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AN APPEAL TO THE BRITISH NATION,
ON THE Humanity and Policy
OF FORMING A NATIONAL INSTITUTION,
FOR THE PRESERVATION OF LIVES AND PROPERTY
FROM SHIPWRECK.
BY SIR WILLIAM HILLARY, BARONET.
AUTHOR OF "A PLAN FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF A STEAM LIFE BOAT AND FOR THE
EXTINGUISHMENT OF FIRE AT SEA;" "SUGGESTIONS FOR THE IMPROVEMENT AND
EMBELLISHMENT OF THE METROPOLIS," AND "A SKETCH OF IRELAND IN 1824."
_THIRD EDITION._
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR GEO. B. WHITTAKER,
AVE-MARIA-LANE.
1825.
TO
THE KING.
SIRE,
From Your Majesty's exalted station as Sovereign of the greatest
maritime power on earth, and from the ardent zeal with which You have
graciously extended Your Royal patronage to every measure which could
promote the welfare and the glory of the British Navy, I have presumed,
with the utmost deference, to dedicate the following pages to Your
Majesty.
With the most dutiful respect, I have the honour to subscribe myself,
SIRE,
Your Majesty's
Most devoted subject and servant,
WILLIAM HILLARY.
INTRODUCTION
TO THE
SECOND EDITION[A].
The few pages of which the present edition is composed, were principally
written under the circumstances there stated, which had forcibly called
my attention to the fatal effects of those ever-recurring tempests,
which scatter devastation and misery round our coasts, where the veteran
commander and his hardy crew, with their helpless passengers of every
age and station in life, are left wretchedly to perish from the want of
that succour which it has become my object earnestly to solicit for
these destitute victims of the storm.
Another winter has scarcely yet commenced, and our coasts are spread
over with the shattered fragments of more than two hundred vessels,
which, in one fatal tempest, have been stranded on the British shores,
attended with an appalling havoc of human life, beyond all present means
to ascertain its extent, besides the loss of property to an enormous
amount. And shall these fearful warnings also be without avail? Shall we
still close our eyes on conviction, until further catastrophes wring
from us those reluctant efforts, which ought to spring spontaneously
from a benevolent people? With the most ample means for the rescue of
thousands of human beings from a watery grave, shall we still leave them
to their fate? Shall we hear unmoved of this widely-spread destruction,
and not each contribute to those exertions, to which the common
charities of human nature, and the certainty of the direful evils we
might avert, and the sufferings we might assuage, ought to incite us to
lend our utmost aid?
The conflicting fury of the elements, the darkness of night, the
disasters of the sea, and the dangers of the adjacent shores, but too
frequently combine to place the unhappy mariner beyond the power of
human relief. But if all cannot be rescued, must all therefore be left
to perish? If every effort cannot be attended with success, must not any
attempt be made to mitigate these terrible calamities, which bring home
the evil to our very doors, and force conviction on us by their
desolating effects, and by the destruction of hundreds of our
countrymen, whose wretched remains perpetually strew our shores?--Whilst
we pause, they continue to perish; whilst we procrastinate, the work of
destruction pursues its course; and each delay of another winter, in the
adoption of measures more commensurate with the extent of these
deplorable events, is attended with the sacrifice--perhaps of a thousand
human lives.
Even were the preservation of the vessels and their cargoes alone the
objects of our care, the present want of all system for such a purpose
is, in its consequences, as lavish of property as it is of life; and
from the vast amount now annually lost on our shores, infinitely more
might unquestionably be preserved to the commercial interests of the
country, by the establishment of the Institution proposed, than its
support would cost to the nation on its most extended scale.
Actuated by these impressions, I have sought by every argument to rouse
the dormant energies of a brave and a humane people to the rescue of
their fellow-creatures; and through the ardent zeal, the generous
enterprise, and the liberal bounty of a great nation, to awaken every
feeling which can stimulate to the effort, and provide every means which
can insure its success.
In our great insular empire, almost all individuals, from the most
exalted and powerful in the land to the lowly and obscure, are at some
period of their lives induced, by their various avocations and
pursuits, to leave their own coasts. The brave seamen, the gallant
soldiers, and the various subjects of these realms, of all ranks and
degrees, are to be found traversing every stormy sea, and exposed to
peril on every dangerous shore. This is not then an object for which the
great and the affluent are called on for the relief of the humble and
the destitute alone--the cause is individual, national, and universal,
perhaps beyond any other which has ever yet been addressed to a country
for support. It appeals equally to personal interest and to national
policy--to private benevolence and to public justice; and each who thus
extends the benefits of his efforts and his bounty to his countrymen and
to mankind, may also be contributing to the future safety of his family,
his friends, or himself.
