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extreme cases throw the ship out of the water altogether, with the probability of her returning to it in such a direction as to bury herself in another large wave. This is of course on the false supposition that abnormally high speeds would be realised, but the absurdity of getting a vessel to glide over the ocean at fifty miles an hour, spurning the waves with her foot, is so patent to us and, probably to most of our readers, that they will excuse our stating further difficulties as to strain on structure, means of propulsion, &c.

In the pamphlet before us Mr. Ramus, with much Christian charity, accounts for the careful consideration which his proposals received by supposing that "it must have been by surprise that my invention was fortunate enough to have been admitted at the Admiralty, where every obstacle has generally been thrown in the way of all inventions tending to produce great changes;" but now he can only conclude that they "see in it a great interruption of their own case, and it may be some fancied interference with their own dignity, in the fact that they are to be taught by one who is not connected with the department." He also proposes an adaptation of the wedge-formed ships to rocket floats, which he believes will develope a sufficient force to destroy ironclads. He thinks that Government officials, although they know his views are correct, reject this last invention because it will take their work from them by rendering all war-ships useless, in fact it will "annihilate all the present armaments of naval warfare." He is patriotically apprehensive that our people may at some future time "find that iron-armoured ships, which can only be procured by means of millions of money, and by the operations of highlyorganized bodies of skilled labourers, may be as easily used to crush their own liberties at home as to take away the freedom of the sea from other nations." Let us be thankful that there is a remedy: "The rocket-float, which will render all ironarmoured ships useless, will be the ready armament of liberty, and its safeguard on every shore."

When Mr. Ramus thus "drops into poetry" he is hardly more amusing than when in sober earnest trying to convince us that a projectile will gain in velocity by having to drag a tail through the water. After what we have quoted our readers will not be

surprised to hear from Mr. Ramus that the vested interests of the owners of the present Mercantile Marine and of shipbuilders have induced them also to reject an invention which will supersede existing ships, but that if they persist in their prejudices we "shall utterly and for ever lose our supremacy at sea."

General Average: York and Antwerp Rules. Ahlers. Hamburg: L. Friedrichsen and Co. and Co.

1878.

By Herr Jacob London: Trübner

A USEFUL and well-written pamphlet has been published by Herr Jacob Ahlers on the York and Antwerp Rules, agreed to at the Antwerp Conference of the Association for the Reform and Codification of the Law of Nations, in September, 1877. After giving a summary of preceding meetings on this, to the commercial world, important question, held at Glasgow, 1860, in London, 1862, and in York, 1864, the author proceeds to render an account of the Antwerp Conference and the important conclusions arrived at. What constitutes a general average does not appear to be much disputed; indeed a singular agreement exists in all maritime states on this score, but what shall be held to be a damage resulting from such act, has been a matter of indifference for generations passed. Even the well-expressed 702 Article of the Common Code is at the best only directive, not a definition. It has thus resulted that in interpreting what damages shall be included in general average losses two systems have arisen, the universally adopted general benefit rule of the Continent and the United States, and the general safety rule of England. The author points out with great acumen that no option is left. Either the first must govern, held within bounds by reasonable restrictions, or the latter must prevail, which will ultimately compel each risk to be separately insured. That the latter result has not been accepted by the great shipping interests is proved by the assent given by a large proportion of our leading shipowners to the York and Antwerp Rules, which form a reasonable compromise between the two conflicting systems. With these preliminary comments the writer enters into a close analysis of the respective merits of the 12 rules voted at Antwerp, accompanied by an instructive summary of the discussion which took

place on each of them. It would take us beyond the limits we have allowed ourselves to do more than notice what the author has done referring the reader to his pamphlet for details. The appendix contains Mr. E. E. Wendt's address read at the Antwerp Conference, the Reports of the German Branch Association, of the Swedish, the Philadelphia Committee, that of the Sub-Committee of Lloyd's appointed to consider the York and Antwerp Rules, that of the Antwerp Committee, and finally the text of the York Rules and the York and Antwerp Rules. Of the many pamphlets published in Holland (Dr. Rahnsew)'; Berlin (Herr Ulrichs); New York (Mr. F. C. Condut); in Copenhagen (M. Thidt), etc., the treatise now before us may claim, it is thought, to be one of the most useful and well-considered hitherto given to the public, and we confidently recommend it to the consideration of the practical lawyer, the shipowner, and underwriter.

