DOUGLAS, ISLE OF MAN.—During a severe gale on the 20th October the barque Lebu, of Liverpool, at anchor about five miles from Douglas Head, hoisted signals of distress, in response to which the Douglas No. 2 Life-boat, the John Turner Turner, was at once launched.

After some time she was approaching the vessel, when the signal was lowered, and the Boat returned to the harbour, where she grounded. Soon afterwards the distress signal was again hoisted, and the No. 1 Life-boat, the Manchester and Salford Sunday Schools, was thereupon launched.

After remaining some time by the barque, those on board, numbering fourteen men and two women, were taken into the Boat, which then proceeded towards the harbour.

As she did not make much progress under oars, the men being hampered by the numbers in her, she was put under her foresail, which was double-reefed, and the drogue was used; but thinking that it kept the Boat back too much, it was taken in, and the Life-boat was allowed to run before the sea. They were within a mile of Douglas when a very heavy sea overtook them, raised the stern of the Boat, and buried her port bow, causing her to broach to and capsize, when all on board were thrown into the water. She speedily righted, and nine of her crew, seven sailors, and the two women, regained her; but before the oars could be got out she drifted some distance in the darkness, and could not be pulled to windward to the assistance of the others, who were unfortunately drowned, viz., four Life-boatmen, the master, and six of the crew of the barque.

The Institution voted the sum of 400?.

in aid of the local subscription for the relief of the widows and families of the drowned Life-boatmen, iu addition to an extra reward to the crew of the Boat.

It will thus be seen that the real cause of this unfortunate accident arose from the Life-boat being struck by a heavy broken sea on her starboard quarter when running before the wind and sea, which forced her lee bow under water, the Boat being heavily laden at the time, on a dark night, when the approach of the waves could not be seen until almost the moment of impact, a combination of causes amply sufficient to account for the disaster. Unfortunately this Life-boat is much the smaller of the two stationed at Douglas, and, undoubtedly, if the master of the Lebu had not hauled down his signal of distress, on seeing the first and larger Life-boat on her way in reply to the same, he and his crew would have been safely landed in her before night set in..