In the pursuit of this arduous undertaking, I have felt it to be a duty
I owed to the cause of which I have thus become an advocate, to offer my
views to those of every class and department, who, from their humanity,
their talents, or their station, are the most calculated, or the best
enabled, to promote this great object of national benevolence.
I have dedicated this cause, with all deference, to a most gracious
sovereign; I have addressed myself in its behalf to his ministers; and I
have appealed to various distinguished individuals, to almost all the
great national and benevolent institutions in the kingdom, to the
commercial and shipping interests, and to the public at large, for the
support of an object well worthy the deep attention of the greatest
naval power of the present or of any former age, for the rescue of her
numerous seamen and subjects from one of the most frequent and most
awful of all the various calamities which desolate the human race.
From the same motives, I have most respectfully submitted this national
and international system to the sovereigns and governments of the
principal maritime powers of Europe and of America; and I avail myself
with pleasure of the present occasion, to express my grateful
acknowledgments for the promptitude with which several of their
ministers, resident at this court, have transmitted it to their
respective governments.
Encouraged to persevere in my endeavours, by the flattering support and
approbation of many distinguished and enlightened characters, I am
induced to hope that the day is not remote, when this contemplated
institution may be established on a permanent basis, by the united
energies of a noble and a benevolent nation, to whose support such a
cause has never yet been addressed in vain.
The interest which this subject has already excited, has induced me to
commit another edition of my pamphlet to the press; whilst the magnitude
and vital importance of these objects, to our country and to
mankind,--on our own and every foreign shore,--in the present and every
future age,--will, I trust, best plead my excuse as a retired
individual, and acquit me from the charge of presumption, in having had
the temerity to submit my views to the consideration of so many
illustrious personages, and for the earnest solicitude with which I have
addressed myself to the humanity, the benevolence, and the justice of
the British nation.
10th November, 1823.
FOOTNOTE:
[A] The introduction to the second edition and the following
pamphlet were published previously to the formation of "the Royal
National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck," which
it originally projected, as will be obvious by reference to dates and to
the accompanying Appendix.
AN APPEAL,
_&c._
For many years, and in various countries, the melancholy and fatal
shipwrecks which I have witnessed, have excited a powerful interest in
my mind for the situation of those who are exposed to these awful
calamities; but the idea of the advantages which would result from the
establishment of a national institution, for the preservation of human
life from the perils of the sea, first suggested itself to me during my
residence on a part of the coast, often exposed to the most distressing
scenes of misery, and where the dreadful storms of the last autumn
prevailed with unusual violence.
On some occasions, it has been my lot to witness the loss of many
valuable lives, under circumstances, where, had there been
establishments previously formed for affording prompt relief, and
encouragement given to those who might volunteer in such a cause, in all
probability the greater part would have been rescued from destruction.
At other times I have seen the noblest instances of self-devotion; men
have saved the lives of their fellow-creatures at the peril of their
own, without a prospect of reward if successful, and with the certainty
that their families would be left destitute if they perished.
From these considerations, I have been induced to wish, that the results
of the experience, talent, and genius of the most distinguished
commanders, and men of science, should be united in the formation of one
great Institution, which would in itself embrace every possible means
for the preservation of life from the hazards of shipwreck.
Though many individuals have employed their time, their attention, and
often exposed their personal safety for this object, yet nearly the
whole of the most extensive and dangerous parts of our coasts are left
without any means having been adopted, any precautions taken, for
rendering assistance to vessels in distress; and, winter after winter,
we have the most afflicting details of the consequences attendant on
this lamentable apathy to human misery--an awful destruction of life, on
almost every shore which surrounds the British dominions: acts have even
sometimes been perpetrated at which humanity shudders, and which have
caused other nations to cast reproach and opprobrium on the British
name.
But individual efforts, however meritorious in themselves, are unequal
to produce all the benefits contemplated, or to remedy all the evils,
attendant on one of the most tremendous of perils to which human nature
is exposed, and which is most likely to fall upon those who are in the
very prime of manhood, and in the discharge of the most active and
important duties of life. From the calamity of shipwreck no one can say
that he may at all times remain free; and whilst he is now providing
only for the safety of others, a day may come which will render the
cause his own.
These are not arguments founded on the visionary contemplation of remote
or improbable dangers. Their urgent necessity must be obvious to every
mind. So long as man shall continue to navigate the ocean, and the
tempests shall hold their course over its surface, in every age and on
every coast, disasters by sea, shipwrecks, and peril to human life, must
inevitably take place; and with this terrible certainty before our eyes,
the duty becomes imperative, that we should use every means to obviate
and to mitigate the deplorable consequences.
