THE melancholy accident which occurred to two boats of H.M.S. Ariadne, in March of the present year, again revived the questions as to the most suitable life- boats for ships of war, and the best description of apparatus for lowering them safely and quickly into the water.

On the occasion referred to, a seaman had fallen overboard from the main top- mast-head, the ship running ten knots at the time, with the wind on the starboard quarter. She was quickly hauled to the wind and hove to, and the lee-cutter was lowered and rowed in the direction in which the man was last seen. The ship, however, dropping fast to leeward of the boat, steam was got up, the sails furled, and she was steered towards the boat: on nearing which, however, she was seen to round to or broach to, and to upset by a heavy sea breaking on her broadside.

The ship's other cutter, then on the lee side, was at once lowered, but one of the lowering tackles fouling, she was swamped alongside, with the loss of one man, the rest of the crew being with difficulty saved.

The ship was then placed in such a position as to drift down on the wreck of the first boat, and, with very great difficulty, four of the survivors of its crew were saved by ropes. In all, two young officers, Messrs. JUKES and TALBOT, and eight seamen perished; besides the man who had fallen overboard, and both the boats were lost.

It appears that the Ariadne was not provided with a Life-boat, and that up to the present time the Admiralty have left it optional with the captain of any ship to have one or not. So long as such is the rule, we fear that many captains will decide on dispensing with them.

The reasons for their doing so are:—• 1st. That Life-boats are necessarily heavier than ordinary boats of similar size.

2nd. That much of the space within them being occupied by the air compartments which make them insubmergible, and less easy to upset than other boats, they have less space disposable for the stowage of cargo.

3rd. That accidents to the boats of ships of war are of unfrequent occurrence, and that therefore it may not seem worth while to sustain a permanent incon- venience to meet an evil which rarely happens.

Before entering on the question as to the descriptions of Life-boats which we may think preferable, we will remark on the above objections: 1st. Increased weight.

The increase need not be great, as the material of the air compartments or cases can be of the lightest description consistent with strength. In an under- manned merchant vessel, this increase of weight, however slight, might be of some consequence; but in a ship of war, where there are always a much larger number of men on duty, and available, than are j required to hoist up a quarter-boat, it would not be worth consideration; and it would only be further requisite to make the davits and their fittings, and the hoisting-up and lowering gear stronger in proportion, which would constitute no difficulty whatever.

2nd. Stowage-room.

Undoubtedly a life-boat should not be used as a cargo boat, but beyond the conveyance of fresh beef and vegetables, there can be little need for either of the cutters or other quarter-boats of a frigate to carry cargo, and one or both of those boats might be efficient life-boats.

It is, however, most important that the stowage-room for passengers should not be diminished in any of the boats of a ship of war. But on that head a suitable ship's Life-boat has a positive advantage, since the air compartments forming its extra or surplus buoyancy, form seats entirely round the boat, which has thus much more sitting accommodation than any ordinary boat of the same size can have, which is an advantage, in our opinion, of a very important character.

3rd. Unfrequency of accidents to the boats of ships of war.

Undoubtedly in time of peace such accidents are not of frequent occurrence.

They would, however, be much more so in time of war, when it would likewise be often most important to have at least one boat in every ship capable of going through a moderate surf, or of proceeding to other ships through a heavy sea, -with- out serious risk to those on board them.

The upsetting of a man-of-war's boat in attempting to cross the bar, off Kiel, during the war with Russia, in 1854-5, when Capt. JOHN FOOTE, E.N., commanding one of the ships of the Fleet, was drowned together with some of his men, may be quoted as an illustration of this need. Having reference, however, to times of peace only, there are probably few ships which have passed through the usual period of three years' service without having had to regret the loss of one or more men by falling overboard at sea, and we consider it an imperative duty to every seaman who is sent aloft at sea, that there should be all available means provided by the country for his safety, in the event of his falling over- board ; and that it is an equally imperative duty to provide the same for the officers and men who, as in the case of those on board the Ariadne, might be required to proceed to his aid.

We are of opinion, therefore, that it should not be optional with the captain of a ship of war to carry a Life-boat or not to do so, but that every such vessel should be provided with one; and that all ships of the class of corvettes and up- wards should carry two, hoisted to davits, one on each side of the ship, so that on whichever tack she might be, there would always be one on the lee side, ready for instant use.

We regret to find that the Commission since appointed by the Admiralty to en- quire into the subject of Life-boats, &c., and the boat-lowering apparatus, have reported that they consider the ordinary boats supplied to ships of war are sufficient, and that no Life-boats are required; whilst, owing to the few accidents that have occurred to boats in the act of lowering them from davits, they consider also that the ordinary tackles hitherto in use are all that is requisite.

We cannot but think that the members of the Commission must have forgotten the loss of Capt. FOOTE and his boat's crew, above referred to; and that they did not sufficiently bear in mind the importance, in time of war, of being able to communicate safely with the shore at all times, and of safe intercommunication I between the ships of a fleet.

| On carefully reading the evidence given by the 'various naval officers before the Commission, we observe that whilst it is generally admitted by them that it would be an advantage to have a Life-boat or other boat capable of encountering a surf or a heavy sea, they uniformly object to hare one in lieu of any of the ordinary boats now supplied to ships of war, but consider that such a boat should be an extra one. They come to this conclusion from the belief that none of the present boats could be spared from the general use of the ship, whilst they are under the apprehension that a Life-boat must neces- sarily be unfitted for such use. It was also considered by some of them, that a cork belt outside, or more or less cork stowed inside a boat, under the thwarts, •would be desirable.

