An appeal to the British Nation on 
 the Humanity and Policy of Forming 
 a National Institution for the Pre- 
 servation of Lives and Property 
 fror Shipwreck 
 
 By 
 
 ' Hi am Hillary
 
 

 
 
 AN APPEAL 
 
 TO THE 
 
 BRITISH NATION, 
 
 ON THE 
 
 
 HUMANITY AND POLICY 
 
 OP FORMING 
 
 Rational $n$tftutton, 
 
 FOR THE PRESERVATION OF 
 
 PROPERTY FROM SHIPWRECK. 
 
 BY SIR WILLIAM HILLARY, BART. 
 
 LOND'ON: 
 
 PRINTED FOR G. AND W. B. WHITTAKER, 
 
 AVE-MAEIA-LANE. 
 
 1823.
 
 
 . 
 
 ' , . 
 
 LONDON: 
 BY THOMAS DAVISON, WHITlDFRlARi-
 
 VK 
 
 TO 
 
 THE KING 
 
 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 
 
 CO 
 
 of the British Navy, I have presumed, with 
 S the utmost deference, to dedicate the fol- 
 ~- lowing pages to your Majesty. 
 
 With the most dutiful respect, I have 
 the honour to be, 
 
 SIRE, 
 
 Your Majesty's 
 
 Most devoted subject and servant, 
 W. HILLARY. 
 
 307201
 
 AN APPEAL, 
 
 &c. 
 
 FOR many years, and in various countries, 
 the melancholy and fatal cases of shipwreck 
 which I have witnessed, have excited a power- 
 ful interest in my mind for the situation of those 
 who are exposed to this awful calamity; 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, has only suggested itself to me 
 since 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 wit- 
 ness the loss of many valuable lives, where, if 
 there had been establishments previously formed 
 for affording prompt relief, and encouragement 
 given to those who might volunteer on such a 
 cause, in all probability the greater part would 
 
 B
 
 have been saved. 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 circumstances, I have been in- 
 duced to wish, that the results of the ex- 
 perience, talent, and genius, of the most di- 
 stinguished 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 distinguished officers have em- 
 ployed their time and attention, and often ex- 
 posed their personal safety for this object, yet, 
 throughout nearly the whole of the most dan- 
 gerous parts of the coast, no means have been 
 adopted, no precautions taken for affording as- 
 sistance in cases of shipwreck. Winter after 
 winter, we have the most distressing details of 
 the deplorable consequences ; lives have been 
 lost, which might otherwise have been saved ; 
 acts have even sometimes been perpetrated 
 at which humanity shudders, and which have
 
 caused other nations to cast reproach and op- 
 probrium on the British name. 
 
 But individual efforts, however meritorious 
 in themselves, are unequal to produce all the 
 benefits, or remedy all the evils, attendant on 
 one of the most inevitable of perils to which 
 (in the present state of society) human nature 
 is exposed ; and which is most likely to fall 
 upon those who are in the very prime of man- 
 hood, and in the discharge of the most active 
 and important duties of life. From the ca- 
 lamity of shipwreck no one can say that he may 
 at all times remain free j 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 vi- 
 sionary contemplation of remote or improbable 
 dangers. Their urgent necessity must be ob- 
 vious to every mind. So long as man shall 
 continue to navigate the ocean, and the tem- 
 pests shall hold their course over its surface, in 
 every age and on every coast, disasters by sea, 
 shipwreck, and peril to human life, must in- 
 evitably take place ; and with this terrible cer- 
 tainty before our eyes, the duty becomes im- 
 perative, that we should use every means to 
 
 B 2
 
 obviate and to mitigate the disastrous con- 
 sequences. 
 
 This subject in a peculiar manner appeals to 
 the British people collectively and individually. 
 For ages our seamen have been the acknow- 
 ledged 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 disin- 
 terested efforts in the cause of humanity; but 
 this great and vital object to every Briton, seems 
 alone to have been strangely and unaccountably 
 overlooked, or only partially undertaken. 
 
 Jn bringing this deeply interesting subject
 
 5 
 
 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 
 arrest the attention of the public mind, and not 
 any thing can prevent its completion. 
 
