SHIPWRECKS, in ancient times, were deemed the property of the crown, but by a statute of Henry I., the harsh consequences of this law were avoided whenever any per son escaped alive out of the ship; and in Henry II.'s charter it was declared that if either man or beast escaped a]ive,.the goods should remain to the owners if claimed within three months; and the courts of law still further refined away all these harsh rules. Many nice distinctions have been made as to what goods constitute wreck, which is dis tinct from goods floating. See FLOTSAM. By the recent merchant shipping act, 1854, which extends to the United Kingdom, the board of trade has the superintendence of all matters relating to wreck, and to jetsam, flotsam, and ligsn. Receivers of wreck are appointed for various districts, and have power to summon assistance. When wreck is found by any person, lie must give notice to the receiver of wrecks, and if nobody claim the property within a year, it is sold, and the proceeds, after plying salvage and other such expenses, are paid into the exchequer. Persons plundering wreck are guilty of felony, and may be punished with 3 to 14 years' penal servitude; and any person expos ing false signals to cause wreck, may be sentenced to penal servitude for life, The number of wrecks, casualties, and collisions from all causes, on or near the coasts of the United Kingdom, reported in 1874-5, was 3,590; a large increase on previous years, accounted for in great measure by the inclusion of small casualties not pre viously counted, etc. Iu the year 1875-6, a still higher number-3,757—was reported. Of the casualties of 1874-5, about 1 in 23 resulted in loss of life. It having been found innumerous instances that the direction and force of the wind as given by the masters in their reports differed more or less from the particulars of weather reported to the meteorological office during 1872, steps were taken toward making strict inquiry at the moment into all such variations. The life lost in distributed as follows: In fishing smacks, 110; in vessels carrying heavy cargoes in bulk, 207; and in other vessels 609. Three hundred and thirty-eight wrecks and casualties happened in 1874-5 to nearly
new ships, 646 to ships from 3 to 7 years of age; 921 to ships from 7 to 14 years old; 1269 to ships from 15 to 30 years; 567 to ships from 30 to 50 years; 74 to ships between 30 and 60; 31 to ships between 60 and 70; 13 to ships between 70 and 80; 11 to ships between 80 and 90; 3 to ship' between 90 and 100; and 3 to ships over 100 years. The ages of 385 vessels were unknown. The sum paid by the board of trade out of the mercantile marine fund for providing apparatus for saving lives on the coasts of the United King dom in 1874-5 was r£11,010; the expenditure on this account in the 20 years 1853-73, was £163,445, besides £1337 paid by the admiralty on account of life-belts. At the end of June, 1873, there were on the coasts of the United Kingdom, 277 sets of rockets or mortar apparatus provided by the board of trade. The number of life-boats in 1875 teas 273, of which 244 belonged to the national life-boat institution; and 29 (of which six were subsidized by the hoard of trade) were under other management, 548 stations were supplied with rapt- Ward's life-jackets for the use of the coast-guard. The number of volunteer life brigades in 1875 was 5, and the number of volunteer life companies, 1160. The number of lives saved on or near the coasts of the United Kindgdom in 1874-5 was 3,837-509 being saved by life-boats; 355 by rocket and mortar-apparatus lines, etc.; 511 by tuggers, coast-guard, and other boats: 440 by ships and steam-boats; 1644 by ships' own boats, etc., and 353 by other means. The number of lives saved on or near the coasts of the United Kingdom in the 20 years 1855-75 was 77,918. The number of inquiries held by the board of trade in 1872 was 49; by order of naval or consular officers, 21; by a court in is British possession abroad, 90.