and fearfully verified as it has been. The accompanying letters from gentlemen residing on the islands of North Ronaldsha and Sanda, contain accounts of more wrecks, involving a serious further loss of life and property! But I am happy to say that my efforts have succeeded, as I am informed by the Secretary of the Commissioners of Northern Lights, that the Trinity-House Board has approved of my proposal. Still it appears that the necessary preliminaries are so great that they will oocupy all this summer, so that another season must elapse before a stone of the building is laid.

Wrecks on North Ronaldsha.

A. B. B.

North Ronaldsha, 15th April, 1848. SIR,-It will certainly be a great boon conferred on the shipping interest, if you succeed in having an efficient light erected on Dennis Point. After being here a little longer, it was my intention to attract the notice of the Board to the absolute necessity of it. Any observations proceeding from me might have been considered premature, and have the effect of foiling, rather than from a knowledge of facts, which a longer residence might have supplied and strengthened. I am, therefore, happy that a gentleman of your profession and experience, should have taken up the subject. I cordially wish you all success, but there will be currents of self-interest to be watched and counteracted. Shipwrecks, as you are aware, are a source of profit to certain parties, who have sufficient confidence, boldly to advance views in opposition to any act of humanity.

It is to be hoped that any project of the Board will not have the effect of suppressing the Start light, otherwise, it will just amount to this, that in enabling ships to avoid Charybdis, you send them against Scylla. That point of land is allowed to be equally deceptive with Dennis Point, and many will suspect they have got to the east, during a flood-tide in the night, when they will find themselves suddenly embayed, or on the low lying rocks. Doubtless a very elevated light at Dennis Point might materially assist in avoiding the Start Point, but whether or not, it would be efficient for both points, is a problem which experience, I am afraid, alone can solve. In these observations, I am not speaking my own sentiments, but what I know is pretty generally held. The vessel that came ashore there during the winter, ought never to have been chartered. She was totally unfit for sea, and the event proved that, for she broke up at sea; she was of Sunderland, loaded with wood from the Baltic, and every soul on board perished.

The Dorothy was stranded on this island in the beginning of October last; she was of Newcastle, coal-laden, bound for Hong-kong, tonnage about 360. There was at least 20 keels on board. The vessel belonged to Mr. Naters, of Newcastle, and uninsured. She was in all respects well found, for a long voyage. long voyage. Before leaving port extensive repairs were made on her; still found leaky. The pumps were kept going soon after getting out to sea. After passing the Start light, time was allowed

to have made way much beyond the island, according to the distance marked on the chart. The first mate being on the watch, observed and took the beacon for a mast of a vessel ahead, so confident were both he and her captain of having passed the island. He, therefore, gave directions to the steersman, and warned him that a vessel was on the starboard bow. The vessel was immediately inclined to the west, and soon after, was felt scraping in the rocks-they managed to get her round and prevented her being embayed, but when almost clear, she stuck fast on the extreme ledge of rock, of that part of the point which was out to sea, in an easterly direction. The point over which you perceived the water breaking from my house. The depth of water on the ledge might be nine feet. The general opinion is, that she was too deeply loaded for such a long voyage. She was also felt scraping the top of the Riff dike. This alarmed the captain; he ran to his chart, and soon after, what I have narrated took place. All hands were saved. It was flood; the wind S.S.E.; a reefing wind; water smooth; clear starlight. It is reckoned that the flood sweeps round Dennis Point towards the Start light, at the rate of 9 or 10 miles an hour.. In all respects it was a fortunate occurrence for the crew. Three days after she struck she broke up, and from the decayed state of her timbers, it was perfectly evident that she could never have outlived the boisterous weather that followed. Her bottom, with iron tank, &c., was left were she struck.

