81 
tion of immature fish, together with those to-day, viz. 
railway rates, harbour accommodation, and loss of life at 
sea were so much intermingled, that before this, the most 
important from a sympathetic or human point of view, can 
be in any way benefited or the loss of life mitigated, some 
alterations must be made in existing laws, regulations, or 
arrangements in these matters to which the previous 
subjects referred. The question was, how were these lives 
lost, where were they lost, and why were they lost? It 
had been explained that many lives had been lost in 
fleeting ; many were lost through unaccountable causes, 
easily lost, one almost wondered how they could be lost ; 
they fell overboard unaccountably, if it were fine weather 
they were often drowned, whilst if it were in the winter 
time some who could hardly have missed being lost were 
saved. Some were lost overboard taking in the jib; they 
pitched head foremost into the sea, and then there was no 
possibility of saving them, for by the time they could get 
something to throw to them the vessel had fallen off to 
leeward, and they were out of reach; some were lost 
putting up side lights, and some drawing buckets of water, 
but these were only isolated cases. There were about ten- 
fold more lives lost on the east coast between Lowestoft 
and the Spurn to what there were all round the British 
coast ; he could hardly tell the reason, but it was principally 
due to heavy seas rolling abroad, and fleeting. If there was 
any one on deck and they saw a sea coming, they sung 
out “water;” that meant, hold on to something if you 
could, or get down below ; and if a man got washed over- 
board at that moment, all the hands on deck, who alone 
could save him, had as much as they could do to look out 
for themselves, and by the time they could do anything he 
was gone. One reason so ‘many were lost on the east 
[41] G 
