were drowned; with the " City of Glasgow," in 1854, 480 people perished. When the

Austria" was burned in mid-ocean, in 1858, 470 lives were lost; with the "Arctic," 300; with the "Anglo-Saxon," 372; and with the "Ville de Havre," when struck by the "Lochearn," in 1873, 226 went down. That year was fatal to no less than six great steamers, but the average of the whole period for 1838 to 1878, has not been above three ships in every two years.

Ofall these disasters, the one which produced the greatest impression of horror was the loss of the "Amazon," West India Mail steamer, by fire, in 1852. She was the largest steamship ever then launched from an English dockyard. Her officers and crew numbered 110 men, and she carried fifty passengers, among whom was the lamented Eliot Warburton, author of the popular book of travels, "The Crescent and the Cross."

D

She left Southampton January 2nd. The engines were soon found to work badly, and heated the surrounding woodwork, much of which was Dantzic pine, a most inflammable material. She had not been thirty-six hours at sea when, as she was entering the Bay of Biscay against a strong head-wind, flames suddenly burst forth from the engine-room. All efforts to subdue them proved unavailing. There were boats enough to carry all on board, but through difficulty in lowering them, as too commonly happens, only two boats, the pinnace and dingy, got afloat, and saved 58 out of the 162 who left England, the other boats being capsized or burned.

After giving this saddening account of disasters, it is only right to turn to the brighter side of the record. Let it be remembered that now on an average there is a steamer starting from an American or European port every day in every year. Thus, after all, the

percentage of losses is not great, and the risks of life are really not greater by sea than by land, even when the voyage is across the Atlantic. Then it is certain that the disasters are fewest where the ships are well-built and well-manned, and where discipline is best kept up. The prosperous career of the Cunard ships we have already noted, and there are now few mishaps to the ships of the other great Companies who share the passenger traffic.

Accidents at sea never happen without a cause, and in rare instances is a tempest or other natural or external influence the cause of disaster. Mr W. H. Kingston, a good authority in nautical matters, and well acquainted with the history of transatlantic voyages, has thus written: "It "It may be affirmed that if steamers are properly built, their machinery thoroughly strong and sound, if their cargo is well-stowed, if due precau

tions are taken against fire, if they are carefully navigated, and a vigilant look-out kept in fine weather as well as foul, there is the least possible risk from the dangers of the sea. The passage across the Atlantic should be as safe as that between England and Ireland, and safer than a journey from London to Edinburgh."

The perils against which it is least easy to take precaution are those caused by ice or by floating wreckage. To avoid the former it is usual for steamers to take as far southward a course as possible at the season when ice is likely to be met with. The floating wreckage can only be avoided by perpetual watchfulness in the look-out.

We have given these particulars about ocean navigation, both because the subject is interesting in itself, and because many

readers will sometime cross the Atlantic in steamers, or in sailing ships.