the
0,61,
sorted to .for the purposes of economy, eith
boats themselves or the vessels to which they ben to
grave criminal responsibility would arise, as `;ea 130
the captain, who neglected to use all appliances iotor,
power to keep' hem in proper order—or to the ProP! Ole
who should fail to have supplied sufficient boats '''beoi
first instance, or refused proper allowance to have
,orS
m ain
The intelligence and rbspoclability of our shiP"tvicl
would sanction such a course, for it has been via
that "Justice is a much more potent life-savieg 3PP
tux than even a life-boat". —Yours obediently, ,OS,
WILLIA3I STIRLING Lau
Loudon, 23d February, 1869.

RUE OVER AND KILLED BY A HANSOM at:;9'
On Saturday night, while Joseph Hill, aged 50, W 35 v.by
ing, the High-street, Through, he was knocked doWili fare,
Hansom cab which was being driven along the ro, "1:a1
ously. The wheels of the vehicle passed °ver 1115
3*i'
and killed him. The corpse was carried- to 01137 ell„.
where it awaits an inquest. The driver of theca u
been arrested by the police.