About 1 P.M. on the 28th December, JOSEPH Cox, the cox- swain of the Hope life-boat stationed at Appledore, was informed by the coast-guard that two vessels were embayed, and would probably go on shore. He instantly assembled his crew, obtained horses, and dragged out the life-boat on her carriage, ready for action. The vessel most in danger was the Austrian barque Pace; and, as she tried to work out of the bay, the life-boat and her crew kept along the shore directly under her lee, moving along with her. At length she grounded. The life-boat was launched without delay over the Pebble Ridge, and dashed into a terrific surf.

The crew behaved most nobly; the boat at times was as upright as a ladder against a wall, and seas swept through her from stem to stern ; but they stuck to it, reached the barque, and managed to make fast to her.

The crew were all assembled under shelter of the cuddy, and not one would give a stern rope to the boat, or move from his position, excepting one boy, who ran to the side and dropped into the boat all safe.

More than five minutes elapsed without a soul stirring on board; at length eight of them made a rush together for the life-boat, jumped helter-skelter over the side, missed the boat, and fell into the water, but were all picked up but one. A tremendous sea now struck the boat and drove her under the counter, where the rudder was carried away, and old Cox much bruised, as he was jammed up against the counter, but his life- belt saved him, it being broken however by the collision. In vain did the life-boat crew appeal to the remainder of the men on board the barque to come to the boat; they would not stir; so the life-boat, se- riously damaged and with the loss of her rudder, was obliged to return to the shore, where she landed safely her crew and 9 of the Pace's men. Old Cox, notwithstanding the severe nip he had received, and the da- maged state of the boat, called for another crew of volunteers, and once more manned the Hope, he and his son and one other of the old crew going in her, and, to prove the readiness of the brave volunteers of North Devon, the boat was launched with one man too many on board. On this second trip young Cox steered with an oar in place of the rudder, the stern of the boat having been damaged. In this state they had nearly again reached the ship when a wave broke over the bow, swept over the crew, and carried young Cox (who was standing up steering with the oar) right over the stern. The loss of the steering-oar made the boat broach to, and the next wave found her broadside on, and rolled her over, throw- ing all the crew into the surf. As she righted, the younger Cox managed to get into her again, and one by one the brave fellows all got on board, excepting old Cox.

He had drifted some distance, and they had only three oars left; with these, however, they managed to turn the boat's head round, and at last the brave old coxswain was enabled to clutch the blade of an oar, when all but done for, and was got into the boat.

The life-boat again reached the shore, and was dragged up on the Pebble Ridge. For the third time volunteers came forward to man the life-boat; but a difficulty now arose. Besides the rudderless state of the Hope, unfitting her for service, the oars (save three) were all lost. Instantly a lot of horsemen galloped off, with Mr. YEO at their head, for spare oars, and in due time each horseman returned bearing an oar.

And now preparations were made to launch again the disabled boat; but it was dis- covered that the tide had turned, and had already dropped two feet; the danger was rapidly passing away; the remainder of the crew of the barque had climbed up to the mizentop, and moreover the third crew was not composed entirely of sailors. Those on the spot most wisely interfered, and would not allow the boat to be launched again, although there were four distinct crews of volunteers—two of which went off, and the third apd fourth were forcibly and wisely stopped. Eventually 3 men, one of whom was the captain, were brought ashore by men who waded out to the barque as the tide fell. Three others perished, in addition to one man who was lost in getting into the life-boat. Thirteen in all were saved. All might have got into the boat and been saved when she first went alongside, and all in'the rigging might have been saved had the men Jashed themselves there. It appears that the Austrian cap- tain would not allow his crew to go into tlie life-boat when she got alongside, nor suffer them to throw a rope to her. If the ^ bold and self-devoted conduct of the North I Devon volunteers failed to achieve cora- ; plete success in dealing with this wreck, it i is a satisfaction to know that they did what they could, and did it nobly. Ordinary I life-boat service is one of no light peril; service in a partially disabled boat is neces- sarily still more hazardous..