THIS fine steamer was totally wrecked on the Hasborough Sands, off the Norfolk coast, on the 20th October last, having grounded there on the Sunday previously. She belonged to Liverpool, and was 2,880 tons burden, and was commanded by a Mr.

Jons BROOKLING. She was bound from Newcastle to Alexa from Yarmouth and took fifty ening the ship. The tugs were employed for three days, but were not successful in their endeavours.

On the 19th inst., the weather, which had been moderate, changed, the wind blowing a gale and the sea beating heavily on the sand.

The Caister life-boat of the Society put off twice to the steamer, and took the fifty-five labourers from her, placing them on board the steam-tugs; hut the captain of the Ontario refused to leave his vessel or to allow his crew to do so, and the life-boat therefore returned to the shore. On the night of the 19th inst., when the weather appeared threatening, fears were entertained at Yarmouth for the safety of the crew of the Ontario, all the steam-tugs but one having returned to port. Mr. BUTCHER, the Hon. Secretary of the Yarmouth Life-boat Committee, and Capt.

AV. T. RIVERS, R.N., Superintending Agent for Lloyd's, thereupon saw the beachmen, and enyears I treated them to go off in the life-boat to the rescue of the crew; but they refused to do so, saying, that the steam-tugs had had all the cream of the employment, while they were only asked to do the ! rough work." Endeavours were "then made to get a volunteer crew, but without success, and the life-boat was not therefore launched. On the morning of the 20th Oct. the crew of the Caister j life-boat again went out to the steamer, but the captain still refused to abandon his vessel, or to allow his crew to do so, and the life-boat had therefore to return to the shore. Some hours afspeedily torwards the wreck's crew left in one of the ship's life-boats, and were taken on board a steam-tug.

An inquiry was held by the Local Committee into the conduct of the Yarmouth beachmen, and the men were requested to attend that investigation, but refused to do so. Capt. D. ROBERTSON, R.N., Assistant-Inspector of Life-boats, assisted at, the inquiry. The Local Committee had applied by letter to the different Companies of Beachmen to know if any two of the Companies would undertake to work the two life-boats at Yarmouth permanentiy, without changing them annually from one Company to the other, as heretofore. At present the men had declined to work the large lifeboat.

Two of the Companies (the Holkham and Standard) were, however, willing to work the surf life-boat, which could only be used in cases of wrecks occurring near the shore, and not on the outlying sandbanks. It was hoped that the number of men in these two Companies would be so increased as to enable them also to work the large life-boat.

We append to these remarks an extract from the Report of the Police Magistrate and of the Nautical Assessors of the Board of Trade, who had held at Liverpool an inquiry on the loss of the ship, and on the conduct of the Yarmouth beachmen in refusing to man the life-boat on the occasion in question. — " It appears," they say, " from the evidence of Mr. MATTHEW BUTCHER, the Hon. Sec. at Yarmouth of the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, and of Captain RIVEKS, R.N., the Agent for Lloyd's at the same place, that upon the night of Wednesday, the 19th October, three days after the wreck of the Ontario, in consequence of the threatening state of the weather, they proceeded, after consultation, to procure the services of the large Yarmouth life-boat. On communicating with the beachmen, whose yearly turn it was to work the boat, they found them reluctant to go out, and after an hour's delay they, as a body, declined to undertake the duty, alleging as a reason that steam-tugs had been previously employed, and, to use their own words, that " as they had taken that they should be amply remunerated ; but the meu were in that temper that they could not be induced to go off, with the exception of the master and four men of the Holkham Company, who were willing to do their duty. Both Mr. BUTCHER and Captain RIVERS distinctly state that no demand for any sum of money whatever was made to them by any of the beachmen. I have not been able to discover any foundation for the report to this effect.

This gossip, which has obtained general currency, was alluded to by the two men whom the beachmen had sent to Liverpool to represent them on this inquiry ; they stating it was the common talk on the beach that as 500/. had been, according to their ' information, paid to the steam-tugs, 200/. should not be considered too large a sum for the services of the life-boat. The officials connected with the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION were in attendance, and gave the court some valuable information as to the working of this grest Insti- tution. They are of opinion that, if the practice of manning the life-boats by alternate companies were abandoned, and the ordinary practice of their Institution adopted, a similar failure in the service of the boats would not in future occur; and as this system has hitherto been found to answer, I see no reason to doubt that such an arrangement would hereafter render the service of the Yarmouth life-boats as efficient as that of the other boats in connection with the Institution. The two men who formed the deputation from the Yarmouth beachmen were of opinion that an arrangement might be made by the Inspectors of the Institution, on the spot, and I trust, for the credit of a gallant class of men, that they are correct in that expression of opinion. At any rate, I feel satisfied that the matter may safely be left for adjustment in the hands of the NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION, and I have pleasure in recording my opinion, as the result of this investigation, in which my Assessors entirely agree, that there I is no reason to conclude that the voluntary systern, upon which the service of the boats in connection with the Institution has hitherto been conducted, has in any way failed to meet the demands made upon it, and that the failure, in this particular instance at Yarmouth, is of a purely exceptional character." We have much pleasure, however, in recording a noble service of the Yarmouth beachmen, on the night of the 7th Dec., which, in the face of previous adverse criticism, well deserves prominent notice:— The wind at the time was blowing fresh from the S.S.W.; the St. Nicholas Light-ship, off'Great Yarmouth, was observed throwing up rockets, and guns were also heard, while a light was seen, as if shown from a ship on the Scroby Sands.

The beachmen of all the Companies immediately launched the large life-boat—indeed, there was a noble ambition on the part of the men as to who should be first in the life-boat. She was speedily afloat, and, dashing through the heavy surf on the Sands, she bore down to the ship, which they reached about 11 '30 P.M. The crew of the lifeboat then endeavoured to save the vessel, if possible.

They succeeded in getting her off, but, owing to the loss of her rudder, she again got OH the Sand, when the crew, consisting of thirteen men, with the pilot, were taken off, and with great difficulty brought safely on shore. The vessel proved to be the brig Zorniza, of Lucine, 350 tons register, bound from London to Sunderland, in ballast. She afterwards sunk. The sea was terrific, and one of the teachmen's yawls was damaged to such an extent that the men all left her and got into the life-boat, fearing she would sink, till she was clear of the Scroby Sands.