DOVER.—In the autumn of 1853, a new life-boat was stationed, at Dover by the Dover Humane Society to replace their old one. This boat was constructed by Mr.

CLARKSON, of a material which he has patented, composed of alternate layers or laminse of canvass, cork, and wood, united to each other with marine glue.

She is 28 ft. long, 7£ ft. wide, and 3 ft.

2 in. deep, with a water-tight deck, and having raised end air-boxes or tanks, as in the boats of Mr. PEAKE and Mr. BEECHING, to give her self-righting power. Her ballast, the disposition, character, and amount of which in a life-boat is of much importance, is differently arranged from that in either of the descriptions of boats above alluded to; Mr. BEECHING'S boats are ballasted with water in an enclosed tank; Mr. PEAKE'S by an iron keel attached to the under part of the wooden one; but Mr. CLARKSON has left a longitudinal channel or opening in the deck of his boat amidships fore and aft above the keel, in which pigs or bars of iron are stowed up to the level of the deck, and so secured that they should not fall out in the event of the boat upsetting. Although the ballast placed in this raised position above the keel will not act with the same powerful leverage on the boat's heeling over, yet for flat and shallow beaches it would possess the advantage of making her draw less water, and would also render her motion more easy when rowing with a broadside sea on.

The durability of Mr. CLAEKSON'S material remains to be proved, but to all appearance it has all the solidity and strength of a wooden boat, if not more, has greater elasticity, and so would be less liable to injury from concussion against a rock or other hard substance, and from the nature of the material would not, like a wooden boat, become leaky after being long out of the water. Another peculiarity of this boat is lightness, her weight not being more than 27 cwt., which is about a quarter less than that of a wooden boat of the same dimensions and fitted in the same manner. Altogether Mr. CLARKSON, who is not a professional boat-builder, or at all acquainted with ordinary boat-building, has displayed great skill and ingenuity in the construction of this boat, which was in great part put together by his own hand.

She is also very favourably spoken of by the coastguard, and others, who have taken her off on trial. The Lords of the Admiralty have given permission for her to be hoisted up to davits on the east side of the Royal Pier.

Wrecks are not of frequent occurrence at Dover, but the Humane Society at that place have shown an example in providing for any emergency that may occur, which is worthy of emulation at places where they oftener happen.

DUNGENESS.—A life-boat station has, in the spring of the present year, been founded at Dungeness, at the sole expense of the National Shipwreck Institution, where a new boat on Mr. PEAKE'S design has been placed, and a suitable house erected for her protection contiguous to the Coastguard Station, at No. 1 Battery, on the east side of Dungeness Point. A carriage will also be shortly provided to convey her over the vast beds of loose and heavy shingle which there form the promontory of Dungeness, to whatever part her services may be required.

This boat is 27 ft. long, and similar in all respects to those of the same length which have been furnished to Budehaven, Barmouth, and other places, and which have been described in this Journal. She is placed in the charge of the coastguard, and will be chiefly, if not altogether, manned by them, as there are no fishermen, or other seamen, residing in the locality. Her services will be chiefly required on the east side of the Ness, where a life-boat has been long required; on the west side the shore is so steep that stranded vessels run close to the beach, and are mostly saved by lines thrown to them by hand from the beach. A complete set of lines, life-buoys, and life-belts, have been also lately supplied by this Society to the coastguard at Dungeness for that particular kind of service. This boat was conveyed from London as far as Folkestone in January last, on board H. M. steam-tug Monkey, and subsequently passed on to her station by the coastguard.

AEDBOSSAN.—A life-boat on Mr. PEAKE'S design has been recently stationed at Ardrossan, on the west coast of Scotland, by means of funds locally collected for the purpose. • This boat is 27 ft. long and in all respects similar to the one above named as sent to Dungeness. She was constructed at Messrs.

FOBRESTTS', at Limehouse, under the direction of this Institution, for the Ardrossan Life-boat Society, and completely fitted and furnished with stores, life-belts, &c., on the same scale as the boats of the Institution.

She was forwarded to her station by steamer via Belfast, on the 16th February last..