IT is our national boast that Britannia rules the waves, and so it was only befitting that the honour of, inventing the Life-boat should fall to the lot of a Briton. Whether or not Henry Greathead was that particular Briton has been a matter of some discus- sion, since this credit is claimed on behalf of two others, by name Lionel Lukin and William Wouldhave. The first of these two was a native of Dunmow, an inland town in the county of Essex. He after- wards removed to London, established himself as a coach-builder in Long Acre, and then conceived the idea of constructing a boat partially of wood and partially of cork. He enjoyed the patronage of the then Prince of Wales, after wards George IV., and in 1784 a boat built by him, and termed " Unimmergible," passed a suc- cessful trial on the Thames. He obtained a grant of letters patent in 1785, but his scheme does not appear to have made any progress except that the Rev. Dr. Shairp, of Bamborough, hearing of his invention, sent him an ordinary coble to be made " unimmergible." This was done: the j * We are indebted to the courtesy of the Editor ; of Social Notes for permission to republish in our j columns this interesting sketch and illustration of : Henry Greathead, with whose name the Life-boat must ever be associated. This useful and instruc- tive serial, Social Notes, is published weekly, at 16, Southampton Street, Strand, London.

boat was stationed at Bamborough, and it is said to have been instrumental in saving several lives; but whether or not in seas in which no ordinary boat could have lived is unknown.

The subject then dropped until 1789, when a ship, by name the Adventurer, of Newcastle, stranded on the Herd Sands at the entrance of the Tyne. A fierce gale was raging, the sea was running mountains high, thousands of spectators were present, and, though but three hundred yards from the ill-fated ship, were unable to afford the slightest succour. The crew dropped off one by one from the rigging; mothers saw their sons, wives their hus- bands, drowned before their eyes and within the very sight of home. This tragic event caused such an impression that a committee was formed in South Shields, and a premium was offered for the best design of a Life-boat. A great number competed; the final decision lay between William Wouldhave of South Shields, a painter, and Henry Greathead of the same town, a shipbuilder, and in the end it was given in favour of the latter; but the friends of Wouldhave claim that certain features of his design were adopted either by Greathead or the committee.

There does not, however, seem to be much, if any proof of this; and probably the be staved in, and that the boat itself, i the latter alone was sufficiently master real facts are that the idea originated with Lukin, who, however, was unable to master the practical details, as it is said that the sides of his boat were liable to though buoyant, lacked balance; that Wouldhave improved upon the idea, and might have been proclaimed the inventor had Greathead never competed, and that THE GREATHEAD LIFEBOAT AT SEA Designed and drawn by ALFRED FISHER.

Engraved by DAIZIEL BROTHERS.

of the theory and practice of ship-'. to farther inquire into the merits of building to produce anything likely to . the case, will find every information in prove a permanent benefit, and therefore ; the book entitled the " History of the to him must the honour be awarded, not Life-boat," by the Secretary to the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITU- TION, and it must suffice to add that as a privilege but as a right.

Those, however, who may feel inclined Wouldhave afterwards became clerk to St. Hilda's Church, South Shields, and died in 1821, at the age of seventy years.

A tombstone erected to his memory bears the following inscription : — Sacred to the memory OF WILLIAM WOULDHAVE, Who died September 1841, Aged 70 years, Clerk of this Church, And inventor of that National blessing to mankind the Lifeboat.

Below is the following epitaph : — " Heaven genius scientiflck gave Surpassing vulgar boast, yet he from soil So rich no golden harvest reaped, no wreathe Nor that ingrate » Palm ; unfading this Till shipwrecks cease and Lifeboats cease to save." A model of his invention as well can be seen at the present time suspended from the chandelier of the church.

Lionel Lukin retired from business to Hythe, and died in 1834, and the inscrip- tion on his tombstone also claims for him the honour of having invented the Life- boat.

Henry Greathead was the son of John Greathead, supervisor and comptroller of the salt duties in South Shields and the adjoining neighbourhood, who had married a daughter of Henry Raisden, a merchant formerly of York Buildings, London.

There was a large family, and the sub- ject of this memoir was the fifth, and was born at Richmond, in Yorkshire, on the 27th of January, 1757. He was the worthy son of a worthy father, as the latter, to quote the words of the European Magazine, 1804, " was held in great esteem for his strict integrity and diligence during forty-six years that he continued in the situation." Henry, when a boy, it is said, indicated a mechanical turn, and accordingly was apprenticed to an eminent shipbuilder in South Shields. This life, however, proved too monotonous for him. He went to sea at first in the merchant service, but during the American War served in the Royal Navy, and afterwards, in the year 1788, was shipwrecked on the French coast while on a voyage to the West Indies.

