The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-27 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, JAN. 27, 18€9.

Every year brings its tale of shipwrecks and disas-
ters at sea, every year we are called upon to lament
that human skill and ingenuity are worsted in the
contest with the elements. The late severe gales
and the losses they have entailed upon us have turned
public attention to the subject with more than usual
force. The yet uncertain tragedy of the Hibernia,
the narrow escape of another well-known ship from
a similar fate, threatened by a similar accident, and
the list of recent casualties, all along our own coasts,
may well induce us to inquire whether all is done that
can be done in mitigation of the dangers of the sea.
So far as our merchant ships are concerned, we may
give an unhesitating answer in the negative. No
doubt with such an immense and ever-increasing
mercantile marine, with such storm-beaten coasts
and difficult navigation, we must expect always
to bear of a large proportion of losses on our
shores. The question is, whether our disas-
ters do not now include many preventible losses,
whether there is not a degree of culpable
neglect on the part of shipowners in providing
their ships with the best appliances for safety in case
of accident ; whether there is not an equally culpable
amount of recklessness on the part of the commanders
in putting to sea in bad weather ; and also whether
all parties are not greatly to blame for the excessive
and dangerous loading of ships. From time to time
warning voices have been raised on these points by
men of position, experience, and scientific knowledge,
and every now and then comes some disaster more
striking or more terrible than usual, when such warn-
ings are recalled and discussed with full attention.
Such was the case of the London two or three years
back, when the overloading of the unfortunate vessel
so greatly increased her danger ; such, too, appears
to have been the.case with the Union screw steamer,
which foundered in the Atlantic with all hands
in November last. The Union was a vessel of
only 1,700 tons burden, including engine-room
space, but she had on board 1,600 tons of bar and
rail iron. Admiral ELLIDT, who we are glad to find,
has strongly taken up this question of the prevention
of losses at sea, lays great stress on this particular
case of the Union screw steamer. He considers that
the evils of the present system, or rather want of sys-
tem, are manifold, and will never be effectually re-
dressed until we have legislative interference, though
he does not wish to emb,►rrass the owner by excessive
restrictions and directions. He should, in the Ad-
miral's opinion, be left free to judge between several
methods of protecting the lives in his vessel. " I
advocate legislative interference as a duty of the
State only so far as to define the character and ex-
tent of precaution which is to be used, without un-
wisely depriving the owner of his selection of the
appliances which science affords." This is the Ad-
miral's verdict, and few, we should apprehend,
would be inclined to dispute its justice. The law
should define what is a sufficiency, and the shipowner
should take the responsibility when he has failed to
come up to the standard.

Many of the shipowners, Admiral ELLIOT ob-
serves, are humane and generous men, who, he be-
lieves, would be really glad to escape from the reckless
course which excessive competition drives them into.
In America there are laws for shipowner and ship-
master, and the equipment of merchant ships is car-
ried on under regulations. There is much need for
such a supervision here, for we must remember
that great injury is inflicted on the community by
the deaths of so many. The lives that are annually
lost in unseaworthy and unrel:a')le vessels each re-
present a wide circle of loss, bereavement, and suf-
fering. The loss of the cargo and of the ship are
generally fully covered by the insurance money, so
fully that Admiral ELLIOT ranks among his reforms
a limit to the amount insured for. Any insurance
on a vessel beyond a certain amount of the value, he
consid:rs, should be invalid, by whosoever it may be
effected. It is more than suspected that the ampli-
tude of the insurance has in many cases a good deal
to do with the amazing recklessness which constantly
sends out to sea ships hardly fit to keep afloat, if
heavily laden, in smooth water. Why should the
owner spend money in costly appliances fur the
benefit of a ship which will be just as profitable to
him under the waters of the Atlantic or the North
Sea as safe in harbour ? The lives risked in
her are unfortunately left out of the com-
putation altogether; and we may fairly conclude,
after many years' experience, that the only way to
secure the men employed in our mercantile marine
from needless danger will be to cal! in the interfer-
ence of the Legislature.

Another point upon which Admiral ELLIOT speaks
confidently is the mistake made by masters, who ge•
nerally put their duty to their employers before any
ether. Their duty to their crews is surely as
great,
but this is altogether lost sight of in their anxiety to
keep up to time, to carry full weight, and, generally
speaking, to fulfil thelightest wish of their employers.
Ships often put to sea in spite of a low barometer,
and every indication of stormy weather, and the rea-
son, if we could get at it, would almost inevitably be
that the commander must complete his voyage by a
given date to satisfy his employers.
In many vessels there is a deficiency of pumping
power, and the arrangements for stowing away cargo
are most imperfect. The
,boats, too, are often in-
efficient and defective, and when we remember how
vital they might be to the crew or passengers in
moments of urgent danger, we shall feel that an
official inspection of all such matters before the vessel
leaves the port would be a necessary safeguard. With
a proper system of inspection, and with legislation
enacting that those who neglect to provide their
vessels with adequate appliances to give them at least
a reasonable chance of safety, shall be amenable to
law, we may hope to see our losses at sea very
considerably reduced. We have spoken chiefly of
the larger and better cared-for ships in the mercantile
marine, omitting all mention of those wretched ves-
sels of the collier class which annually contribute so
many black dots to our Wreck Register. There are
many particulars in which a wholesale alteration is
wanted, but at any rate we must be glad if we can
receive some good and useful legislation without being
too anxious for an exhaustive measure, since, to ob-
tain an immediate reform in this important depart-
ment of our commercial activity is so vital, that we
must be content even to get it piecemeal.

TirE Conservative gains in England, with which
Mr. BAXTER has attempted to counterbalance the
Conservative losses in the other parts of the king-
dom, are apparently not of a very substantial kind. Sir
HENRY STRA CEY won a seat for the partyat Norwich,
but Baron MARTIN has deprived them of it. Sir
RICHARD GLASS won a seat at Bewdley,
but Mr. Justice BLACKBURN has deprived
them of it. According to present appear-
ance, other victories are likely to turn out of
the same unsatisfactory character. The Dublin
Conservatives, for instance, will have to explain