The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-06 00:00:00

does not remember some hitch, some difficulty, in
launching them, whereby one or more was rendered

useless. The fact is, life-boats are somewhat
costly, and in the sordid love of gain owners in
general lose sight of the obligations of religion
and humanity. Many make no pretences to fur-
nishing their ships with such means for preserving
life, and others satisfy appearances, if not their
consciences, by furnishing boats like life-boats,
but not possessing any one good quality attribut-
able to them. A few yards more tubing, or
tubing of a greater diameter, a little more or
better cork shavings, would cost so much more
money, which would have to be deducted from
the profits of the firsq, voyage. All this is very
scandalous. We don't accuse such shipowners
of premeditated murder, but it certainly would
be difficult to acquit them of a very serious, not
to say heinous, culpability. Neither are the
public free from blame in this matter, so many
possessing friends who travel by sea, and having
otherwise the subject frequently forced on their
attention.

But what shall we say of the conduct of Govern-
ment in permitting this state of things to exist
and continue. If there be one duty more
imperative on Government than another, it
is to provide for the safety of the subject
either directly or indirectly. Yet year after
year hundreds of lives are lost for want of
an enactment compelling every owner of a
vessel to have an adequate life-boat service. The
preliminary measure, even of discovering a species
of life-boat at once cheap and efficient, has not been
attempted. As we have intimated, there is no
standard offered to any, and no wonder, for there
is none to offer. Why has not Government fol-
lowed the example of the public-spirited noble-
man, who offered a prize of 100 guineas for the
best model or design of a shore life-boat ? Is it in
the hope he, or some philanthropic individual like
him, should do the same with regard to a sea life-
boat ? It certainly looks as if this wore the case.
If so, Government must be credited with the dis-
play of an unselfish spirit, in teaching the public
how to do without it—i. e., provided it can be ac-
quitted of gross negligence and inhumanity. It is
to be hoped, from whatever cause the delay may
have arisen, the example set by the Duke of NOR-
THUMBERLAND will ultimately and speedily be fol-
lowed, and a standard life-boat being forthcoming,
a Bill will be brought by some Minister before
Parliament, compelling all owners to provide a
due supply of boats, built on the same model, for
each of their ships, according to the number of
the passengers and crew. As we have previously
stated, the number of collisions has greatly in-
creased and is increasing. Not less than 278, out
of 1,141 wrecks last year, were attributable to this
cause. In these cases more particularly an ade-
quate sea life-boat service is a desideratum of the
last importance. Had the Lyonnais been thus
provided, we should not have had to record so
frightful a loss of life as actually took place.
Surely, this wreck, and so many others, including
that deplorable ono of the John, off the Manacles,
will suffice to awaken Government to a sense of
its duty.