 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 even more a claim of justice 
 than of benevolence ; it peculiarly belongs to 
 the greatest maritime nation on earth, 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 them- 
 selves as benefit to their country. 
 
 But 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 as- 
 sembling 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 most 
 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 com- 
 mercial interests of the United Empire j having 
 for its objects, 
 
 Firsty The preservation of human lives from 
 shipwreck ; which should always be considered 
 as the first great and permanent object of the 
 institution. 
 
 Secondly, Assistance to vessels in distress, 
 which often immediately connects itself with 
 the safety of the crews. 
 
 Thirdly, The preservation of vessels and pro- 
 perty, 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 de- 
 predations in case of shipwreck. 
 
 Fifthly, The succour and support of those 
 persons who may be rescued; the promptly 
 obtaining medical aid, food, clothing, and shel- 
 ter, for those whose destitute situation may re- 
 quire 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 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 establishment of a provision for the destitute 
 widows or families of those who unhappily lose 
 their lives on such occasions. 
 
 The objects of the Institution being thus 
 defined, and having, I hope, already obtained 
 the powerful support of those illustrious per- 
 sonages 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 j it would 
 only be requisite to proceed to the next duty 
 of the meeting, which would be the formation 
 of a numerous Committee, equally including 
 liberal and enlightened men from all classes 
 and departments of the state, naval and mili- 
 tary officers, members of Trinity House and 
 of Lloyd's, merchants and commanders in the 
 East India and other services, &c. 
 
 In addition to this central Committee, it
 
 8 
 
 would be requisite,, in order to carry the ob- 
 jects of the society into active execution, that 
 branches of the Institution, 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 se- 
 parate Committee, in direct communication with 
 that in London, of which many of the gentle- 
 men in the local Committees would, no doubt, 
 also be members. But, on the general central 
 meetings of presidents and Committee, in Lon- 
 don, 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 sanc- 
 tion 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
 
 9 
 
 the best and most active measures to diffuse 
 a general knowledge of the objects and prin- 
 ciples of the association ; and to obtain dona- 
 tions and subscriptions, for the purpose of car- 
 rying 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 com- 
 pared with the present, which contemplates a 
 widely circulated plan for the rescue of thousands 
 of human beings now in existence, and an in- 
 calculable number yet unborn, from one of the 
 most awful of all perils ; who is there to whom 
 such an Institution once became known that 
 would refuse his aid ? 
 
 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 pro- 
 fessional 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 ship- 
 owner, 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, par- 
 ticularly distinguish themselves in aid of this 
 Institution. 
 
 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 of the society are once esta-
 
 11 
 
 blished, the duty of the Committee will be, to 
 place the permanent superintendence and regu- 
 lation of their finance under the proper control 
 of the whole society. 
 
 A second Board, or Committee, should be 
 formed from the most experienced and en- 
 lightened officers of the navy, seamen, en- 
 gineers 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 together, into 
 one concise and well-digested plan, the result 
 of the joint knowledge and experience of the 
 whole body, in plain and simple language, di- 
 vested as much as possible of technical phraseo- 
 logy, and capable of being understood by every 
 individual. This code of instruction should 
 contain 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, so that the most effectual assistance can 
 be given, with the least possible loss of time, 
 and with such means as in remote situations 
 can most probably be obtained ; and the Com* 
 mittee should be requested to report, from time 
 to time, the result of those measures which
 
 12 
 
 they had found from experience to be most 
 successful. 
 
 It will be desirable that this Committee 
 should suggest the most eligible plans for per- 
 manent establishments in all greater and lesser 
 sea-ports, road-steads, and resorts for shipping, 
 and particularly on remote, wild, and exposed 
 parts of the coast, where life-boats, anchors, 
 cables, hawsers, and the beneficial inventions 
 of those enlightened and highly patriotic of- 
 ficers Captains Marryatt and Manby 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, ac- 
 cording to the nature of the coasts on which 
 the respective depots may be established. 
 
