Southwold, Suffolk.—A new life-boat, 40 feet long, and similar, in other respects, to the one stationed at Scratby, described in the 15th Number of this Journal, has been placed at Southwold, in lieu of the life-boat placed there in 1852, on the Northumber- land prize model, against which the boatmen of the place had taken an insuperable preju- dice, and which they had refused to use.

The new boat, which is similar in her fit- tings and rig to the other large sailing life- boats on the Norfolk and Suffolk coasts, was built at a cost of 2001., and presented by the National Life-boat Institution, on the Southwold Life-boat Association uniting with the Institution, and becoming one of its branches.

Swansea, South Wales.—A new life-boat on Mr. PEAKE'S design, 30 feet long, and rowing 10 oars, has been placed at Swansea by the Harbour Commissioners of that Port.

She was built by Messrs. FORRESTT, of Limehouse, under the superintendence of this Institution, and was sent to her station in March last. She combines all the latest improvements that have been made in the boats of the Institution. She will row fast in a sea-way; if filled by a sea, *will clear herself of water in 20 seconds; she has great stability, requiring the weight of 24 men on one gunwale, without any counter- acting weight on the other side, to immerse it; and she would instantly self-right if upset. She is diagonally-built, of well- seasoned pine, which is the construction now adopted by the Institution.

A carriage on the suspension principle, after the design of the Inspector to the In- stitution, has been built for this boat, by Messrs. RANSOMES and SIMS, of Ipswich, at a cost of about 90Z.; and a suitable boat- house has been furnished by the Commis- sioners, who must, we presume, have ex- pended not less than 350Z. in providing this perfect life-boat establishment.

Sunderland, Durham. — The seamen at Sunderland, not to be behind their brethren at Hartlepool, have formed a Life-boat Association at their port, and, chiefly by means of their own subscriptions, have pro- vided themselves with a life-boat. She has been built at Sunderland, on the plan of Mr. HAWKESWORTH, who also-built the Hartlepool seamen's life-boat.

She is, we understand, similar in cha- racter to the above-named boat, a descrip- tion of which will be found in Number 14 of this Journal, but is considerably larger, being, we believe, 40 feet long. As this class of boat is very heavy and draws a great deal of water, we conceive that it can only be fitted for launching in a harbour, and where a large number of hands are always available for floating it. We have not heard that any opportunity has yet offered for testing its qualifications in a gale and heavy sea.

As in the case of the Hartlepool life- boat, the National Life-boat Institution pre- sented the Sunderland seamen with the sum of 10J. towards the cost of their boat, and with a set of 20 life-belts for the use of her crew, of the value of 14Z.

Padstow, Cornwall.—A new life-boat has been placed at Padstovv, at the joint cost of the National Life-boat Institution and the inhabitants of the locality, and a branch of the Institution has been organized there for the management of the establishment. This boat is on Mr. PEAKE'S design, but of dif- ferent proportions to any previously built on the same plan, the people of the locality having expressly requested—1st. That she should be single-banked, rowing 6 oars only, in consequence of the small number of com- petent hands usually available to man her— and, 2ndly. That as she would have to contend against a strong tide as well as a heavy sea, she should be calculated to row with great speed.

Her dimensions are, length 30 feet; width extreme 6 feet, and she is rowed by 6 oars; single-banked. She is no doubt, a fine-boat, and will row fast, but has necessarily less stability than the wider double-banked boats of the same design. The Padstow Harbour Association for the Preservation of Life and Property have liberally placed their boat- house at the disposal of the local Committee to keep her in.

She will probably be provided with two carriages, one placed on either side of the harbour in readiness to convey her along the coast either to the eastward or westward, as her services might be required.

Rhyl, North Wales.—A new life-boat on the tubular principle, and on the plan of H. RICHARDSON, Esq., of Bala, North Wales, has been stationed by the National Life-boat Institution at Rhyl, at a cost of 200Z., in lieu of the life-boat previously stationed there on BEECHING'S plan.

In consequence of the upsetting of their former boat, soon after she was placed on her station, by which unfortunate accident several of her crew were drowned, the Local Committee declined the responsibility of sending men out in her again, at the possible risk of their lives.

Although softie subsequent alterations and improvements had been made in, this boat by the Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners' Society, whose property she then was, the inhabitants of Rhyl could not become reconciled to her; and accordingly so soon as the life-boats of that Society were transferred to the National Life-boat Institution, the Local Committee requested that she might be withdrawn, and that they might be supplied with a tubular life-boat on the plan of the celebrated Challenger, in which H. RICHARDSON, Esq., and bis son, H. T. RICHARDSON, Esq., had, in 1852, cruised round half the coast of England, and encountered many "hair-breadth "scapes," an account of which may be seen in an amusing little narrative published by those gentlemen at the time, entitled, "The Cruise of the Challenger." As the Committee of the Institution were willing to avail themselves of such an op- portunity to test the value of so novel a description of boat, which undoubtedly possessed some manifest advantages, they acceded to the request of the Rhyl Com- mittee, and a "tubular" was built for them after some delay consequent on the serious illness of the senior Mr. RICHARDSON, and the absence of his son with his regi- ment in the Crimea.

This boat was built by Mr. LEES, of Manchester; she was launched in February last, and towed from Manchester to her station at Rhyl, Mr. RICHARDSON, jun., and the Inspector of the Institution accompany- ing her. She on that occasion exhibited admirable towing qualities; but the weather was not such as to offer any opportunity for testing her properties as an efficient sea- boat.

She consists of two tubes of tinned charcoal iron, 32 feet long, and 2 feet 8 inches in diameter; being each divided into eight air-tight compartments. These tubes are placed parallel to each other at a distance of 3 feet apart, giving an extreme width to the boat of 8 feet 4 inches; they are connected with each other by means of light iron-arched rods which support an open-grating deck of wood that allows water to pass freely through it. The ends of the tubes, at bow and stem, are brought to a point, and curved upwards and in- wards so as to meet where they are united together by strong iron braces. Each tube contains about 140 cubic feet of air; they are constructed in the same manner as the boiler of a tubular steam-engine. The total weight of the boat, inclusive of masts, sails, and other gear, is 31 cwt. It has been most carefully built, in the very best manner, under the especial superintendence of Mr. HURST, the intelligent foreman of Mr. LEES, who has taken the greatest interest in it from the first.

We shall ourselves await with much interest the result of a trial of this boat in a really heavy sea; of her great stability and almost perfect safety there can be little doubt; of her capabilities to row ahead against a heavy head sea and gale of wind, or through the heavy rollers of an open beach, as compared with other boats, we have yet however to be informed.