To the Editor of the Life-Boat Journal.

SIR,—I HAVE read with considerable interest your Article in the Life-Boat Journal, on the management of boats in a surf and broken water, and must beg to offer some remarks upon it; for, ably as that Article is written, and proving as it does that you have paid great attention to the subject, there are points in the recommendations with which the Article winds up which, in my opinion, if they are acted upon, will, on very many parts of the coast, assuredly end in disaster. Whilst reading the Article in question, an impression was given me that the writer of it fully understood the subject of launching and beaching boats through the surf, where the coast was fiat, and consequently broken water extended to a considerable distance.

Under such circumstances I approve most thoroughly of every portion of the recommendations in question. But it appears to me that you have devoted your attention to fiat shores only; and I warn you that the recommendations offered will not stand good for steep beaches; and I heartily wish that, instead of offering advice as to passing through surf generally, the subject had been divided into two distinct heads— 1st, launching and beaching upon flat coasts; 2nd, launching and beaching upon steep beaches.

I beg, therefore, that you will fully understand that every observation I now make is with reference to steep beaches, such, for instance, as are generally found along the south-eastern coast of England, including the far-famed Deal Beach.

And first, at page 86, in launching from the beach, the Article says, " our opinion is, that, unless from the steepness of the beach and nature of the sea, she (the boat) can, by skilful management, be made to avoid it by watching a favourable opportunity, the safest plan is to give her all the speed which can be obtained by rowing." To get the boat out of the way of the sea which is actually breaking upon the beach, it is very desirable to give all possible speed; but when this is done, a huge green sea is approaching, almost perpendicular, the crest just beginning to topple over, give all speed against, or rather into it, and you are sure to be buried; ease your oars and there is every hope that your bow may have time to rise and allow the boat to ride over. Such is the practice here, and my own experience satisfies me that the suggestion of forcing the boat into it would be fatal.

2nd. In running through broken water for the land, your " unqualified opinion," page 86, is, " that the greatest danger consists in following the natural impulse to escape from the advancing seas as rapidly as possible;" " no boat can be propelled so fast but the waves will overtake her." You advise " that the sail should be taken in, spars unshipped and lashed, and, if the boat is square-sterned, her head should be turned to the sea, and she should then be .carefully backed to the beach," &c., &c.

All this is most excellent, sound advice to the crews of boats landing upon a flat beach, but beware of following it when landing on steep shores.

My advice is then almost diametrically opposite. I give it from my own experience, from the practice adopted by the most experienced boatmen in the world, and I think I can prove to you the soundness of my views. Assuming that the boat is a substantial one, of from eight to fifteen or twenty tons burden (such as the Deal boats), and drawing from two to four feet water, keep your masts and sails standing, and push in with all possible speed for the beach, "and, when close to it, " turn her" partially " towards that side from which the sea is running." The object of thus running with all speed is twofold—first, on a steep beach the sea seldom breaks more than two hundred yards from the shore. Experience has proved, over and over again, that, with a fresh wind, this class of boat positively can run as fast as the wave when assisted by the ran of the sea which makes towards the beach on the top of the crest of the wave; these boats consequently, with their sails, do succeed in keeping ahead of the next wave, and by their impetus arrive high up on the beach before the crash of the wave reaches them. From the above, the second object of speed is evident, namely, to force the boat well up on the beach, with the view of avoiding as much as possible the fury of the breaking surf, and to prevent the receding water from dragging the boat with it.

If landing in a smaller rowing-boat, it is not possible at all times to row with sufficient speed to beat the wave, and, when this is the case, then check the speed and receive the breaking water against the stern when the boat is too long to turn to receive it (as the two-oared punts on this coast do to each successive wave) ; but of all things avoid backing in stern, foremost: it is impossible to run the boat in this way high up on the beach, and the chances then are that the surf will fill the boat and drag her back into deep water, thus drowning the crew.

A most remarkable proof of the soundness of this advice occurred on the Walmer beach three years ago. About twenty small two and four oared boats were employed fishing a mile or two off' the shore, when (as occasionally happens on this coast) a very violent N.E. wind and sea set in quite sud- denly. The boats made for the beach with all speed, having to encounter a very heavy surf in landing. All the poor fishermen decided to beach in the usual manner—that is, pulling for the beach as quickly as possible, excepting when the waves overtook them, and beaching bow foremost—except- ing one boat, which was manned with two experienced fishermen, but who it appears were so alarmed at the unusual height of the seas, that they decided upon trying to beach their boat stern foremost. Now mark the result: every boat landed in perfect safety, excepting this one; she could not get up high enough on the beach for those on shore to help her, she was'swamped, her gear lost, and the lives of the two poor fellows all but lost also.

I have lengthened this letter to a much greater extent than I at first contemplated, and will therefore conclude with the remark, that I do hope, with the sole view of offering sound advice on so difficult a subject as this one is, my arguments will be carefully looked into, and the opinions expressed in the Life-Boat Journal Article on Beaching and Landing on Steep Shores corrected.

One other observation I must add. At page 85 you say—" From our own observation we have formed the opinion, that it is not the case that the stern of a boat is thrown out of water, and the rudder therefore ceases to act" " on a boat encountering a heavy broken sea or roller end on," this being one cause of a boat broaching-to; and further you say, " but so far from her rudder being out of water, both it and her stern are buried in the crest of the wave." This is quite true with large boats; but when I tell you that I have myself seen the no uncommon occurrence of a six-oared galley coming to the beach with not only her stern, but at least four feet of her keel, out of water, you will concur, I think, that I am justified in my belief that you had not, in the Article in question, sufficiently "studied steep beaches before committing your remarks to print.—Yours, &c., E. P. CHARLEWOOD, Capt. M.N.

Shrubbery, Waltner, 2nd October, 1855.