 To carry these objects of the association into 
 effect, it would be advantageous to arrange a plan 
 for the formation and regulation of the crews 
 of boats, and the persons to be employed on 
 these occasions, as well those to direct, as others 
 to execute the measures to be undertaken. The 
 purchase, safe custody, and control over the 
 use of the stores belonging to the Institution, 
 would also form subjects of careful arrangement. 
 
 This department is perhaps the most im- 
 portant of the whole it is the operative ; and
 
 13 
 
 on its judicious formation, the means of prompt 
 and effectual execution, the success of the most 
 hazardous undertakings, the safety of those em- 
 ployed, and the rescue of those in peril, will 
 unquestionably depend. 
 
 For these purposes, as well as every other 
 connected with the society, the respective Com- 
 mittees 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 will na- 
 turally be supposed to possess, point them out 
 as the most eligible persons to have the imme- 
 diate direction of the measures to be adopted. 
 From them also it is to be expected that the 
 most experienced in nautical affairs may be se- 
 lected to command. 
 
 To that department under which boats are to 
 go out, and men are to risk their own lives, in 
 their efforts to save those of their fellow-crea- 
 tures, the utmost attention is due : that, when 
 they are so employed, it shall be under the di- 
 rection of the most skilful advice which the 
 occasion can afford : that their boats and equip- 
 ments shall be such as best to insure their safety, 
 and that the crews shall be selected from the
 
 14 
 
 bravest and most experienced persons who can 
 be found. 
 
 To insure order and promptitude on these 
 occasions, where the least delay or indecision 
 may be to lose the opportunity of acting with 
 effect, a previous and (as far as practicable) a 
 permanent arrangement should be formed. Vo- 
 lunteers should be invited to enrol themselves 
 from amongst the resident pilots, seamen, fisher- 
 men, boatmen, and others, in sufficient num- 
 bers 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 act under their respective leaders. 
 
 To these regulations might be added a system 
 of signals, by 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 aid they were going to 
 afford, or give them any instructions requisite 
 to their safety. 
 
 In addition to these means, a great source of 
 aid to vessels in distress might be secured to 
 be at all times within reach, by permanent and
 
 15 
 
 judicious arrangements with pilot companies, 
 steam vessels, anchor vessels, and trawl and 
 other fishing boats, which, under proper in- 
 demnities, and for reasonable remuneration, 
 would at all times contribute their assistance, 
 and act under the regulations of the Institution. 
 
 But 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 them- 
 selves, 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 j 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 pur- 
 pose are not supplied ; when they are without 
 any certainty of reward, and are under the pe- 
 culiarly appalling consideration, that if they
 
 16 
 
 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 ar- 
 duous duties, every possible means to execute 
 them, with safety to themselves, and success to 
 the objects of their efforts, would be supplied j 
 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 pe- 
 rish 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 unprotected poverty. 
 
 To these objects the Institution ought un- 
 questionably 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
 
 17 
 
 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 j and that to rescue 
 a fellow-creature from the perils of shipwreck 
 would not be less acceptable to their country 
 than to subdue her enemies in battle. 
 
 Our late venerable sovereign conferred the 
 baronetage on the gallant Viscount Exmouth 
 (then Captain Pellew), for his noble and suc- 
 cessful 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 
 
 c
 
 18 
 
 enrol themselves to be ready to attend, might 
 frequently be of the utmost importance to suc- 
 cour and restore those who might have sus- 
 tained severe injury, or whose lives might be 
 nearly extinct. 
 
 In time of war, it might be advisable that a 
 limited number of known, steady, and brave 
 seamen, who had already distinguished them- 
 selves 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 em- 
 ployed. 
 
 The nature and extent of the recompenses 
 for time and trouble, and rewards for hazard of 
 their own lives in the rescue of others, would 
 form another important branch of the Institu- 
 tion for the labours of this Committee. 
 
 The qualifications for these rewards naturally 
 form themselves into classes. 
 
 First, in case of successful efforts, where per- 
 sons, 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 are intitled to a premium of such sum for 
 each life saved as the Institution may, on con-
 
 19 
 
 sideration, agree upon. This might be fixed as 
 not less than a certain sum, with power to ex- 
 tend it to a greater amount, to be decided by 
 the Committee, according to the nature of the 
 case j 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 re- 
 ceive the lesser of the premiums before-men- 
 tioned. 
 
