STATISTICS OF STOWAGE.

London, January 9th, 1843. SIR.-It has frequently been matter of surprise to me, that notwithstanding the numerous works in existence for the benefit of shipmasters, not one has yet appeared, with a view to assist them, in calculating the probable quantity of any kind of merchandize their ships would stow or carry, and if you were to invite those of your subscribers, who are masters, owners, or brokers of ships, to furnish you with the particulars of the stowage of those ships they are concerned in, to be published in the Nautical Magazine, under the head of "Statistics of Stowage," (similar to your "Table of Wrecks,") a mass of important and valuable information would, in time, be collected, from which Tables might afterwards be constructed, referring to each kind of goods, showing the per centage of carriage to the register ton. If this were done I am quite sure the master-mariners of the whole kingdom (particularly the young ones) would hail such a work as an inestimable boon, enabling them from the facts thus recorded, to arrive at more just conclusions as to what their vessels will carry, than by forming vague conjectures, as is now frequently the case, or having to trust to the information of parties, who, in many instances ignorantly, in others wilfully, mislead them.

If any of your subscribers coincide with me in the view I have thus taken, I would suggest their furnishing you with the following details, viz. the name or or initial letter of the vessel, register tonnage on the old and new principle, usual dead weight, and the different cargoes (reduced to tons) the vessel has had in, when full laden, with any remarks they may consider useful; all which information might be published in the Magazine after the following form. Statistics of Stowage.

Although only the initial is given of each vessel's name, the correctness of the foregoing statement may be depended on, as it is what each has actually

carried.

I hope to find this subject made a feature of your journal, and shall be glad to aid in carrying out the object, by furnishing occasionally from my own store, trusting your other subscribers will follow the example; and from these published facts, a series of tables, similar to the two which accompany this letter, might, when sufficient data has been obtained, be compiled, highly serviceable

to all concerned in shipping matters.

To the Editor, &c.

TABLE No. 1.-OLIVE OIL.

Freights are paid by the Tun of 252 Imperial Gallons.

The chief articles of export from Mogadore, are almonds, gums, bees'-wax, olive oil, skins, wool, and ostrich feathers.

The freight is regulated by the ton of 1800 lbs. Mogadore weight for almonds, gums, bees'-wax, and olive oil; by the ton of 1200 lbs. for wool and ostrich feathers; and by the ton of five bales of goat skins, each bale containing sixty

skins.

The result of the foregoing is, that small vessels from 86 to to 110 tons register (old) carry on the average about 2 per cent. of produce under their register tonnage, but that larger vessels, say from 116 to 148 (old) carry nearly 12 per cent. over their register tonnage on the average.

These Tables as far as they go, may be depended on, but owing to the scanty resources at my command, are not so complete as could be desired; they must rather be regarded as examples of what may be done at some future period, when more ample materials are obtained in the manner pointed out in the accompanying letter.

S. Y.

SUGGESTIONS FOR THE BETTER REGULATION OF SHIP-MASTERS,
AND OF SALVAGE, &c.

SIR.-The following observations may, perhaps, be deemed worthy a place in your Magazine, as the subjects animadverted upon apply to ship-owners, ship

ping, shippers, and emigrants, and are of so frequent and important recurrence as to justify your aid in endeavouring to procure an amelioration of the present evils, and of the incongruous and absurdly inconsistent jurisdiction confided to the sole opinion and decision of a Judge in the Ecclesiastical, Prerogative, and Admiralty Courts of Doctors' Commons.

It is an every day occurrence to find that commanders in the Merchant Service, are guilty of the greatest abuses, not only against their employers, but also towards the person and property intrusted to their charge; and these abuses are the natural result of the extensive powers necessarily confided to them, when employed upon a distant foreign voyage. The ship-owner has no other check upon the master, than the very imperfect one of the ship's log, and even the delivery to his owner of this scanty and often defective information, is merely a voluntary act; whereas it should be imperative on the master and upon the mate, each to keep a correct log, and the master and mate to declare at the Custom-house to the correctness thereof; the mates log book to remain at the Custom-house with the ship's papers; and which declaration, if proved untrue, to be made subject to the penalties of perjury, and the master's log should then be at once delivered up to the ship-owner. This arrangement would greatly tend to lessen those glaring abuses which now prevail to an enormous extent, and would contribute very much to the furtherance of justice, it would also be an additional protection to emigrants and underwriters, by surrounding them with the safeguard which publicity never fails to confer. But for the purpose of making the safety and comfort of all parties more certain, and the interests of the ship owner and crew secure, the laws now in force on the subject of salvages, must be wholly altered and remodelled, so as to fully meet the objects of humanity, to which they owe their origin. As the law of salvage stands at present, it actually holds out a premium to induce the master and crew to deviate from their voyage, thereby probably vitiating the Insurances, delaying the landing of the passengers to their great loss and injury, and running hazards needlessly, for their own benefit: for whilst the ship is delayed their wages go on the same, the ship's provisions are consumed and her stores used freely, damaged or even destroyed. And when salvage is recovered, threefourths of the sum awarded goes to the master and crew, causing a heavy loss to the owner, nine times out of ten, from which loss no previous private arrangement with the master and crew avails to prevent this unreasonable, and I will add, unjust distribution of salvage.

So great is the benefit to be gained by master and crew from this unfair distribution of salvage, that it frequently happens to the salving vessel to be left by her crew for ten or twelve hours, and sometimes for a whole day, at the mercy of the winds and waves, and if a storm should arise, owing to the distance of the one ship from the other, the salving ship must inevitably be lost. If however, she escapes a storm, then at all events her detention will comprise ten or twelve days, during which time, some other injury or accident may arrive, whereby the owner would be deprived of the contemplated security of his own Insurance. If this delay and risk with the employ of ship, boats, gear, and materials, and current expenditure and charges are to be forced upon owner, contrary to his wishes, orders, and interests; and as such delay and risks are unprovided for and at variance with the covenants of his Insurance, then surely it would be but fair, though not equivalent to the danger of his property and contingent expenses, to allow him at least one half of the salvage award, and the other half would still constitute an ample inducement to the master and seamen, to salve endangered property.

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The justice of this reasoning will be better appreciated when due attention is given to the numerous instances of masters refusing to delay or run risks where only human life is to be saved; because, they, the masters, are not thereby at all benefited, since no salvage can in such case be claimed by the master, for preservation of life only. And it deserves to be noted that, whenever such services, to save human life, have been rendered, the owner is gratified by the