This subject in a peculiar manner appeals to the British people
collectively and individually. For ages, our seamen have been the
acknowledged support of our splendour and our power; and until every
thing which the ingenuity of man can suggest, and every inducement and
regulation which social institutions can offer and arrange, have been
combined into one great plan for their safety, we shall be wanting in
our best duties to them, to our country, and to ourselves.
Local associations cannot call forth the energy which such a cause
demands at our hands; they are only partial benefits, whilst the great
evil remains unredressed. We have many noble institutions, widely spread
through the extent of the British dominions, supported by voluntary
contributions, and exalting our name above that of every other nation by
our disinterested efforts in the cause of humanity; whilst this great
and vital object to every Briton, seems alone to have been strangely and
unaccountably overlooked, or only partially undertaken.
Our coasts are surrounded by land-marks as a guide by day, and lights
and beacons by night; our mariners are furnished with charts of every
sea, every rock is pointed out, every shoal set down, and every channel
buoyed. Pilots are to be found at the entrance of every port, and all
that science, indefatigable labour, and liberal expenditure can effect,
to warn the seaman of his danger, and to prevent vessels from being
wrecked,--all has long, and ardently, and ably been studied and
accomplished.
Whilst the vessels are yet secure, every safeguard is at their command,
amply supplied by public associations, or by the state; and towards
which, on their safe arrival in port, they contribute their quota for
the benefits they have received,--and all must but too often prove in
vain; many may thus be warned of their danger, and be saved; shipwrecks
will still continue to take place, despite of all human means, and their
crews be exposed to every species of peril and distress,--but what then
becomes their fate?
Wretched, exhausted, and in the last extremity of danger, on whom does
their rescue devolve? to what body or class of men, or to which of our
numerous departments, does it now become an honourable and an imperative
duty to afford them assistance in this their utmost need?--where are the
national funds for such an object, to supply ample means for the
hazardous attempt, to reward the brave efforts of those who succeed, or
to relieve the destitute families of those who perish in so honourable a
cause?
The melancholy catastrophe closed, every human being on board having
perished, or having quitted their shattered vessel in despair; the laws
and usages of recompense are clearly defined;--salvage for the property
preserved, in proportion to its amount.
But in the dreadful crisis between these two extremes, does one law of
the land, or one National Institution, hold out the established claim to
certain reward for a life saved?
In the nineteenth century, surrounded by every improvement and
institution which the benevolent can suggest, or the art of man
accomplish for the mitigation or prevention of human ills, will it for a
moment be capable of belief, that there does not, in all our great and
generous land, exist one National Institution which has for its direct
object the rescue of human life from shipwreck?
The protection of property is in every stage a subject of legislation
and of care;--the rescue of life from shipwreck has never yet been
adopted as a national and a legislative object.
With the exception of the recompenses voluntarily given by the liberal
institution of Lloyd's, the very few associations scattered thinly on
the coasts, and the valuable inventions and gallant efforts of those
brave and enlightened individuals who do honour to their country, our
shipwrecked seamen are left in this awful situation, to the spontaneous
exertions of enterprise and humanity, the chance of the moment, or the
mercy of the winds and waves;--or rather let us say, to a greater mercy,
and a higher Power.
It may be thought that this picture is overcharged; but unhappily, I
believe it will be found too faithfully correct.
I am firmly convinced, that these appalling facts have never yet reached
the great majority of the nation; but the veil once withdrawn, the
honour, the justice, and the humanity of Britain will be deeply
compromised, if the evil is not promptly and effectually redressed;--not
any human means should be spared to atone for the past, and to alleviate
the future.
In bringing this deeply interesting subject before the public, it is my
ardent hope that it may call forth the attention of those better
qualified to bring to perfection so important a work. Let this great
national object but once engage the attention of the public mind, and
not any thing can arrest its course.
The power of united effort, in the attainment of any great work of
national benevolence, has never yet failed of success. The institution I
have in view is equally a claim of justice and of benevolence; it
peculiarly belongs to the greatest maritime nation in existence, and
will, I trust, be deemed worthy the attention of the Admiralty of
England, who have so long held their high station with as much honour to
themselves as benefit to their country.
By whose immediate patronage the first measures for the organization of
such a system may be honoured, or under the sanction of what names the
requisite public meetings to carry them into effect may be announced, it
would be the utmost presumption in me to anticipate; but it appears to
me, that the immediate assembling of such meetings in London, would best
contribute to the establishment of this Institution on a permanent and
extensive foundation.
