COMPARATIVE SAFETY OF STEAMERS AND LINERS.
TO THE. EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR.
Lloyd's, Monday.
MDDEAR Sm—Teuching the " impunity" with which the-American liners cross and recross the Atlantic, can the writer of the article on-the Great Britain in the Spectator of Saturday be ignorant, that neither the "England" nor the "United States," that left Liverpool for New York in the autumn of last year, has since been heard of? that the "President," the " St. Andrew," and " Pennsylvania," all- three liners have within these few years been totally wrecked? with many other disasters that readily occur to my recollection as an underwriter, in the strand-. Mgs of the " Oxford," "Henry Clay," and " Garrick," fuat-class liners.
The sailing-packets are very fine vessels, admirably managed; but, as the under., writers can testify, they do not always " cross and recross the Atlantic with im- ni puty." I do not recollect any accident happening to the Caledonia steamer, except the' i breaking of her shaft in one of her winter-voyages: the Columbia is probably the steamer alluded to as having been stranded. I remain, may dear Sir, yours very truly,
[We are very glad to have any inaccuracy corrected, and are obliged to our friendly censor for his-contribution. It should be observed, however, that the passage censured to was not a cardinal point in our remarks; the general drift of which still stands good, although some accidents can be cited in the longer history of the more numerous class of ships. We may take this occasion to observe, that a few of our contemporaries seem to. us to waste their strictures-on comparatively trivial portions of our remarks. It appeared to us that Mr. Hosken had been somewhat unduly pilloried for a chance which the steam packet system had probably as much share in producing, as the man; and we endeavoured to point outhow the opportunity might be better improved, by lookhig.for the specific causes of the evil, instituting a tribunarto investigate such matters, and using that tribunal for the general improvement of the commercial marine. We still think that there was over much iteration on the personal point, but that the press was not all wrong; and we are glad to. see a cm- temporary, who exhibits soreness wind up his smart retorts by adopthig the ma, terial portion of our paper.,En.]
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