THE following is a copy of a Circular which has been addressed by the Royal National Life-boat Institution to the local Committees of its several Life-boat Branches on the coasts of the United Kingdom. The Circular explains at length the nature of the arrangement which has been entered into between the Institution and the Board of Trade. We are glad to be able to state that the Institution has received a promise of cordial co-operation on the part of most of its Life-boat Branches in carrying out the proposed scheme, which cannot fail to be productive of the happiest results to the good cause which both parent and branch institutions are desirous to promote;— " Royal National Life-Boat Institution, 14, John Street, Adelphi, " SIR, London, 14th Feb. 1855.

" THE Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade having, in virtue of the 'Merchant Shipping Act 1854,' made arrangements to devote a portion of the Mercantile Marine Fund annually towards preserving lives from Shipwreck, which arrangements are to take effect from the 1st of January last: and certain further arrangements having been made between the Board of Trade and the Committee of Management of this Institution, with a view to define and regulate the manner in which, and the extent to which, the Board will come forward to the assistance of the Institution, it has become necessary that the Committee should inform its several branches on the coasts, of the character of the said arrangements, in order to secure their immediate cooperation in effectually carrying into execution the benevolent intentions of the Government, and in promoting the efficient working of this Institution with that Board.

" Such is accordingly the object of the present communication, which the Committee have to request you will bring to the early notice of the Committee of the branch of this Society.

" In the first place, the Committee wish to impress on their supporters at the fact, that it is the desire of the Board of Trade to stimulate and encourage local exertions in this humane cause, by adding its pecuniary aid to perfect the machinery already in existence, rather than to supersede the same; |ind that accordingly, not only will the assistance of the Board be conditional on local exertions being made, but the Board may see fit at a future time to withdraw its assistance to the cause altogether, if it shall be found to have a con- trary effect to that winch the Board had been led to anticipate.

" The Committee therefore feel that they must look for your continued exertions to procure local contributions, and to excite a local interest in your life-boat; and they, on their part, undertake to co-operate heartily with you, to the extent* of their ability, in the endeavour to make your establishment as complete and perfect as is possible.

"The manner in which the Board of Trade have consented to assist the Institution, is as follows, viz., they have agreed to be responsible for a limited sum, which is at present fixed at two thousand pounds for the current year, in aid of such sums as the Institution may have expended in— " 1. Awards and payments of the crews of its life-boats, or others, for saving, or endeavouring to ,save life, according to the undermentioned scale.

" 2. Payments to its life-boats' crews, for a quarterly exercise and trial of their boats.

" 3. The salaries of the coxswains of its life-boats.

"4. The hire of horses, steam-tugs, or other means (when necessary), for transporting life-boats to the locality of the wrecks.

" o. The payment (where absolutely necessary) of persons for assisting to launch and haul-up life-boats on occasions of service or exercise.

" The scale of amount, according to which the above payments will in future be made, is as follows:— "1. To the crews of life-boats, on every occasion of their saving lives from a wreck, or using every endeavour to do so:—In the day-time, 10s. each man. In the night, II. each man.

" On occasions by day or night, when they have performed a service of an extra-ordinary character —where risk has been unusually great—where great courage, perseverance, energy, and skill have been displayed— or where the service has been of a prolonged character, and the boat's crew have suffered proportional exposure, privation, and fatigue, from It. to 21. each man, on the express recommendation of the Local Committee to this Institution.

" To boatmen performing similar services in their own boats, the scale of remuneration will be proportionate to the character of the service performed, the risk of life incurred, and the damage, if any, to their own property, on the recommendation of this Committee.

' 2. To the crews of life-boats for exercising in their boats once during each quarter:—If in moderate weather, and not much sea, 3s.

each man. If in rough weather and heavy sea, 5s. each man.

' 3. To the coxswains or masters of lifeboats, for taking charge of the boats and stores, and seeing to their constant fitness and readiness for service, a salary of 81. per annum.

' 4 and 5. For the hire of horses, steamtugs, &c., to transport, and to persons for assisting to launch and haul-up the boats, a fair remuneration proportionate to the extentof the service performed, on the recommendation of the Local Committee.

NOTE.—The following is the clause in the " Merchant Shipping Act 1854," which gives- claim on the owner for saving the lives of the crew of his vessel. In cases where such claims are substantiated, the Board of Trade will not repay the remuneration to the salvors if the claim on the owner is waived.

In all such cases, therefore, the claim must, in the first instance, be made on the owner by the salvors.

