§ GENERAL OWEN WILLIAMSasked the President of the Board of Trade, Whether he will lay upon the Table of the House a Return of the number of collisions at sea caused by steam vessels during the last two years, together with the number of lives sacrificed on these occasions; and, whether, from the sources of information at his command, he has reasonable cause to infer that many other casualties have been occasioned by steam vessels running at undue speed in thick and foggy weather, although direct proof of such may not be obtainable?
§ MR. CHAMBERLAIN,in reply, said, that the information which was asked for by the hon. and gallant Member would be found in the Wreck Abstract which was annually presented to Parliament, and the Returns for the present year were now in the hands of the printers. As regarded the second part of the Question, it appeared to him to be put in some misapprehension; because the hon. and gallant Member asked whether there were many other casualties—collisions—which were due to steamers running at an undue rate of speed, and the inference would appear to be that all the other casualties that were reported were due to the fact that steamers ran at an undue rate of speed. He had only to say that he was not aware of any considerable number of casualties from collisions which were not reported in The Wreck Register, and that he did not believe that any considerable portion of those which were reported were due to those vessels having run at undue speed.