The other, the Helena, of Dundee, stranded the 15th of December last. Cargo: linens, sail-cloth, and machinery, with a few coals; bound to New York. A splendid vessel, both for build and fastenings, sheathed. Complete in every point; no expense had been saved to render her a first-rate vessel. Nine months old; second voyage; tonnage 350; property of Banton, Brothers, and Co., Dundee. The captain had been deceived as to her situation. Wind S.E., a tremendous gale; sea running mountains; flood tide; night cloudy and dark. He informed me, that when her head was turned to the west, he supposed she was nearing the Fair Isle. Struck between Scollagur and Sandback; and soon, if not immediately thereafter, a tremendous sea took and heaved her over, sending boats, and all on deck, into the boiling waters, along with the captain, six seamen, and a young gentleman, passenger. The captain was picked up by the natives, insensible; by warmth and attention, he soon after recovered and returned to the beach, to look out for the seamen. One of them was carried back to the vessel by the return of the waters, and laying hold of the anchor, hanging over the bows, by much exertion made his way over them. The other five, with the passenger, were drowned. Their bodies were recovered during the two succeeding days, being washed ashore. Another passenger, a gentleman who had been accustomed to travel much by sea, told me that he never experienced such a heavy sea, and never expected to reach land. After she struck, he made the best of his way to the shrouds, in order to attenuate his strength, that if escape was impossible, he might expire without agony as soon as he fell into the waters. The stern was soon carried away, and the sea rolled through her. Next day the survivors were rescued,

not without extreme difficulty. Eventually the cargo was saved, but in a damaged state; value £14,000. As soon as weather permitted, a London steamer came from Dundee, and after taking refuge in Otterswick for a few days, managed to take away the most valuable portion of the cargo. I think the agent for the Company said she was hired at £70 a-day, besides being highly insured. As soon as the stranded vessel was emptied, she moved higher up the beach; still not a plank of her deck has started; only a small part of her bottom rubbed away and otherwise chafed by the rocks. It would be impossible to get her off here and have her repaired. I understand men are come to break her up; she sold for £130, at the sale.

The agent of the Company handed me £5, to be laid out for the benefit of the islanders, as a reward for their honesty. The temptation was certainly great; so many small pieces and parcels of lawn, &c., lying about, yet it was admitted that nothing was missing.

The passenger who escaped, told me, and from his intelligence and experience, I should deem he was well qualified to judge, that the loss of the vessel arose simply from a want of knowledge of the tides, and the land lying so low as to be undiscernable until it is impossible to avoid it.

Capt. A. B. Becher, Mastiff, Alloa.

J. K.

As soon

DEAR Sir,-I had just succeeded in getting my former letter for you dispatched, when next morning, 22nd ult., I was informed that another vessel was on shore. It proved too true. The Vartrouyan, from Dantzic, bound from Liverpool, loaded with wood of different kinds, had struck on the S.E. side of the Selky Skerry. She appears to be a vessel of about 400 tons, and between two and three years old. The wind was fair, blowing N.E.; weather hazy, so much so, that the Start lights were invisible; flood tide. The captain, a Prussian, told me that he made the Fair Isle, about 8 P.M., and directed his course westerly, and was not aware of being near land, until the vessel struck. as this occurred she filled with water. The crew took to their boats and sailed round the island in a westerly direction, until they came to the cot on the eminence on the south-west part of it, called Nootes. She seems to have struck on the night of the 21st inst., and on Sabbath the 23rd, the wind was strong from the N.E., and a tremendous sea breaking over her. She moved a good way up the rock, and it was fully anticipated that she would break up. Not so; she held together; but her fore-mast nipped asunder about 5 feet above deck. I went aboard on the Monday evening; indeed, as soon as a boat could get across the Sound. The sea had made dreadful havoc internally.

Mr. Scarth, who is Lloyd's agent for this island, was here at the time that the above happened. In talking over the matter with him, I found that he quite agrees with me, that if the Start light is suppressed, no benefit will be conferred by the erection of a light on Dennis Point. It is a salient point, and low lying, and would prove destructive to vessels navigating these waters if the light were removed. Your state

ment, in regard to the eddy caused by the flood, is the true cause of vessels being stranded on the south side of Dennis Point. If a vessel keeps in the line of the tide, either flood or ebb, she will avoid both points of land. This was proved by the fact of an abandoned vessel passing the Start and Dennis Point, a few years ago, and went ashore somewhere in Shetland.

[We shall return to this subject in another number.—ED.]

J. K.

BRITISH MERCHANT SHIPS.