To the consideration of such meetings, I must respectfully beg leave to
submit:
That a national institution should be formed, equally worthy of Great
Britain, important to humanity, and beneficial to the naval and
commercial interests of the United Empire; having for its objects,
_First_, The preservation of human life from shipwreck; which should
always be considered as the first great and permanent object of the
Institution,
_Secondly_, Assistance to vessels in distress, which immediately
connects itself with the safety of the crews.
_Thirdly_, The preservation of vessels and property, when not so
immediately connected with the lives of the people, or after the crews
and passengers shall already have been rescued.
_Fourthly_, The prevention of plunder and depredations in case of
shipwreck.
_Fifthly_, The succour and support of those persons who may be rescued;
the promptly obtaining of medical aid, food, clothing, and shelter for
those whose destitute situation may require such relief, with the means
to forward them to their homes, friends, or countries. The people and
vessels of every nation, whether in peace or in war, to be equally
objects of this Institution; and the efforts to be made, and the
recompenses to be given for their rescue, to be in all cases the same as
for British subjects and British vessels.
_Sixthly_, The bestowing of suitable rewards on those who rescue the
lives of others from shipwreck, or who assist vessels in distress; and
the supplying of relief to the destitute widows or families of the brave
men who unhappily may lose their lives in such meritorious attempts.
The objects of the Institution being thus defined, and having, I hope,
already obtained the powerful support of those illustrious personages
and distinguished characters in the state, under whose fostering care,
as patrons and presidents, the system would have the best prospect of
being brought to maturity; it would only be requisite to proceed to the
next duty of the meeting, which would be the formation of a numerous
Committee, including liberal and enlightened men from all classes and
departments, naval and military officers, members of the Trinity House
and of Lloyd's, merchants and commanders in the East India and other
services, &c.
In addition to this central Committee, it would be requisite, in order
to carry the objects of the association into active execution, that
branches of the Institution, and subject to its rules, should be formed
in all the principal ports, and on the most dangerous sea-coasts of the
United Kingdom; each having its own separate Committee, in direct
communication with that in London. But, on the general central meetings
of Presidents and Committee in London, would devolve the primary
measures for the permanent establishment of the Institution; the general
system of finance, the formation of rules and regulations, and the plans
for giving activity and effect to the whole.
Perhaps it might facilitate the progress of the measures in view, if the
labour were divided, and two or more separate Committees or Boards were
formed from the whole, consisting of individuals best qualified for the
objects of each separate department, whose reports, before being finally
adopted, should receive the sanction of the Institution at large.
Under this view of the subject, a Committee of finance would be
desirable, whose duty, in the first instance, would be to arrange and
pursue the best and most active measures to diffuse a general knowledge
of the objects and principles of the association; and to obtain
donations and subscriptions, for the purpose of carrying them into
effect.
From the peculiarly interesting nature of this Institution, it is to be
presumed, that this part of their duty would be found easy in its
progress, and successful in its results.
When we see long columns filled with the first names in the country,
with large sums placed opposite to them, for objects temporary in their
nature, and small in importance compared with the present, which
contemplates the rescue of thousands of human beings now in existence,
and an incalculable number yet unborn, from one of the most tremendous
of all perils,--who is there, to whom such an Institution once became
known, that would refuse his aid? It is a cause which extends from the
palace to the cottage, in which politics and party cannot have any
share, and which addresses itself with equal force to all the best
feelings of every class in the state.
The names of every branch of the Royal Family are to be found at the
head of all the benevolent Institutions of the empire.
From the nobility and gentry large donations and subscriptions may
naturally be expected. The clergy of every class will, no doubt, be
foremost in the cause of humanity. To the whole body of the navy, the
marines, and to the army, who, in the prosecution of their professional
duties, encounter so many of the dangers of the sea, such an appeal will
never be made in vain. Can it be supposed that there is one East India
Director, one member of Lloyd's, an under-writer, a merchant, a
shipowner, or commander in the India or merchants' service, from whom a
subscription, liberal in proportion to his means, will not be obtained?
Nor will the generous aid of any class of society, I am persuaded, be
wanting for such a purpose; and as a stimulus to the whole, by example
in their donations, and by the widely-extended circle of their
influence, the British females of every station in life will, I am
convinced, particularly distinguish themselves in aid of this cause.
From these opinions, which I so confidently entertain of the humanity
and liberality of the British people, I rest firmly persuaded, that the
most ample means will be easily and speedily obtained for every possible
expenditure which can attend the objects of this Institution.
When the funds shall have been once established, the duty of the
Committee will be, to have the permanent superintendence and regulation
of their finance under the proper control of the whole society.
A second Board, or Committee, should be formed from the most
experienced and enlightened officers of the navy, seamen, engineers, and
scientific men, for the purpose of carrying the direct objects of the
Institution into effect.
