HARTLEPOOL. SEAMEN'S LIFE-BOAT.—This boat, of the establishment of which, by the seamen of Hartlepool, we gave a description in our last number, has soon had opportunities for rendering essential service, and so of effecting the humane object of her spirited originators.

On the morning of the 1st of October last the brigantine Prospect, of Aberdeen, when running for the north harbour of Hartlepool in a heavy N.E. gale, was compelled to clue up her sails, and anchor close to the bar, when her anchor dragging, she speedily drifted into broken water, and subsequently went on shore. As soon as her dangerous position was perceived, the seamen's life-boat, which had been previously rowed to the entrance of the harbour in readiness to meet any emergency, proceeded to the assistance of her crew, and succeeded in taking them off, although not without some difficulty, on account of the heavy sea breaking round the vessel in the shoal water which she was then in.

After taking on board the master and crew of the Prospect, the life-boat gallantly made for another vessel, apparently in distress, lying nearly two miles to windward of her; and her crew report that they were all astonished at the speed with which she rowed, dead to windward, against such a heavy sea. Unfortunately, when not far from the vessel, a heavy sea which struck the boat carried away all her lee-oars (which are reported to have been very bad ones), thereby completely disabling her, and leaving her for some time exposed to a heavy sea on her broadside, when she got several times filled with water. Under these circumstances she was compelled to return to the shore, and, being driven fast to leeward of the harbour, was landed in the midst of heavy breakers on the open beach, where she safely landed the crew of the Prospect and her own crew, and was conveyed back to her station by land on the carriage belonging to the life-boat of the West Hartlepool Dock and Harbour Company.

The coxswain and crew of the boat report that, tinder the above trying circumstances, she had shown herself an exceedingly safe boat, and had convinced them that it would be almost impossible to upset her.

The crew on this occasion sought for no other reward for their arduous and successful exertions to save life, but the approval of their own consciences, and the satisfaction of succouring their brethren in distress. The Committee of the National Life-Boat Institution, however, awarded them, unsolicited, 14s. to each man, being double the amount given in ordinary cases to their own lifeboats' crews, in testimony of their approbation of their humane and disinterested conduct on the occasion.

On the 23rd of November following another opportunity was presented to the Hartlepool seamen's life-boat. The. ship Callawia, of 650 tons, coal laden, and bound to Bombay, with a crew of 20 men, having lost her bowsprit, and vainly endeavoured to keep off the land, anchored; but her anchors dragging, two powerful tug-steamers from West Hartlepool proceeded to her assistance, and after having, with some difficulty, kept her off until nearly high water, they then made for the bar, where, in consequence of her great draught of water, she took the ground, and struck heavily. The Hartlepool seamen's life-boat, together with the North Hartlepool life-boat, then went to her assistance, and four of her crew were brought ashore by the former, the rest remaining on board. After dark, the wind and sea having much increased in violence, the seamen's life-boat again put off at 8 P.M., and with difficulty and risk, owing to the heavy sea alongside, and the threatened falling of the masts, took off eight more of the crew, the remaining eight preferring to remain on board.

The Seamen's Committee, on the appearance of bad weather coming on, appoint a crew and set a watch all night. We think they deserve much credit for their vigilance; and we congratulate them on having, within so short a period, rendered such efficient assistance to two shipwrecked crews. The boat's crew were again awarded 14s. each by the National Life-Boat Institution for their services on this occasion.

NORTH HARTLEPOOL.—On the same day that the Callauria was wrecked, the North Hartlepool life-boat, manned by pilots, took off the crew of the schooner William, five in number, which vessel had driven ashore on the sands. The wind was blowing hard at the time from E.N.E., and a heavy swell was setting into the harbour at the time.

