THE LIFE-BOAT, OK JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION. (ISSUED QUABTEBLY.) rPKTCB id. VOL. VII.—No. 74.] OCTOBER IST, 1869. WtafWteck Chart. wrecks, to the means for preventing them, "THE MERCHANT SHIPPING BILL and to those provided for the rescue of ship- OF 1869." wrecked persons, form that portion of the Ijf the year 1854 the various Acts of Act in which we are more particularly in- Parliament relating to Merchant Ship- terested; nevertheless, since the general wel- ping and Navigation which, from time to fare and efficiency of the mercantile marine, time from the reign of Queen Elizabeth, both as regards ships and men, must to a had been enacted, were, for the most part, great extent indirectly affect the number of repealed and consolidated in a new Act disasters at sea, it may be difficult to say entitled, in brief, " The Merchant Shipping what parts of the Bill, if any, do not more Act, 1854." Amendments to that Act, or less- remotely influence the number of and various other Acts relating to merchant lives that are lost. shipping, have since been enacted; and it is Looking, then, to the general interest of now proposed to repeal and consolidate the subject, and to give the ordinary reader those Acts in a new one, the short title of a general idea of the character of this which will be " The Merchant Shipping important Bill, we preface our remarks on Act, 1870" those parts which more directly affect us Some idea may be formed of the vast and with an enumeration of the headings of the complicated nature of the interests to be several subjects dealt with :— protected from the fact that, simplified and PART I.—British Ships : their Ownership, Measure- consolidated as are the enactments embodied ment, and Registration. ^ in this Bill, it yet contains no less than 18 Measurement of Tonnage. parts, divided into 733 clauses, and 19 Registry of British Ships. schedules, the whole occupying 340, quarto Certificate of Registry. Transfers and Transmissions. pages. The enumeration of even the Mortgages. headings of the various subjects that are Certificates of Mortgage and Sale. thus legally provided for occupies, it will be Registry anew, and transfer of Registry. seen, a considerable space in our columns; Registry, Miscellaneous. National Character. yet we are not prepared to say that there is Liabilities of Owners. any prolixity or over-legislation throughout Forgery. the Bill. For it must be remembered that Evidence. so enormous is the trade of this country, PART II.—Masters and Seamen. that its merchant shipping now nearly, if Local Marine Boards. not quite, equals that of all the rest of the Certificates of Masters, Mates, and Engineers. Mercantile Marine Offices. world; and that there are thus, as it were, Apprenticeships to the Sea Service. two British empires to be governed and Engagements of Seamen. legislated for—the one on the land, and the Agreements for Service. other ou the sea. Production of Agreements, Certificates, and Official Logs. Those clauses which especially refer to Allotment of Wages. LIFE-BOAT JOURNAL.—YOL. VII.—No. 74. 250 THE LIFE-BOAT. [OCTOBER 1,1869. Discharge, and Payment of Wages in the Construction of New Lighthouses and Sea- United Kingdom. marks, by General Lighthouse Authorities. Legal Eights to Wages. General Light Dues. Mode of Recovering Wages. Local Lighthouse Authorities. Wages and Effects of Deceased Seamen. Construction of Lighthouses, &c., by Local Remittance of Wages, Savings' Banks, Insu- Authorities. rance, and Annuities for Seamen. Control of General over Local Authorities. Relief to Seamen's Families out of Poor Rates. Surrender of Local Lighthouses. Leaving Seamen Abroad. Colonial Lighthouses and Sea-marks. Volunteering into the Navy. False Lights and Damage to Lighthouses. Provisions, Health, and Accommodation. Power of Making Complaint. PART IX.—Conservancy. Protection of Seamen from Imposition. Preliminary Inquiries. Discipline. Regulations as to Work. Naval and Consular Courts on the High Seas Obstructions to Navigation. and Abroad. Removal of Shingle. Official Logs. Transfer to Board of Trade of Powers under Registration of, and Returns respecting Seamen. Existing Special Acts. East Indies and Colonies. • PART X.—Harbours. PART HI.—Safety and Prevention of Accidents. Provisions applicable to Existing and Future Regulations for Preventing Collision. Harbour Authorities. Equipments and Safety. Harbour Dues. Survey of Passenger Steamers. Accounts. Keeping Order in Passenger Steamers. Officers and Servants. Foreign Passenger Steamers. Harbour Regulations. Accidents. Bye-laws. Carrying dangerous Goods. Warehouses, Cranes, &c. Chain Cables and Anchors. Life-boats. Tide Gauges and Barometers. PART IV. —Delivery of Goods and Lien for Freight. Damage in Harbour. PART V.