One of the most important duties of this Committee will be to combine,
in a clear, concise, and well-digested system, the result of the joint
knowledge and experience of the whole body, in plain and simple
language, divested as much as possible of technical phraseology, and
capable of being understood by every individual. This code of
instruction should comprise the best and most prompt measures to be
adopted in every sort of danger to which a vessel can be exposed, and on
whatever kind of coast, in order that the most effectual assistance may
be given, with the least possible loss of time, and with such means as
in remote situations can most probably be obtained; and the Committee
should be requested to report, from time to time, the result of those
measures which they had found from experience to be most successful;
whilst every friend to such a cause, who might suggest an invention or a
means to facilitate these objects, would be certain, that in this
Committee his plans would receive the most attentive consideration from
those who would possess the power and the inclination to carry them into
effect.
It will be desirable that this Committee should suggest the most
eligible plans for permanent establishments in all sea-ports,
road-steads, and resorts for shipping, and particularly on remote, wild,
and exposed parts of the coast, where lifeboats, anchors, cables,
hawsers, and the beneficial inventions of those enlightened and highly
patriotic officers, Sir William Congreve, Captains Marryat, Manby,
Dansey, Mr. Trengrouse, and various other meritorious individuals,
should be kept in constant readiness for use, with every means for the
preservation of lives in danger, and the assistance of vessels in
distress, according to the nature of the coasts on which the respective
depots may be established. The purchase, safe custody, and control over
the stores of the Institution, their being deposited in places best
situated for instant issue on every emergency, and always in a state fit
for immediate service, are objects which demand the utmost
circumspection and care.
This department is perhaps the most important of the whole--it is the
operative; and on its judicious arrangements, the means of prompt and
effectual efforts, the success of the most hazardous undertakings, the
safety of those employed, and the rescue of those in peril, will
unquestionably depend.
For these purposes, as well as every other connected with the
Institution, the respective Committees proposed to be formed, in every
port, and on every coast, will be of the most essential use. The zeal,
and other requisite qualities, which the members of such Committees may
naturally be supposed to possess, point them out as the most eligible
persons to have the immediate direction of the measures to be adopted.
From them also it is to be expected that the most experienced in
nautical affairs may be selected to command.
To that department under which boats are to go out, and men are to risk
their lives, for the rescue of those who may be in danger, the utmost
attention is due: that, when they are so employed, it shall be under the
direction of the most skilful advice which the occasion can afford; that
their boats and equipments shall be such as best to insure their safety;
and that the crews shall be selected from the bravest and most
experienced persons who can be found.
To insure order and promptitude on these occasions, where the least
delay or indecision may cause the loss of all opportunity of acting with
effect, a previous and, as far as practicable, a permanent arrangement
should be formed. Volunteers should be invited to enrol themselves from
amongst the resident pilots, seamen, fishermen, boatmen, and others, in
sufficient numbers to insure the greatest probability of having every
aid at hand, which, in the moment of danger, may be requisite. Each man
should have his department previously assigned, and the whole should
act under their respective leaders.
To these regulations might be added a system of signals, equally
available by night or by day, through which persons on board of vessels
in distress could communicate the nature of the assistance of which they
stood in need; and those on shore warn them of any danger, inform them
of the succour they were going to afford, or give them any instructions
requisite to their safety.
In addition to these means, a great source of assistance to vessels in
distress might be secured to be at all times within reach, by permanent
and judicious arrangements with pilot companies, steam vessels, anchor
vessels, harbour boats, trawl and other fishing boats, which, under
proper indemnities, and for reasonable remuneration, would doubtless at
all times contribute their aid, and act under the regulations of the
Institution; it might also be advantageous, on many parts of the coast,
to give premiums to those owners of boats who should have them fitted up
with air tight cases, casks or cork, so as to answer the purpose of life
boats, and who should constantly keep them in that state, ready for
immediate service.
At the same time care should be taken not to trammel by unnecessary
regulations the spontaneous efforts of those, who, actuated by a
generous ardour, on the emergency of the moment, seize on the first
means which present themselves, and often accomplish their object in a
manner which, to a cooler calculation, would appear impracticable.
To expect a large body of men to enrol themselves, and be in constant
readiness to risk their own lives for the preservation of those whom
they have never known or seen, perhaps of another nation, merely because
they are fellow-creatures in extreme peril, is to pay the highest
possible compliment to my countrymen; and that on every coast there are
such men, has been fully evinced, even under the present want of system,
when the best means for their purpose are not supplied; when they are
without any certainty of reward; and act under the peculiarly appalling
consideration, that if they perish, they may leave wives, children, and
every one destitute who depend on them for support.