SKEGNESS, LINCOLNSHIRE.—On Wednesday, the 18th October, at 6 P.M., the brig Atalanta, of Shields, timber laden, got on shore three miles from Skegness, in a N.N.E. gale. The Skegness life-boat, with the aid of six horses, was speedily drawn to the spot, and, being manned by a courageous crew, with her veteran coxswain, THOMAS MOODY, at their head, in the midst of a violent storm, a heavy sea, and intense darkness, manfully succeeded in rescuing and bringing safely to the shore the crew of nine men, with the master's wife and child.

This case is described as one of- especial gallantry.

SUTTON, LINCOLNSHIRE.—On the same day as the above the Sutton life-boat made two gallant attempts to rescue the crew of the brig Freedom, which was driven on shore by the gale near to that place. On the first attempt a rope was thrown on board ; but being improperly made fast, the life-boat broke adrift again, and, being driven far to leeward, was compelled to land and to be relaunched. On the second attempt they failed to reach the wreck, but got near enough to save two men, who threw themselves overboard. A third man was drowned in attempting to get to the boat; whilst a fourth man and the master remained on board, and, after the tide had receded, got on shore, much to the astonishment of the spectators, who supposed that they had perished. These two life-boats are the property of the Lincolnshire Shipwreck Association.

PAKEFIELD, SUFFOLK.—-On the night of the 7th October, between 8 and 9 o'clock, signals of distress were observed in the direction of the Holm Sand, it blowing an easterly gale at the time. The Pakefield life-boat, manned by nineteen seamen, accompanied by Lieut. JOACHIM, E.N., of H.M. Coastguard, was immediately launched, and towed out under the sands by the Lowestoft steam-tug: they then made sail, and finding that they could not close the vessel to leeward, they weathered the sand and then ran down, when they found the sea breaking heavily over her, and with some difficulty they succeeded in getting on board.

The crew of eight men were ail found to'be drunk; and, although in imminent peril of being drowned, and without the slightest possibility of the vessel's being got off, they resolutely refused to leave her.

Finding that they could not be persuaded to do so, and the life-boat herself being in a perilous situation on the verge of the shoal, with the seas constantly breaking over her, she returned to the shore without them, and got into Lowestoft harbour.

At daybreak another crew from Pakefield manned the life-boat, and succeeded in reaching the vessel, when the crew, somewhat sobered, were glad to avail themselves of this second effort to save them, and were brought safe to land. She turned out to be a Norwegian brig, of 180 tons, from Drobeck, in Norway, bound to London.

We need not remind our readers that the proceeding under sail, in a gale of wind, of a dark night, to windward of an outlying sand at a considerable distance from the shore, is no ordinary undertaking, but is one requiring great skill, courage, and nerve to perform successfully. The Pakefield lifeboat is, to be sure, the largest and one of the finest life-boats in the kingdom, and the Pakefield seamen are known as a hardy, adventurous, and skilful race; but it is only with such machinery that so difficult and dangerous a work could be accomplished.

WHITBURN, DURHAM.—-On the 15th of November last, in a heavy gale from E.S.E., the coast of Durham was strewed with wrecks, and as many as sixteen vessels were on shore within a short distance of each other in the neighbourhood of Sunderland alone. Eight of these came on shore in Whitburn Bay; and the crews of the whole of them were, with much gallantry and perseverance, taken safely on shore by the Whitburn life-boat, which, to effect the same, made eight distinct trips. The boat was worked by two crews, relieving each other alternately. The following is a list of the vessels, and of the number of men saved from each by the life-boat:— 1. JeimeAmindee, lugger, 6 men.

2. Isabella, ship, 6.

3. Improvement, schooner, 6.

4. Aucldand, brig, 10.

5. Equivalent, brig, 9.

( . Belrnant, schooner, 7.

7. Conqueror, brig, 8.

8. Star, schooner, 7.

The whole of these vessels were in ballast, and all drove within a short distance of the shore.

