On the night of the 3rd May, or rather at 1 A.M. on the 4th, a very gallant service was rendered by the crew of the Caistor life-boat, in rescuing, under circumstances of much danger, the crew of the schooner Trial, of Poole, 7 in number. On this occasion the boat herself was seriously damaged, having broken her stern and injured her sides against the wrecked vessel, and fractured her iron keel.

The circumstances of this very distinguished service, for which the Institution awarded 451.—being a payment of 2?. each to the life-boat's crew—cannot be better described than in the words of the coxswain of the life-boat, as follows:—"On Sunday morning, May 4, at about 1 o'clock A.M., the wind being E.N.E.

and blowing hard, with a heavy sea break- ing on the beach, signal-lights of distress were seen by the night-watch of the Caistor beachmen, in the direction of the Barber Sand. The night-watch immediately gave an alarm, which brought all the company down to the beach, 40 men in number, and likewise some of the villagers. The beach- men, with the help of the villagers, directly commenced launching the life-boat, which was manned by a crew of 22 beachmen, who succeeded in hauling her off the beach and through the breakers, by the large bauling-off warp, shipping some very heavy seas, which filled her several times. We then set sail as quickly as possible, and pro- ceeded in the direction of the signal-lights, which were still burning. On our reach- ing the sand, we were compelled to cross through the breakers of the sand, in order to board the vessel on the south side, as there were two wrecks standing out of the water close on the other side of her, and in so doing had to encounter the full fury of the sea; but we succeeded in getting a rope from the vessel, which proved to be the schooner Trial, of Poole, sunk, with the sea making a complete breach over her. We then hauled the life-boat up alongside to get the crew out of her, bat the sea broke so heavily into the life-boat, sea after sea, which followed in quick succession, washing her crew about in all directions, so that we could not hold her, for the sea drove her quite round under the vessel's bojv. We again hauled up alongside, and three of the ship's crew succeeded in jumping into the life-boat, when we were again driven by the violence of the sea against the ship, damaging the life-boat, and breaking her mizen-mast; and being again swept round under the ship's bow, the sea breaking heavily and quickly into the life-boat, so much so that she could not free herself; we began to think she had damaged some of her inside air-tanks, as she did not rise, and there was great fear of being swept out of her by the violence of the sea. We then veered away some distance to ascertain, if we could, the cause of her not rising, when we found that the sails were drawn down by the draught into the plug-holes, so as to stop her from freeing herself. Having made all clear, we hauled up again, the ebb-tide coming down so strong causing still more risk and difficulty to get the remainder of the crew out of the ship, as we had to haul up on the north side of her, where the two sunken wrecks lay so close to her. This time one man jumped in, being one of the life-boat's crew who had clung to the ship's bowsprit-gear when she was driven under the ship's bow in the fearful state before mentioned, for he thought she would not rise again. We were again driven away from the ship by the violence of the sea, which broke fearfully over the life-boat: we then hauled up again, doing the life-boat damage against the ship, and between the seas the remainder of the crew succeeded in jumping into the life-boat, being 7 in all.

We then had to veer away very cautiously, in order to clear the sunken wrecks before mentioned. Having got clear of the breakers on the sand, we set sail and made for our station. The captain told us that he got his own boat out when the ship first came to the ground, but the first sea took her away.

By this time we had reached abreast of our station, when we shortened sail to run her cautiously through the breakers to the beach, where we safety landed at about half past three o'clock, A.M., and procured a convey- ance to take the wrecked men to the Sailor's Home at Yarmouth.

(Signed) " ROBERT GEORGE, Coxswain.".