BARMOUTH.—On the 18th September, at 5 a.m., a small schooner was observed to be on shore on the North Bar, off Barmouth, on the Welsh coast, her crew being lashed in the rigging. The life-boat of the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION was, as quickly as possible, manned and launched; the Rev. OWEN LLOYD WILLIAMS, Honorary Secretary to the Institution, proceeding in her, and at the end of an hour landed with the wrecked men, 2 in number, who formed the whole crew. The vessel was the Isabel, of Liverpool, 51 tons, laden with coals.

PAKEFIELD.—On the 7th October, at 11 a.m., the barque Zemira, of Leghorn, with 12 Italians and an English pilot on board, ran aground on the Newcome Sands, near Lowestoft, the wind blowing a hard gale from the S.W. at the time; the Pakefield boatmen, as soon as possible, launched the life-boat; but the greater part of their number being absent in Lowestoft Harbour, they could not be on the spot immediately; she was, however, afloat in about forty minutes, but the vessel had then broken up and disappeared. The life-boat's crew, nevertheless, determined to search the spot where she had been, with the chance of picking up any of her crew who might have been able to hold on by pieces of the wreck.

On crossing the shoal, in a very heavy sea, the whole boat and crew were once completely immersed; but, nothing daunted, they prosecuted their search, and happily succeeded in picking up 8 of the crew floating about on pieces of the wreck at various distances from the spot, the last man picked up being 2 miles distant from where the main part of the vessel remained. The captain, 3 of the crew, and the English pilot, unfortunately perished. This service was considered to be altogether of so gallant and praiseworthy a character that the Board of Trade awarded medals to the coxswain and crew; and a considerable collection (60L) was raised by visitors at Lowestoft in testimony of their admiration of it, and given to the crew, who also received the highest scale of payment allowed by the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, viz., 21. to each man—10s. each being the ordinary sum for day service in its life-boats.

Again, on the 10th October, this life-boat was launched and proceeded to the wreck of the schooner Sunshine, of Padstow, on the Newcome Sand, the wind blowing a fresh gale from the S.W. at the time. On arrival at the vessel it was found that she had already been deserted by her crew, who were afterwards found to have landed in their own boat. The vessel herself shortly after became a total wreck.

LLANDWYN.—On the 19th October the Llandwyn life-boat put off to the assistance of a smack which was dragging her anchor off the south coast of the Island of Anglesea, the wind blowing a gale from the eastward at the time. With the aid of the life-boat's crew the smack was got under way and taken into a position of safety.

FILEY.—On the 14th November the brig Felicity, of Lynn, being unable to weather Flamborough Head -in a heavy gale from E. by S., ran on shore near Filey. The lifeboat of the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION was quickly launched through a heavy surf, and in half an hour had landed in safety the wrecked crew of 6 men. The vessel herself shortly after became a total wreck.

SKERRIES.—On the 14th Nov. the Austrian brig, Tregiste, 333 tons, of Trieste, anchored for shelter, during a terrific gale from the east, under Lambay Island, near Dublin.

On the 15th she had dragged her anchors nearly half way across the sound between the island and the main ; and being then in imminent danger of driving on shore on the Portrane Rocks, by direction of the English pilot on board her masts were cut away.

The Skerries life-boat having been sent from that place by land on her transporting carriage, was, at about 2 p.m., launched from the strand south of the town of Rush, in charge of Chief Boatman of Coastguard, JOSEPH CLARKE as coxswain, HENRY ALEX HAMILTON, Esq., Honorary Secretary to the Institution, at Skerries, also going off in her.

As the boat got out into deep water, she shipped several very heavy seas ; " twice," says Mr. HAMILTON, "many of us were nearly washed out of the boat, the ' green water' falling at these times unbroken on the top of us." After two hours' fruitless exertion to reach the vessel, the boat's crew were so fatigued that it became necessary to return to the shore, lest the life-boat herself should be driven on the rocks. Mr. HAMILTON accordingly directed the coxswain to bear up for the entrance of Rogerstown Stream, where, after running considerable risk of broaching to in crossing the bar, she safely arrived at 5'30 p.m.

As it was evident that the life-boat could not be rowed to the ship where she then lay, until the wind had somewhat abated, Mr.

HAMILTON decided to wait for the first lull, hoping to reach her, and in the interim to watch her night and day, keeping the crew together in readiness to man the life-boat again at a moment's notice, in the event of the ship's cables parting and her being driven on shore, or of her further dragging her anchors until much nearer to it. The boat was kept afloat within the river, and her crew located in the Coastguard watch-house, Mr. HAMILTON providing them with food, and sending for their dry clothes.