This life-boat had been recently placed in connexion With the National Life-Boat Institution, by whom her crew were paid 10s.

per man for each occasion of their going off, making a total of 56L RHYL, NORTH WALES.—On the 3rd of October last, the Rhyl life-boat saved the crew of a vessel wrecked in that neighbourhood.

The boat had to be conveyed a considerable distance along shore on her carriage, and was not got through the surf on the beach without some difficulty. On reaching the wreck, two men and a boy were found lashed to the rigging, and were conveyed in safety to the land. The name of the vessel we have not been able to ascertain.

The Rhyl life-boat is one of those recently transferred from the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners' Society to this Institution.

LYTHAM, LANCASHIRE.—On the same date as the above, the Lytham life-boat rescued the crew, five in number, of the sloop Isabella of Ramsay, which vessel was ashore on the Horse-bank. The Southport life-boat had also proceeded to their assistance, but the crew were taken off by the Lytham boat. The sea was breaking quite over the vessel, and her unfortunate crew had, for six hours, been lashed in the weather-rigging. With great difficulty, in consequence of their benumbed and starved condition, they succeeded in getting to the lee-side of the vessel, and thence into the life-boat, which, on account of the heavy sea, could not approach the weather-side. The life-boat is reported to have behaved well, and her crew to be unanimous in her praise.

She was thrice overwhelmed in the brokenwater, and completely filled, some of her oars being also broken, but the crew manfully kept their position. We think that they are the more entitled to credit, as also are the crew of the Rhyl life-boat, since they are two of the boats which, chiefly through their water-ballast being insufficiently secured, capsized soon after they were placed on their stations, about two years ago, by which accidents several men lost their lives.

We think this deserving of note, to the credit of their present crews, for there are many places on the coasts where after lifeboats have once upset, the seamen of the localities have withdrawn all confidence in them,'and have never again ventured to perform any service in them in a heavy sea.

SERVICES OF ROCKETS AND MORTARS.

TYNEMOUTH, NORTHUHBERLAND. Many instances have occurred during the past year in which essential service has been renderedand many lives saved, by the mortar and rocket life apparatus on the coasts, but the particulars have not been reported to us, and we are- not therefore enabled to give any connected account of them. The following is one of the most recent, and has accidentally been brought to our notice.

On the 15th November last, ill a severe gale from the S.E., three vessels, the Lively, the Kate Robertson, and the. Napoleon the Third, were driven on shore together on the Battery rocks, off Tynemouth, on the same spot where the destruction of so many vessels and such serious loss of life occurred in the January preceding. A life-boat was attempted to be conveyed to their assistance from Shields, but, owing to the peculiar position of the vessels, without success. The coastguard, however, under the superintendence of their chief officer, Mr. JOHN MILLER, speedily succeeded in throwing a rocket with line attached over the Napoleon the Third, by means of which her crew were quickly brought safely to the shore, amidst the cheers of a large concourse of spectators.

The crew of the Lively were next brought to land by the same line; and a second rocket having been fired over the Kate Robertson, which was the outermost vessel, her crew were also saved from drowning in a similar manner.

It is stated in the local journals, that much praise was due on the above occasion to Mr. MILLER, for the promptitude and skill by which, through the instrumentality of himself and his crew, assisted by other individuals, this service was performed. Mr Alderman BARTLEMAN and Capt. CUNNINGHAM of Tynemouth, are also each reported to have rendered valuable aid by their exertions on the spot.

During the gale above alluded to, of January 4th 1854, Mr. MILLER and the coastguard rendered important services with the rocket apparatus, both by saving life, and, as it happened, property also, in the shape of silver bullion to a large amount, which was secured in the cradle and drawn along the line to the shore. No adequate compensation for saving the silver having been offered by the owners at the time, the case was referred to the High Court of Admiralty, by whom, we are glad to observe, the sum of 30?. has been awarded to Mr. MILLER and his crew for their service, and bOl. to a seaman named ARMSTRONG, who went on board the vessel, and is reported to have used great exertions in securing the valuable property which was saved.