—Liability of Shipowners. Her Majesty's Customs. Sites for Protecting Batteries. PART VI.— Wrecks, Casualties, and Salvage. Special Acts for Harbours. Subjection of Harbour to General Acts. Inquiries respecting Casualties to Shipping. Vessels in Distress. PART XI.—Loans to Harbour Authorities. Wreck. PART XII.-—Powers for Harbours by Provisional Unclaimed Wreck. Orders. Offences in respect of'"Wreck. Salvage of Life and Salvage within the United PART XIII.—Local Charges on Shipping. Kingdom. Dues—General. Procedure in Salvage generally. General Savings. Salvage by Her Majesty's Ships. Liability for Dues. Jurisdiction of Courts of Admiralty in Salvage. Dues Levied on Ships not to be sold or charged. Appointment of Receivers of "Wreck. Transfer of Shipping "Dues to "HarTjour Autho- Fees of Receivers of Wreck. rities. Miscellaneous. PART XIV.— The Board of Trade. PART VII.—Pilotage. PART XV.—Mercantile Marine Fund. Application. Maintenance and Application. Trinity House. PART XVI.—Provisional Orders. Provisional Orders. General Powers of Pilotage Authorities. PART XVII.—Legal Procedure. Returns by Pilotage Authorities. PART XVIII.—Miscellaneous. Licensing of Pilots. Coasting Trade. Rights of Pilots. Pilotage Dues. The first part of this Bill, comprising Compulsory Payment of Pilotage Dues, and 108 clauses, forms a very complete code, Exemption therefrom. embracing all questions concerning property Licensing of Masters and Mates. Offences of Pilots. in Ships, their Identity, Ownership, Re- Pilot Boats. gistry, Measurement for Tonnage, &c. Trinity House Pilot Fund. The second part, in no less than 211 PART VIII.—Lighthouses, Lights, and Sea-marks. clauses, includes all matters connected with Construction of this Part. Masters and Seamen, and is of a very com- Management of Lighthouses and Sea-marks. prehensive character, as will have been seen OCTOBER 1,1869.] THE LIFE-BOAT. 251 in the above enumeration of the many sub- The clauses from 269 to 301, for en- jects on which it treats. Its importance forcing Discipline, and establishing Naval cannot, indeed, be exaggerated, for the and Consular Courts on the High Seas and comfort, happiness, efficiency, and characters Abroad, do not call for any special comment. of the vast body of men who work our Terms of imprisonment and forfeiture of Merchant Fleet, and who represent our wages constitute the modes of punishment country, and bring credit or discredit on it, of the seamen, whilst masters are liable, in as the case may be, in every part of the certain cases, to be superseded from the globe, mast be very much affected by the command of their ships. laws by which they are governed. We next come to one of those portions of i The clauses in this part, having reference the Bill which more especially interest us, to the entry, engagements, and wages of viz., those which affect human life. seamen, are very complete. Part three, entitled Safety and Prevention Those for facilitating apprenticeships of of Accidents, contains 58 clauses. The pauper boys by the " Guardians of the first clauses under this head have reference Poor," and for their subsequent protection, to collisions, the rules for preventing which are also appropriate. We should, however, are embodied in the 12th schedule, which have been glad if a modification of the demies the character and position of the former system of apprenticeship, which lights to be carried in the night, the cha- compelled every ship to carry apprentices racter of fog-signals, and the position in proportional to her tonnage, and which which the helm is to be put on board maintained a sufficient supply of good sea- vessels whenever in danger of coming into men, could have been again introduced; but contact on passing each other in contrary or we presume the government have not felt transverse directions. These rules—which able to do so, although the gradual deterio- are the same that have been in use since ration of our merchant sailors, since that June, 1863, and which will be found in the invaluable nursery for rearing them was 49th Number of this Journal, with accom- broken up, at the desire of the British ship- panying diagrams—we have not space to owner, has been a matter of general remark enumerate in detail. They appear to be and regret. suitable and judicious. The clauses from 261 to 268, for the As casualties from collision are almost of " Protection of Seamen from Imposition," necessity always on the increase, owing to the are all that could be wished for. A valu- rapidly increasing number of vessels that, as able addition to the previously existing law the population of the world multiplies, are on this subject is the empowering all har- engaged in supplying their mutual wants, so bour authorities to license persons to