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DIRECTIONS TO PERSONS ON BOARD VESSELS STRANDED ON A LEESHORE.

It is your duty, as well, no doubt, as your inclination, to use every honourable and manly endeavour to save the vessel and cargo committed to your care, and to satisfy yourself that these have failed, before it is a justifiable resource to run the ship on shore, for the preservation of your own lives. On the determination being made to run for the beach, every exertion should be made to keep your vessel off the shore till high water, and then, if canvas is or can be set, steer the vessel stem on, with as much force as possible, making signals of distress to attract the notice of the people on shore, who will collect at the point most favourable for the purpose, and prepare to assist you-endeavour to run for the spot where they are collected. Shipmasters, on these occasions, must enforce their authority more than ever, and seamen must be more than usually obedient, as the safety of all on board will frequently depend on this.

Whether a vessel is thus run on shore, or is stranded, without any choice of time or place, the follow ing directions will equally apply, and must be minutely observed and practised:

Collect, in some safe part of the vessel, ready to apply as occasion may require, all your small lines and ropes, buoys, pieces of cork, or small kegs (such as seamen keep spirits in), snatch, tail, and other blocks, with a warp or hawser clear, axes, knives, &c. all these may be of great use.

Attend to the people on shore, and observe if they have a boat, or are getting one to the spot, as their first object would be to launch it to you, and to throw a line on board you, to

haul her off with; in that case they will make signal No. 1. The signals, illustrated by representations and their distinct meanings, will be hereafter described. On receiving the line, you will secure the end to such part of the vessel as may best draw the boat into a safe lee. If the people on shore, after you have received the line, make signal No. 2, you will bend the warp or hawser to the line, and they will draw it on shore, fearing to trust the boat to the small line. When the bend is made, and you are ready, make your signal No. 1, (which will be hereafter described, expressing yes.)

If, when you have got the line, the people on shore find you have not a warp ready, and wish you to haul on board by it a stouter rope to haul the boat off with, they will make signal No. 3, to haul away, for you to receive a stout rope; secure it as before directed, and make your signal No. 1, which is also to denote you are ready, or their direction is complied with.

Remark. A boat, when it can be applied, is the promptest method of bringing a crew on shore. Upwards of twenty crews have been saved by them.

If, when you have received the line, and observe there is no boat at hand, and the signal on shore (No. 3) is made, you will haul in, and receive by it the end of a stout rope, and a tail-block rove with a small line, both ends of which are kept on shore; make the end of the stout rope and the tail of the block well fast round your mast, higher or lower as circumstances require, and the tailblock close below the large rope. On your making signal No. 1, denoting to have complied with the direction of having carefully secured the stout rope and tail-block, the people on shore will haul taut the stout rope, and place on it a snatchblock (with a sling hanging to it large enough to hold a man); and making the ends of the small line fast to the lower part of the snatchblock, they will work it to the ship, when, on a man getting into the sling, he will, by pulling down the slide or button, secure himself in,

If the stranded vessel is driven among rocks, and the persons in danger of being killed or severely wounded from the surf dashing them with force against the rocky beach, a hammock, stuffed with cork parings or shavings, as here

Should females or persons on board, from fear or agitation, be deprived of confidence in this mode of

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relief, a cushion, stuffed with fine cork parings, in the form represented, with lashings, so as to be easily ad

justed to the body, would make a floating belt, in this manner, and

effectually prevent the wearer from all danger or possibility of drowning. Remark. How important it would be to the preservation of life from shipwreck, if every owner of a vessel would consider it a duty he owes to humanity, to cause a hammock and cushions, stuffed as described, to be kept on board his ship! The expense

would be a mere trifle, as cork shavings or parings are considered of little or no value; they would also be eminently useful in preventing a boat from sinking, by placing them under the thwarts.

If the distance from the shore is too great for the mortar to be tried, or if the shot falls short of the vessel, bend your lightest and best stretched line to the buoy, veer it away gently, not paying out too fast; buoy up your line every twenty fathoms, if you can, with corks or small spirit kegs, or any thing you may have fit for the purpose; the buoy will not reach the shore, but it will drive near enough to enable them to throw a grapnell shot over

it, to draw it on shore; when this is done, look out for the signals as before, and be prepared in every way

to obey them, and to act with the people on shore.