CORRESPONDENCE.

SHIPPING AND DISCHARGE FEES.

To the Editor of the "Nautical Magazine."

DEAR SIR,-Have you space for a few words on a subject causing the strongest indignation just now among those concerned? I mean the frequent recurrence of "Shipping Fees."

The present law is the Act of 1840, before the advent of steam, and Jack was not intended to pay out of his hard-earned wages more than once a year on long voyages, or twice on shorter ones.

These fees have been steadily increasing, and now a New York liner, with her crew of 160 men making 10 voyages in the year, pays 5 or 6 times (not the men, but the ship), so that after paying all up on joining a ship hitherto laid up they must pay all over again on this new account possibly 12 times in all.

Now a change is to be made from the 1st of January, and these fees are to be payable after each voyage, which means 20s. per annum for seamen, 30s. for officers and stewards.

There are steamers (signally), Liverpool to Oporto, which make

22 voyages in the year, and it is indisputable that £3 is too heavy a tax out of an income of £36.

Among the minor absurdities it may be pointed out that many of those with smallest wages come under the larger fee and vice versa. Surely where injustice is so flagrant it cannot long go unredressed.

Liverpool, December, 1878.

A SUFFERER.

[This subject has been much discussed both in the London Shipping and Mercantile Gazette and in the shipping papers in the seaports. We recollect reading a very important letter in one of those papers pointing out that the Mercantile Marine offices are as much for the benefit of the seamen as of anybody, and that the same may be said of the rocket and mortar apparatus. Lighthouses and light-vessels also add to his personal safety, and the survey of crew space is solely for his benefit, as are also the savings bank and money order systems. A seaman has no vote it is true, but then the whole of the systems we have named are kept up for his advantage, at least as much as for the advantage of any one. He pays no tax for them, and does not in any way contribute towards them excepting in this one respect of paying one shilling each time up to four times that he is engaged and discharged in the same ship at a Mercantile Marine office. Under the existing law an A.B. or O.S. cannot pay more than eight shillings a year if employed in the same ship. We think the present arrangement ought to be altered, so that payments of a shilling each, or eight shillings a year at the outside, spread over any number of payments, might make that seaman free for the year instead of making the ship free. A fixed sum also paid by short voyage ships making repeated voyages might with advantage render her free. But in fixing the amount of the payment care would have to be taken that neither the seaman nor the shipowner is freed from making a proper contribution in proportion to the benefits he receives. In many countries there are no light dues; this, however, does not benefit the seaman. But in this country so much is done for the shipowner and seaman for nothing, or next to nothing, in the matter of the registration of title, the freedom of shipping from all property tax, and the unlimited use (by the

seaman) of the surveying staff paid for by the taxpayer, and the deposit and remittance of money, that we are not sure on full consideration that in the matter of taxation Mercantile Jack is not fairly well off as it is. There can be no doubt that it is good policy to relieve shipping of every possible burden that is at all inconsistent with it, or is at all unnecessary, and we are quite sure that if the Board of Trade do not absolutely want the money contributed by Jack for engagement and discharge fees, they will be the first to remit them. We advise that our correspondent should approach the President of the Board of Trade, through Mr. David MacIver, M.P., or the member for his borough.—ED. N. M.]

SHIPS' LIGHTS.

To the Editor of the "Nautical Magazine."

SIR,-Now that both the inquiry into the loss of the Princess Alice and the coroner's inquest are concluded, may I through your journal call the attention of the public to one point in connection with ships' side-lights which seems hitherto to have escaped comment.

There are frequently so many lights about the decks and sides of ships-more especially passenger ships-that it is by no means easy on a misty night for those on board a vessel meeting them to distinguish the proper side-lights. May I mention one such instance?

On a steamer proceeding up channel a green light was reported on the starboard bow. Seeing the light in that position the officer on watch concluded that she was clear, and gave his attention to other lights for a minute or two.

drawing close ahead of Hardly had he done so

He then saw that the green light was him and immediately stopped the engines. when the sailing vessel showed a red light. As the engines were already stopped, by putting the helm hard-a-port a collision was narrowly avoided, and it was then discovered that the light first seen proceeded from the open door of a deck cabin painted green and strongly illuminated, whilst the red light being placed on the ship's quarter had been completely hidden by the sails.

I

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
WALTER F. CLARK.

Cowich, Selby, Yorks., December, 1878.

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