The Sun.
London, England, 1821-06-13 00:00:00

LIFE PRESERVER.

The following Petition, we understand, was
recently presented to the House of Commons by
Mr. BERNAL, and as it relates to a subject in-
teresting to humanity, we conceive it to be our
duty to give it insertion :

" A Petition of William Henry Mallison was presented and
read, setting forth; that the Petitioner, during several Sessions
of Parliament, from the hopes of rendering his Life. Preserver
available to the preservation of his Majesty's subjects when
shipwreck occurred, presented Petitions to the House, when,
froM reasons which do not become the Petitioner to impugn,
it was considered by the House inapplicable to that great and
national purpose.

" The Petitioner most humbly submits that the arguments
then adduced do not apply, neither ought to prevent, through
the possession and, use of the invention, •the future preserva-
tion of that meritorious class of officers and men at present
employed in the dangerous service of pursuing smugglers, in
which hazardous duty, since the formation of the corps known
under the designation of Officers and Men employed in the
Preventive Smuggling Duty, no less than 13 officers, and 90
men have unnecessarily and prematurely perished : '

Officers. Men.
1817 Day, June 23 / - 1 8
Morning Chronicle, August 21
British Press, Nov. 24 -
Sussex Advertiser,. Dec. 1 -
Press, Dec. .8 - -
1313 Hampshire Telegraph, Feb. 2
Statesman, Sept. 28. - -
New Times, Dec. 7 - -
1819 Press, April 16 -- = -
Colchester Gazette, June 26
Morning Herald, Sept. 23 -
Press; Sept 4 - • - .
Courier, Oct. 26 -
Press, Oct. 29 -
Statesman, Dec. 23 -
Independent Whig, Dec. 26
1320 New Timis, Jan. 15 -
Press, Feb. 14 - -
Press, Oct. 3 -
Press, Dec. 13 - -
Hull Packet, Dec. 26 -

1 5
1 3
0 9
2 5

1 6
0 5
1 8
2 2

0 3
1
0 1
1 6
1 ' 6
1 0

- 0 5
- 0 3
- 0• 3
- 1 0
- 0 5
- 0 6

" Valuing these lives at only 020, the present price of a
lave, they amount to £12,360, a sum far more than suffi-
cient to prevent the recurrence of this untimely cause of death
in future.

" The Petitioner trusts, that, borne out as he is by the Re-
solutions of the House in 1811, and other testimomals-of the
highest official characters, the House will learn with the highest
gratificaticn, that it is in the power of the Petitioner to convince
any Committee that may be appointed, that the lives of these
officers and men, whilst employed in the dangerous service of
pursuing smugglers, may in
try, whenever it is the will of the House so to do ; the more
particularly, as, through the extension of the preventive smug-
gling system to the southern coast of Ireland, the consequent
extension of the unnecessary death of men, entitled by every
law, human and divine, to their country's protection, must
ensue.

"-The Petitioner has heard it stated, there are other inven-
tions niore effectual to this desirable purpose; the Petitioner
knows of none; but should such be the case it can make no
difference to the House through whose ingenious inventions
the lives of these officers and men are preserved, provided the
means of future preservation are not withheld from them.
" The Petitioner trusts that the facts herein mentioned will
acquit him of all presumptuous perseverance in thus, drawing
the attention of the House to a subject so interesting to huma-
nity and the country, as, unless through the interference of the
House thus prayed for, the lives of more British subjects must
be added to this melancholy and unnecessary cause of death,
which accrues solely from want of such further artificial aid as
will enable them to reach the nearest shore, or remain in deep
water without the possibility of sinking until assistance is af-
forded them.

" The Petitioner the, more humbly submits the above to the
consideration of the House, as the prayer of this Petition is now
reduced to a specific and limited nature, and it must be apparent
to the House, that in this short space of time 103 British of-
ficers and men have lost their lives; when, but for the danger
attending this service, it is not probable that one would have
F died in the course of nature.
" The Petitioner therefore prays the House, that a Commit.
tee may be appointed by the House, in order to ascertain whe-
ther the lives of the officers and men employed in the pursuit
of smugglets may not be preserved in future through their be-
ing permitted the use of the Seamen's Friend, or such other
means or inventions as may appear best calculated to obtain so
desirable an end ; or that the House will, in their wisdom, take
such other means for the anplication of the Petitioner's inven-
tion to the. purposes aforesaid as in their judgment shall be most
fit and proper. '