 Rewards should also be given where every 
 possible effort has been made, though unhappily 
 without success. 
 
 When vessels are actually in distress, pro- 
 portionate premiums should be given to the 
 first, second, and other boats which get along- 
 side, and for other assistance. 
 
 The nature and extent of the remunerations 
 for the preservation of vessels and property 
 
 c 2
 
 20 
 
 after being stranded, or in various other situa- 
 tions of danger, would require regulation. 
 
 When a life is saved by a person who had 
 been equally fortunate on a former occasion, 
 his reward should be larger, and increase pro- 
 gressively 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 assist- 
 ing vessels in distress, his wife, children, or 
 aged parents (if dependent on him for sup- 
 port), should at least have the same provision 
 from the funds of the Institution, as they would 
 have received from the nation, if he had been 
 killed on board of a king's vessel in action with 
 the enemy. 
 
 The Institution should also recompense for 
 severe injuries, ascertained to have been un- 
 questionably sustained in the actual perform- 
 ance 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.
 
 21 
 
 It might, perhaps, also be worthy the con- 
 sideration 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. 
 
 To receive applications for rewards, to ex- 
 amine 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 im- 
 portant duties of the local departments, on the 
 judicious and faithful performance of which the 
 honour and credit of the Institution would ma- 
 terially depend. 
 
 These appear to me to be the principal ob- 
 jects to which the attention of the two Com- 
 mittees should be directed in the original forma- 
 tion of the establishment, and subject to the 
 decision of the general meetings of the Institu- 
 tion, to whom their reports should be submitted 
 for final adoption. 
 
 It is to be presumed that various parts of the
 
 22 
 
 interior of the United Kingdom will furnish con- 
 siderable funds to the institution, without call- 
 ing upon it for any aid ; that many of the great 
 sea-ports may perhaps supply means equal to 
 the amount of their expenditure, in their im- 
 mediate district; whilst there is a vast extent 
 of the most rugged coasts 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 the greatest expense ; for it 
 must be obvious, that from the solitude and re- 
 moteness of the surrounding country, only small 
 pecuniary supplies could be obtained ; but where 
 the seamen and fishermen ought to be stimulated 
 by every possible incitement to take an active 
 and decided part in the cause of humanity; for 
 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 in- 
 terior of the kingdom might perish. The cause, 
 therefore, becomes common to all, and it is no 
 less just than politic that the whole amount of 
 the funds obtained should centre in the Insti- 
 tution at large; that there should not be any 
 attempts made to establish separate interests, 
 whilst from these funds the expenses of every
 
 23 
 
 department should be supplied, the rewards be 
 given, and the pensions guaranteed through the 
 whole extent of the British dominions. 
 
 How far it may be desirable to apply for an 
 act of parliament to establish the Institution 
 into a chartered association, in order to secure 
 the funds for payment of the pensions which 
 may be granted, and for various other purposes, 
 will remain for the general Committee to decide, 
 when the whole has assumed a distinct form. 
 
 If those who are better qualified to judge of 
 the measure do not conceive that it would be 
 objectionable, I venture, with deference, to re- 
 commend, 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 sub- 
 jects 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 our utmost aid 
 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 im- 
 mediate coasts, to the most remote quarters of 
 
 .'507201
 
 24 
 
 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 
 adventure into every sea, and during every 
 season ; when nearly 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 ? 
 
 Thus would nations be drawn by mutual be- 
 nefits 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 j in the exercise of which 
 the jealousies and angry passions incident to a 
 state of hostility could not have any part with
 
 25 
 
 a generous and high-minded people. The expe- 
 rience 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 inter-national regulations esta- 
 blished, in connexion with one great Insti- 
 tution, to extend to the most remote province 
 of the empire, on the exalted principle, that 
 wherever the British flag should fly, her sea- 
 men should be protected ; and that those who 
 risked their own lives to save those of 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.
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT LOS ANGELES 
 
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