If, under such discouragement, we every year have so many instances of
self-devotion, what might not be expected from the same men, when they
knew that in the performance of their arduous duties, every possible
means to execute them, with safety to themselves, and success to the
objects of their efforts, would be supplied; that if they succeeded,
they would be honoured and recompensed, according to their merits and
situation in life; and if it were their lot to perish in so noble a
cause, they had at least the consolation to know, beyond a doubt, that
their families would not be left to deplore their loss in unassisted
poverty?
To these objects the Institution ought unquestionably to extend, or it
would be unworthy of the great country to which it belonged, and of the
high patronage with which I hope it may be honoured.
Nor will I suppose that those whom I have specified are the only persons
who will take an active part on such occasions. There is another class,
who, from what I have individually seen, will, I am certain, become able
and zealous leaders,--not only the employed, but the half-pay officers
of the navy, now so widely spread over the coasts of the United Kingdom.
Living in retirement in time of peace, they would not allow their
energies to sleep when their brother seamen were in danger, but come
forward with the conscious feeling, that those distinguished characters
who preside over the British navy, would regard such meritorious
services as being in the direct path of honour; and that to rescue a
human being from the perils of shipwreck would not be less acceptable to
their country than to subdue her enemies in battle.
The Romans rewarded with the civic crown those who had saved the life
of a fellow citizen. Our late venerable sovereign conferred the
baronetage on the gallant Viscount Exmouth, then Captain Pellew, for his
noble and successful efforts, at the extreme hazard of his own life, to
save the crew of an East Indiaman, wrecked at Plymouth, when the
situation of every one on board appeared beyond the reach of human aid.
The whole class of the preventive service, with many departments of the
revenue, could not be more honourably employed, and they must naturally
feel that their brave exertions, on such occasions, would be fully
estimated.
The assistance of medical men, who would enrol themselves to be ready to
attend, might frequently be of the utmost importance to succour and
restore those who might have sustained severe injury, or whose lives
might be nearly extinct; and it is confidently to be hoped, that the
happiest consequences would frequently result, from having always ready
for use, the apparatus of the Royal Humane Society for restoring
suspended animation--also by the circulation of their instructions for
the treatment of persons in that situation.
There is not perhaps any subject connected with this proposed
Institution, more worthy of its utmost attention and care, than the
protection of persons and property from the cruel rapacity of those
abandoned marauders, who, on some parts of our coasts, have but too long
followed a practice disgraceful to a civilized state, and dangerous in
its example as fatal to its victims, of plundering from wrecks, and
there is much reason to fear, often suffering to perish, from want of
assistance, many who might otherwise have been rescued from peril, and
restored to their friends and their country; but by means of the
numerous establishments of this Institution, the effects of a better
example, the stimulus of rewards given for the preservation of life, the
vigilant care and the vigorous measures which in such cases would
unquestionably be pursued, it is confidently to be hoped that such
atrocities would be heard of no more on our shores.
In time of war, it might be advisable that a limited number of known,
steady, and brave seamen, who had already distinguished themselves on
these occasions, should be protected from the impress, by belonging to
this service. The number need not be large, as the retired veterans of
the navy, and the fishermen on the coast, would constitute the majority
to be employed.
The nature and extent of the recompenses for time and trouble, and the
reward of those who hazard their own lives in the rescue of others,
would form another important branch of the Institution for the labours
of this Committee.
The qualifications for these rewards naturally form themselves into
classes.
First, in case of successful efforts, where persons, at the risk of
their own lives, save from imminent peril those of their
fellow-creatures,--it should be established, beyond all doubt, that they
should receive such reward for each life saved, as the Institution, on
mature consideration, may determine. This might be fixed at not less
than a certain sum, with power to extend it to a greater amount, to be
decided by the Committee, according to the nature of the case; but, at
all events, to the smallest of these rewards the parties to have an
absolute claim, on furnishing unquestionable evidence of having saved a
life.
In many cases of persons rescued from the wreck, saved amongst rocks, or
when found washed by the breakers on shore, particularly on remote
coasts, but too often exposed to scenes of lawless depredation, the
parties should equally be entitled to reward.
Where lives are saved, without those employed hazarding their own, they
should at least receive the smaller of the premiums conferred.
Rewards should also be given where every possible effort has been made,
though unhappily without success.
When vessels are actually in distress, proportionate premiums should be
given to the first, second, and other boats which get alongside, and for
other assistance.
Remunerations should be given, and every inducement held out, for the
prevention of plunder, and for the preservation of lives and vessels, in
every situation of danger to which they may become exposed.