SIR-The character of the Merchant Service of this country, with a view to the improvement of the officers belonging to it, has full often formed the subject of remark in your Journal. Since the commencement of it in the early part of 1832, from time to time, as facts came forward, exemplifying the state of our mercantile marine, they have been held up with the hopes that, at least publicity would render them of less frequent occurrence and thereby lead to a cure. I might point out many passages of this nature of which the journal of a ship-master, concluded in your last volume, affords some remarkable instances.

cap.

At length, it would appear, that the subject awakens the attention of Government. Assertions, which have been advanced by the merchant tains themselves, have led to an inquiry among British Consuls abroad, and their answers are such as to corroborate fearfully all that has been advanced against them; and that a review of their general behaviour, in comparison with the officers of foreign merchant ships contrasts greatly to their disadvantage. I much fear that the root of this evil must be attributed to a want of good legislation, for while other European States have improved their several mercantile navies, by enacting strigent laws to regulate the conduct of their officers, and ensuring efficiency for their stations, nothing of the kind has been done for ourselves. It is true, that a recent attempt has been made to introduce compulsory examination: but this failed and was abandoned, and left in its stead a voluntary one. The names of those who have undergone this voluntary examination, have from time to time been given in your pages. So far, a beginning has been made, but how short is this of what requires to be done. The art of navigation, or of merely conducting a ship from one place to another, and even that of seamanship, to a certain extent, may be soon acquired; but how far short are such acquirements of those regular habits of temperance, and morality, necessary for the establishment and preservation of discipline in a ship. It has been observed that the masters of vessels, under 300 tons are in no manner superior to their men, who are as good seamen, and in many instances, as good navigators! Instances, indeed, have been pointed out in your pages, where their station has been degraded by habits of intemperance. In some degree to account for this, it has been observed, that they receive less pay by a third than masters of foreign vessels of the same class. This goes far, it is true to account for such

a state of things, but I may ask, is it creditable to the character of this country, as the first maritime nation in the world, that it should be allowed to exist? and it does not in those ships belonging to the India and China trade, the commanders of which are gentlemen, in no way inferior to those of any merchant service in the world. But these do not belong to that class of ship owners, who care not how rotten they send their ships to sea, or how ignorant their commanders are of their duties, because they insure their vessels and may gain by their loss! How different are their commanders, from those who are daily improving the charts for their brother seamen; who are communicating their observations to your journal, few numbers of which have appeared without some useful contribution of the kind gathered in the different parts of the world which they have visited. The reports which have been collected by Government, shew the general incompetency of the former class of masters, to which I have alluded, those of vessels under 300 tons especially. But while shipowners are allowed to place whom they like in the command of their vessels, it is much to be feared that the general complaint of incompetency will remain. You have preserved a register of wrecks of British merchant shipping, shewing that a vessel is lost every day, but I believe, that Lloyd's Lists furnish as much as one-and-a-half. In former numbers of your journal, the various causes of such loss have been shown, among the greatest of which stands the incompetency of masters. Who has not heard of a brig, bound to North America, after three months voyage, putting into an Irish port, which was supposed to be New York! Such a proceeding, extraordinary as it may appear, would be expected from such a commander, as he who was represented by a recent correspondent of your's, to have made a voyage from Liverpool to Jamaica; to say nothing of the man who nearly lost his ship in the Sound, on his voyage from St. Petersburgh to Hull. I shall, however, now refer to the reports of our consuls, and first with Mr. Winyard, Consul at Riga:

“I have no hesitation in affirming broadly, that the merchant seaman's service, as it is now constituted, and especially that part of it visiting the Baltic, is a complete disgrace to the British nation.

*

"It is a well-known fact that foreign seamen conduct themselves in a more orderly manner than British seamen in a foreign port. During the shipping season in Riga, the police prisons are crowded with our seamen, confined on charge of drunkenness, violence, or insubordination."

The Consul at Dantzic, Mr. Plaw, says

"There can be no question but that vast improvement in the condition and character of the shipping of this country, has of late years been progressing; at present it stands upon as respectable a footing as that of any civilized commercial marine, and I regret to say, far beyond that of Britain-with reference of course, to that portion usually trading to these shores, consisting chiefly of colliers and coasters in general; I must add, a large share of which disgrace the flag they bear. The improvement in Prussian shipping is doubtless chiefly to be attributed to the government navigation school here, of which branches are established, all under one director, at the other seaports.

"I am of opinion that essential improvement cannot possibly be attained,