Now we feel convinced that these diffi- culties may be easily met. There is, how- ever, but one mode of giving a boat sufficient extra buoyancy to make her a serviceable Life-boat, viz., by placing within her a large amount of enclosed air, in perfectly watertight cases, and by the distribution of the same in such a manner that it shall not only provide the requisite buoyant property, but greatly add to her stability and consequent safety.

It appears to have been the opinion of the Commissioners and of the officers examined by them, that it is sufficient to make a boat insubmergible; we contend, however, that no boat is worthy of the name of a Life-boat, unless she will float high enough, after being filled by a sea, to be manageable, which a boat that is submerged to the level of her thwarts, with her gunwale amidships only 5 or C inches above the level of the sea, cannot be. Such a boat is, in fact, then nothing more than a large life-buoy. In even a moderate breeze, every sea would break into her, and she -would be very easily upset. It is, therefore, an illusion to suppose that the placing a little cork round the sides of a boat, either inside or outside, will make her in any sense a Life-boat. Some merchant vessels' so- called Life-boats are thus fitted, but they are Life-boats only in name. Cork, in the Life-boats of the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, is used as ballast; and it is too heavy for any other use.

Admitting, then, that enclosed air buoyancy, as being the lightest material obtainable, is the only suitable one, the questions follow: what should be its | amount, and how should it be distributed ? 1 Its amount should be the greatest possible, without interfering with the use of the oars, and it should be distributed along the sides and the ends of a boat, where in the one case it -will add to the lateral, and in the other to the longitudinal stability, for it follows that the buoyant or lifting property of the enclosed air on one side or at either end of a boat, when submerged, would powerfully tend to right her again; whilst, if it is sufficient in amount, by confining the water within the boat to its central part, it there acts rather as ballast, instead of rushing from side to side with consequent loss of stability and steadiness.

To effect this important object, we consider that the side air-cases should extend from the floor to the thwarts, exactly conforming with the shape of the boat's side, to the thwart level, and equal in width, on each side, to one-eighth, or together to one-fourth the width of the boat; the inner sides being perpendicular to check the rushing of the water from, side to side with every motion of the boat. Also that the end air-enclosures should be each equal to one-eighth or together to one-fourth the length of the boat. These proportions have indeed been tried, and found to give, in a high degree, the qualities of extra or reserve buoyancy, stability, and steadiness, after the admission of water to the outside level.

It may be thought by some that so large an amount of enclosed air space at the sides of a boat would seriously inter- fere with the free use of the oars and with stowage-room. It will be found, however, on trial, that in a double-banked boat, where the rowers sit close together in the central line of the boat, such is not the case, and the less will it be so if the upper inner angle of the side air-cases is cut off to allow the greater depression of the looms of the oars to raise the blades above the sea. In a single-banked boat there would be more inconvenience, be- cause the rowers have to sit nearer the boat's sides; but, for that reason, we think all Life-boats should, when practicable, be 'double-banked. Passengers can also be stowed more conveniently in such boats than in single-banked ones, as they can sit round the sides on the air-cases and thwarts without being in the way of the rowers.

As regards the stowage of cargo, as above stated, the two functions are incompatible with each other; but, if a ship's cutters are required to carry cargoes, other than human, when in harbour, the side air-cases, which should all be portable, can be so fitted that they can be shipped and unshipped in a few minutes, and they could, therefore, be readily taken out and stowed below on board the ship when in harbour, and be replaced in the boat on going to sea. This is the only way of effectually meeting the difficulty, for, as regards the amount of enclosed air-space, there can be no compromise, since in exact ratio to its increase is the water- space decreased, and in the same ratio will the boat be lightened and become manageable after being filled by a sea.

Another essential property in any Life- boat worthy of the name is self-relief of water to the outside level. Two holes in the boat's floor of three inches diameter, fitted with water-tight plugs, would suffice to quickly lower the water in the boat to the outside level after shipping a heavy sea or seas, when the remainder, after bringing the boat " head to sea," could be baled out by a bucket, which should be a part of the furniture of every boat.

Let the Admiralty, however, cause a ship's cutter, without any alteration in the present model (although such boats would be better sea-boats with round or pointed instead of square sterns, a couple of feet being added to their length), to be fitted with portable air-cases such as above described, and then properly tested, when the advantages we have delineated will be at once apparent.

In concluding these remarks, we cannot but express our regret that the Commissioners should have interrogated parties unconnected with this Institution as to the qualifications of its Life-boats, which led to replies more or less depreciatory of them, representing them as incapable of 1 rowing to windward against even a mode- rate wind; a defect which, if it were correct, would altogether disqualify them for the work they are expressly provided to do.

It is true that their continual success over a long period of years, and their very few failures to reach wrecked vessels, even in the face of adverse gales, entirely refutes such an opinion respecting them; yet no person connected with the Institution was examined by the Commission, and no opportunity was afforded to its officers to bring forward evidence in proof of the efficiency of its boats.