STATISTICS OF LIFE-BOATS AND FISHING-BOATS. 313 
practical use, particularly the Rev. J. S. Berthon, who proposed the Fareham 
or Collapsing Life-boat. Although his boats have been in use for three years, 
he has only succeeded in building two boats for Her Majesty’s Navy, not 
yet placed in service. Mr. Clarkson has had a boat in use for some time 
on the coast, constructed of a mixture of cork and india-rubber. Mr. Asley 
has patented a life-boat of peculiar form, haviag a hollow bottom, of which 
a model is exhibited, and lies now at Dover. The fishermen’s life-boat 
before mentioned, built by myself, has been tried on the Mersey for two years 
past, in the hope of establishing her on the neighbouring coast. 
In collecting the statistics of the design, arrangements, and dimensions of 
life-boats, at the desire of the British Association, I have availed myself of 
the before-mentioned Report of Captain Washington on Fishing-boats, in 1849, 
_and of the plans and tabular statements of dimensions in the Northumber- 
land Report on Life-boats, in 1851, and have continued these to 1853, with 
additional particulars, defining the displacement, bulk, space, resistance, and 
form, exemplified by diagrams of midship sections, as affording a closer ana- 
lysis of their relative sizes, proportions, properties and capacity, and their 
comparative efficiency. 
TABULAR RETURN OF FISHING-BOATS AND LIFE-BOATS.—COMPARATIVE 
PLAN OF MIDSHIP SECTIONS. 
The Tabular Return is adopted as the most convenient mode of re- 
cording the design, arrangements, and dimensions of the life-boats and 
fishing-boats on our coasts, adding, for comparison, the particulars of 
Chinese, Bombay, Malay, Arab, and American fishing-boats, as to life- 
boats. Several of the most efficient of the original life-boats, as well as 
those’ of improved construction and recent design, are included in the 
Tabular Return, so as to afford a comparative analysis of their respective 
properties, which are further explained in the remarks on each boat; 
some’ by printed diagrams, and others by lithographed working draw- 
ings and printed descriptions, 500 copies of which have been gratuitously 
circulated at the meetings of the Association at Liverpool, Glasgow, and 
Cheltenham, and may now be obtained by gentlemen interested in the subject, 
in the hope of collecting further information as to the boats actually in use 
onthe coasts of England and Ireland. For the coasts of Scotland, information 
may be obtained from the Annual Report of the Edinburgh Board of 
Fisheries, who, with an organized staff of fishery officers on the coast, and the 
able supervision of the Secretary, Mr. Primrose, have done much to increase 
the fisheries and improve the harbours on the coast. These tabular returns 
are made separately, for the original life-boats and designs, and for forming 
comparisons with the other returns of the life-boats and fishing-boats on the 
coast of Scotland, on the east coast of England, on the southern coasts of 
England and Wales, and on the coast of Ireland. The Annual Report of the 
Commissioners of the Irish Fisheries is also published. 
In stating the peculiarities and services, or describing the boats, they will be 
referred to by the initial letteror the number of the line on each separate return. 
_ A reference to the Statistical Statement will show the position of the life- 
boats and fishing-boats on the coast in 1855; the Tabular Return will 
show the particulars of those established in 1856; while, by inspection of 
the Wreck Chart, it will be seen where the life-boats are wanted, or are 
more urgently required; the number and description of fishing-boats on 
those-parts of the coast being an important consideration in determining 
what-description or type of life-boat is most suitable to those localities, and in 
which the crews are likely to have confidence. In like manner, the improve- 