" Section 458. Salvage in respect of the preservation of the life or lives of any person or persons belonging to any such ship or boat as aforesaid shall be payable by the owners of the ship or boat in priority to all other claims for salvage; and in cases where such ship or boat is destroyed, or where the value thereof is insufficient, after payment of the actual expenses incurred, to pay the amount of salvage due in respect of any life or lives, the Board of Trade may in its discretion award to the salvors of such life or lives, out of the Mercantile Marine Fund, such sum or sums as it deems fit, in whole or part satisfaction of any amount of salvage so left unpaid in respect of such life or lives,"—Merchant Shipping Act 1854.

" The stipulations made by the Board of Trade in affording this important assistance are, that the principal officer of Coastguard or Customs, or some official representative of the Board of Trade in the neighbourhood, shall be a member of the local Committee managing the Life-boat Establishment;— that all applications for repayment shall be countersigned by him, in attestation of the correctness and propriety of the claim; that the life-boat, boat-house, and carriage shall be provided and maintained, and the whole establishment shall be kept up in working and efficient condition in constant readiness for service, and that it shall be open to the occasional inspection of an officer from the Board of Trade to ascertain that it is so.

" The Committee will offer a few remarks on the above heads :— " 1st. The scale of payment for services in saving life is greater than has ever before been paid, and is calculated to give every encouragement to seamen who engage in such an honourable and humane, yet often perilous service. They conceive that the chief point in connection with it, which will call for the attention of the local Committees, will be to exercise a careful and wise discretion in recommending the higher awards for extraordinary services, taking care never to do so but for those of a really distinguished character.

" 2nd. The quarterly exercise of the lifeboat should never be omitted. If, as may happen in the summer months, rough weather does not occur, the crew may still with advantage be exercised in rowing together, and the sound and tight condition of the boat herself, and the perfectness of her gear and fittings, be ascertained; and if, from any cause, the greater part of her ordinary crew are absent, she had, nevertheless, better be taken afloat by any other of the seamen of the port who may be obtained, but always, if possible, in charge of the permanent coxswain of the boat.

" 3rd. The salary of the coxswains is double that which has been previously paid by this Institution. In return, it will be expected that they shall devote the more time and attention to preserving the boats and their appurtenances under their care in a constant state of efficiency, and ready for instant service.

"4th and 5th. With regard to the hire of horses or steam-tugs, and the payment of persons to assist in launching and hauling-up life-boats, the attention of the local Committees will here also be chiefly required to check undue charges, and to avoid incurring such expenses except when necessary. It is thought also that they may do much good by endeavouring at all times to encourage public spirit and other disinterested motives in those who are called upon to assist on such occasions, and as far as possible to divest such services of a mercenary character.

" On this new footing of the Society, by which it will be relieved, to a certain extent, of the expenses for rewards, wages, horsehire, steam-tugs, and salaries of coxswains, &c., it will be evident that a large annual sum hitherto applied to those purposes will be available (so long as adequate voluntary contributions can be obtained) towards the support and increase of the number of lifeboats on the coasts—the replacing of those which are worn out, and the increase of the efficiency, by improvements in their equipments and other means, of those already in existence—and towards granting medals, and other honorary rewards. The manner in which the Committee think this end will be best effected, and according to which the monetary arrangements between the Institution and its branches had better now be organized, is as follows :— " That the local Secretary shall, in the month of January of each year, collect all the annual subscriptions; that from that period all payments for exercise and other ordinary services shall be made as they become due, bv the local Committee, according to the fixed scale; all rewards and payments for repairs above 51. in amount being first referred for sanction to the General Committee in London ; and that a report of all these payments be forwarded before the expiration of each quarter to the Institution.

" In the event of the local collection of funds being found insufficient to defray all the expenses of a local branch, application is to be made to the parent Institution for the deficiency.

" On the general scheme of a joint working in the cause by this Institution and the Board of Trade, in which the charitable element and that of Governmental aid are combined, the Committee desire to express the opinion, that the happiest results will be the consequence if they secure the cordial aid of their several local branches in carrying out the plan and in maintaining the local interest in the life-boat establishments around the coasts; and that through the increased encouragement to the seamen forming the boats' crews—the improvement in the build of life-boats—their more perfect equipment, and their increased number—together with a perfected system of effecting communication with wrecks by the rocket and mortar apparatus—there will come into existence and action a machinery for saving life from shipwreck more commensurate with the urgent demand for it, and more creditable to this maritime country, than has ever existed in any former period of its history.

" To their local branches they accordingly appeal for their hearty aid and co-operation in a work in which success cannot but be a source of the purest satisfaction to every individual who has a part in bringing it about.

" I am, &c., " RICHARD LEWIS, Secretary.

" To the Honorary Secretary of the Branch.".