He then returned to South Shields, set up as a shipbuilder, and in the following year, as before stated, gained the prize offered by the South Shields Committee.

In 1791 the Life-boat was for the first time called into active requisition. A Sunderland brig again stranded at the entrance of the Tyne, but this time succour was at hand. The Boat was launched, was manned by a brave and sturdy crew, reached the distressed ship, and succeeded in saving those on board. The success of this one Boat, the first messenger of salvation constructed by human skill, but intrusted to the mercy of a Divine Pro- vidence, encouraged not only other towns but also other countries to follow the example of South Shields; for in 1803 Greathead had built no less than thirty- one Life-boats, of which eighteen were for England, five for Scotland, and eight for foreign countries.

A year before this he had applied to Parliament for a National reward, and a committee had been appointed to take evidence. The evidence adduced proved two things: it proved that the Life-boat was a blessing, and that Greathead was not alone an inventor, but also a man of the greatest nobility of character; it proved that the Life-boat had already been the means of saving two hundred lives at the mouth of the Tyne alone, but it also proved that Greathead had taken no steps to protect his invention, and had never asked, much less obtained, more than an ordinary trade price for a single one of these Boats.

Upon the report of this committee it was proposed to grant him a sum of 2,000?., and Wilberforce eloquently urged his claims. The Government, however, thought that half this sum would be sufficient; but upon it being represented i to them that his and his witnesses' journey j up to and stay in London had cost nearly 200?., they consented to 1,200?., and this amount was unanimously voted. The Trinity House added one hundred guineas, Lloyd's subscribed the same amount, the Society of Arts awarded him its gold medal, together with fifty guineas, and the Emperor of Russia presented him with a diamond ring.

On the 23rd of November, 1803, there occurred an episode which showed that Greathead possessed a large amount of physical courage, in addition to a high mental capacity, for on that day the See, of Shields, put to sea, but encountering rough weather, the captain determined to re-enter the Tyne. In taking the bar at the mouth the ship struck the ground, lost her rudder, became unmanageable, and finally drove on the rocks known by the name of the " Black Middins.'' A crowd assembled, and the same tragedy which had been the primary cause of Life-boats ever having been instituted seemed likely to be re-enacted, for all declared that it was too rough for the Boat to put out. Suddenly Greathead stepped forward, and offered to go out himself to the rescue if a crew would volunteer. His words had an electric effect on those .present; hundreds stepped forward, and the difficulty now was who to choose without offending the others.

A selection, however, was finally made, chiefly consisting of pilots; the Life-boat was launched, reached the ship in reality without any great difficulty, and rescued everybody on board without the loss of a single life.

After 1804 Greathead's career becomes somewhat enveloped in mystery and wrapped up in gloom. It would appear that he embarked in certain speculations, and lost all the money which had been granted him by Parliament, for in 1807 his name appears in the Gazette amongst the list of bankrupts. At that period the Napoleonic wars were attracting the at- tention of the whole country, and amidst the bustle of war this benefactor would appear to have been forgotten. The very date of Ms death is uncertain, but is believed to have occurred in 1813 ; and it is beyond a doubt that he was carried to his last re&ting-place— " Unwept, unhallowed, and unsung." This neglect has been continued, for his name can only just be found in biographical dictionaries or encyclopaedias, which cheerfully devote whole columns to the career of a successful nondescript or noted eccentricity.

If this date of his death be correct, he would have died at the age of fifty-six, eight years before the first Life-boat ever built was lost. Some, however, built by him, were recently not only in existence, but even in use. Redcar was the oldest; it bore the date of 1802, and the sight of it some eight years ago inspired the late Viscount de Redcliffe to write some lines. They were set to music by Claribel, and the song was published by Boosey and Co. under the title of the " Life-boat." No statue, even in Shields, has been erected to Greathead's memory. Well, perhaps none is wanted. Of Sir Robert Peel it was said that every policeman was a statue to his memory, and so with equal truth it may be said that every Life-boat is a monu- ment to the memory of Henry Greathead.

The good work begun in 1789, though it flagged for a time, has been carried on up to the present day. The British public is seldom stingy where " Jack" is con- cerned, and the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE- BOAT INSTITUTION alone, which is sup- ported by voluntary contributions, and of which her Most Gracious Majesty is patroness, has no less than 269 stations, and was the means of saving no less than 855 precious lives last year.

It is true that the Life-boat in use is somewhat different in construction to that designed by Henry Greathead. They now carry sail, and are chiefly what is technically known by the name of " self- righting ;'" but, nevertheless, Britain has every reason to be proud of that son of the Tyne whose invention it practically was, since it is blessed by the whole civilized world, and has been the means of prevent- ing untold sorrow and incalculable misery.

C. MICHAEL SALMONSON.