When a life is saved by a person who had been equally fortunate on a
former occasion, his reward should be larger, and increase progressively
for other successful efforts. In case of crime, the second offence is
punished more severely than the first, and the third than the second. In
meritorious acts, it were only sound policy that the rewards should bear
a similar proportion.
Where an individual perishes in his attempts to rescue lives from
shipwreck, or when assisting vessels in distress, his wife, children, or
aged parents, if dependent on him for support, should have every relief
which it may become practicable to give, and according to the particular
circumstances of the case.
The Institution should also recompense for severe injuries, ascertained
to have been unquestionably sustained in the actual performance of such
services.
Ample and general powers should be given to confer rewards for such
other acts as the Committee may consider justly entitled to them.
It might, perhaps, also be worthy the consideration of the Institution
at large, whether any badge or medal conferred on a man who had saved a
life from shipwreck at the hazard of his own, might not have a very
powerful effect. To many minds, even in the humblest walks of life, such
a recompense would be more acceptable than a pecuniary reward, whilst a
laudable ambition might be thus excited in others to imitate so
meritorious an example--thus holding out every species of inducement, to
the brave and the generous--to the humble but humane, to render their
utmost aid to the shipwrecked of every land, in the moment of their
extreme distress.
To receive applications for rewards, to examine into the nature and
extent of services performed, and to make reports, and forward
certificates and recommendations to the general Committee, would become
one of the most important duties of the local departments, on the
judicious and faithful performance of which the honour and credit of
the Institution would materially depend.
These appear to me to be the principal objects to which the attention of
the Committees should be directed, in the original formation of the
establishment, and subject to the decision of the general meetings of
the Institution, to whom their reports should be submitted.
It is to be presumed that various parts of the interior of the United
Kingdom will furnish considerable funds to the Institution, without
calling upon it for any supplies; that many of the great sea-ports may
perhaps raise means equal to the amount of their expenditure, in their
immediate district; whilst there is a vast extent of the most rugged
coast lying far distant from any prompt assistance, on which, above all
others, vessels are exposed to the greatest danger. For such places,
establishments could only be formed at a considerable expense; it being
obvious, that from the solitude and remoteness of the surrounding
country, only small pecuniary aid could be obtained; yet in these
situations the seamen and fishermen ought to be stimulated by every
possible incitement to take an active and decided part in the cause of
humanity; since on these very coasts the vessels belonging to the most
distant ports might be lost, and the relatives of those who resided in
the very interior of the kingdom might perish. The cause, therefore,
becomes common to all, and it will be of the highest importance to its
success, that arrangements should be formed between the central
Committee and the district associations, that, united in funds and in
measures, they may as much as possible act in concert, in carrying the
objects contemplated into the fullest effect through the whole extent of
the British dominions.
How far it may be desirable to apply for an act of parliament, or to
establish the Institution into a chartered association, will remain for
the general Committee to decide, when the whole has assumed a distinct
form. It is also probable that great advantages might result from the
investigations of a Committee of the House of Commons into the
insufficiency of the enactments and regulations now in force for the
preservation of life, and the prevention of plunder, from vessels which
may be wrecked within the jurisdiction of our laws.
I also venture, with deference, to recommend, that other maritime
nations should be invited to form similar establishments, so far as
accords with their respective laws and usages, and to concur in mutual
arrangements with Great Britain for the reciprocal aid of the subjects
and vessels of each other.
Nor is the universal adoption of this system more imperatively
demanded, by those feelings which should incite us to afford the most
prompt assistance to the people of every country who may be in danger of
shipwreck on our shores, than it is consistent with a wise and
enlightened policy, which should extend our views from our own immediate
coasts, to the most remote quarters of the globe, and to every
neighbouring state; more particularly from the entrance of the English
Channel to the frozen regions of the North. And when we recollect the
vast commercial fleets which the enterprise of our merchants adventures
into every sea, and during every season; when more than a thousand sail
of British vessels pass the sound of the Baltic each year; ought we not
to bear in mind to what hazards the subjects and vessels of Great
Britain are constantly exposed, on the whole of so extended a coast, and
in every stormy and dangerous sea? and shall we not be wanting to them
and to humanity, if we do not endeavour to obtain for our own
shipwrecked countrymen, in every foreign land, the same effectual aid in
the hour of danger, which, I doubt not, it will become one of the
proudest objects of this Institution to extend to the vessels of every
nation which may be in distress on the British shores?--Even during the
most arduous prosecution of war, the cause of humanity, and the
progress of civilization, would be eminently promoted by these noble and
generous efforts, for the rescue of those, whom the fury of the elements
had divested of all hostile character, and thrown helpless and powerless
on a foreign coast.