The hull rode out the gale through the night, the wind and sea remaining as violent as before. On the morning of the 16th a large steamer, which had been sent for to Holyhead, bore down towards the distressed vessel, in order, if possible, to take the men off the hull; but as the sea broke completely over her several times, she was unable to get sufficiently near to her, and was compelled to give up the attempt, and to bear up for Kingstown Harbour, slipping her cables and leaving her anchors behind.

As the second night set in, the crew of the ship were seen to be working hard at the pumps, but the gale continued and the sea broke still more heavily than before.

At 3 o'clock on the morning of the 17th the wind began to lessen, and preparations were made for another attempt to reach the ship.

At half-past 4 a.m., the life-boat again put off with Mr. HAMILTON and the same crew, none of whom had left the spot since their first attempt on the 15th. For the first hour the sea broke with the same violence over the boat that it had done on the former occasion, but then being through the worst of the heavy seas, at the end of two hours and a-half the dismantled vessel was reached, and the crew and the pilot, 13 in all, were safely taken in by twos and threes, as opportunity offered, over the vessel's stern, and all safely landed at Rogerstown at 9-30 a.m. The hull, after all, rode out the gale, and was subsequently towed into Kingstown Harbour.

We think this a most striking and meritorious service on the part of Mr. HAMILTON and the life-boat's crew. Their remaining two nights and the greater part of three days, at a distance from their homes, patiently waiting, after their first failure, a favourable opportunity to reach the endangered ship was itself an extraordinary act of perseverance, whilst the actual service, on both occasions, of the boat's going out was of no ordinary character, involving great labour, exposure, and risk, when, as described by Mr. HAMILTON himself, the " green water " fell unbroken on the crew, nearly washing them out of the boat. On reading this narrative, the thought may occur to some that, as the hull after all was taken into port in safety, the life-boat had better not have taken the crew off.

Undoubtedly, however, they were rightly taken off. It was impossible to foresee that the weather would have continued to mend and the sea to go down—or, that the vessel's anchors and cables would continue to hold her. Her crew had also been observed to be working at the pumps; she could not, therefore, but be considered in a dangerous state. Her master and one of the crew had also been seriously hurt by the falling of the masts, and the remainder of the crew were more or less in an exhausted state.

The question may also be asked, whether the Skerries life-boat (which belongs to the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION) is a good boat, seeing that she failed m the first instance, and that it was considered to be fruitless to renew the attempt until the wind had somewhat abated? To this we reply, that although we have reason to believe that some of the latest-built lifeboats of the Institution are faster boats than this one, yet that it is the opinion of Mr. HAMILTON and others, who were present, that no other boat could have been sooner propelled by oars to the ship against the wind and sea which were raging at the time. There have indeed been so many instances of failure by life-boats of every description at various times, that, although some are faster than others, we fear it must be acknowledged that the united force of wind and sea in some localities is, at times, greater than it is possible for any boat propelled by oars to advance against, there being a limit to human strength and endurance.

CASTLETOWN, ISLE OF MAN.—On the morning of the 15th Nov. the lugger, Queen of the hies, anchored in Castletown Bay, the wind blowing a heavy gale from the eastward at the time. Her foresail and mizen having been blown away, and it being known at Castletown that her anchor- gear was of a very inferior description, the lives of her crew were considered to be in the greatest danger. The Castletown lifeboat, belonging to the NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION, accordingly went off to her aid, taking an anchor and large hawser with them.

On arriving alongside, the crew, consisting of 2 men and a boy, were found to be in a helpless and exhausted state. A portion of the life-boat's crew were placed on board her, and the anchor taken out by the lifeboat was let go ; by which means, she was secured until there was sufficient water to cross the bar, when the life-boat men slipped both the anchors and succeeded in getting her into the port. The Rev. E. FERRIER, of the local Committee, accompanied the crew in the life-boat.

On the night of the 26th Nov., it blowing a gale of wind from S.S.W., with a heavy sea on, and being very dark, lights, as from a vessel in-distress, were observed in Castletown Bay in a dangerous position. The life-boat was accordingly launched (at 11 P.M.), and proceeded to the spot where she found the smack Jabez, of Greenock, from Bangor, bound to Glasgow, with a cargo of slates. Hev boom was carried away and one of her crew disabled. She had two anchors ahead, but was already in dangerous proximity to the rocks to leeward.

Three of the life-boat's crew were then placed on board, and the boat with the remainder was veered astern by a long rope, the sea being so high, that, when in this position, the vessel's mast-head was often only just seen above the intervening wave.

It was hoped that the anchors would hold on until there was water enough to get into the harbour. At 2 A.M., however, one cable parted and the other anchor commenced to drag; it was therefore necessary to attempt the harbour at once : the remaining anchor was therefore slipped, and some sail being set, the life-boat accompanying her, she was fortunately got with safety into the harbour.

Without the aid of the life-boat this vessel and her crew of 4 persons would, undoubtedly, have perished.