Thus would nations be drawn by mutual benefits into more strict bonds of
amity during peace, and thus might the rigours of war be ameliorated, by
having one common object of benevolence remaining; in the exercise of
which the jealousies and angry passions incident to a state of hostility
could not have any part with a generous and a high-minded people; whilst
the experience and penetration of liberal and enlightened governments
could, without difficulty, form such arrangements as would prevent that
which was intended as a benefit to mankind, from being made subservient
to any political abuse.
My utmost wishes would be accomplished by seeing these international
regulations established, in connexion with one great Institution, to
extend to the most remote province of the empire, on the exalted
principle, that wherever the British flag should fly, her seamen should
be protected; and that those who risked their own lives to save their
fellow-creatures from the perils of shipwreck should be honoured and
rewarded; whilst every stranger, whom the disasters of the sea may cast
on her shores, should never look for refuge in vain.
DOUGLAS, ISLE OF MAN,
28th Feb. 1823.
APPENDIX.
A year had scarcely elapsed after the first edition of the preceding
Pamphlet was committed to the press, when the great object it
recommended was accomplished, with an unanimity and a promptitude which
the irresistible power of such a cause could alone effect, by the
establishment of the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of
Life from Shipwreck;--district associations on a very extended scale
have also been formed in the county of Norfolk, and on various other
important parts of the coast, avowedly founded on the plan which this
work had projected.
It has therefore become expedient, in the future circulation of this
Pamphlet, to add a few pages, containing authentic statements of those
proceedings by which the Institution was organized--how cordially this
measure has been received and adopted, and how much in conformity with
that outline which I had ventured to offer to the consideration of my
country, these documents will best evince.
It will at the same time be seen, that the resolutions of the General
Meeting do not extend to the remuneration of the Salvors of property in
cases of shipwreck, where not immediately connected with the
preservation of life, it having been the opinion of the Provisional
Committee that the existing laws had already made such regulations as to
render that measure unnecessary.
In reference to those passages which treat of the rewards to be
conferred for services which may be performed, and more particularly as
to the relief to be afforded to the destitute families of those who
unhappily may perish in their attempts to preserve the lives of others,
it will be obvious that the extent of such recompenses and relief must
of necessity be guided by those means, which the liberality of the
nation may supply--at the same time, I have the utmost satisfaction in
stating the humane declaration of the Institution, that their operations
will be limited only by the amount of those funds which may be placed at
their disposal, or the number of cases calling for assistance; and I
most sincerely concur in the confident hope which the Central Committee
express, that the contributions may be so general as not only to give
present effect, but also permanence, to this great national undertaking.
Honoured, as this Institution has been, by the high patronage of the
King, and of his illustrious family--constituted a Royal Institution by
his Majesty's gracious command--sanctioned by many of the most
distinguished characters in the church and state, and sustained by the
bounty of a generous nation--it is not for me to have the presumption to
offer my acknowledgements, for that support which the cause of our
shipwrecked fellow-creatures has obtained from the sovereign and the
people of this great country.
But there are some names, the omission of which would be an act of
injustice--the gentlemen of the Provisional Committee, who prepared the
way for that success which attended the public meeting, over which his
grace the Archbishop of Canterbury presided, in a manner as advantageous
to the measures which he so essentially contributed to promote, as
honourable to his own benevolent feelings; and the equally zealous
members of the Central Committee, who now so ably conduct the affairs of
the Institution, are eminently entitled to the warmest thanks of every
friend of this cause, for their early and important exertions in its
establishment, of whom I may perhaps be permitted to name Thomas Wilson,
Esq. one of the representatives in parliament for the City of London,
and George Hibbert, Esq. as having been amongst the foremost in
affording their valuable co-operation in the formation of this
Institution.
It only remains for me to express the heartfelt satisfaction which I
experience, in witnessing the attainment of this object of my most
earnest solicitude, and in the firm conviction with which I am
impressed, that this Institution is now established on principles which
will extend its beneficial effects to the most distant shores, and to
generations yet unborn.
WILLIAM HILLARY.
May 29, 1824.
No. I.
_Circular, convening a preliminary and select Meeting, to consider of
the Suggestions in the Pamphlet by Sir William Hillary, Bart. of an
Institution for the Rescue of Lives from Shipwreck._
No. 33, New Broad Street,
February 4, 1824.
SIR,
You are respectfully requested to attend at the City of London Tavern,
on Thursday, the 12th instant, at twelve for one o'clock precisely, to
confer on certain measures which will then be submitted, and to
determine on the expedience of calling a General Meeting in London, for
the formation of a "National Institution for the Preservation of Life
from Shipwreck."
I have the honour to be,
Sir,
Your most obedient servant,
S. COCK.
No. II.