At half-past four on the morning of Sunday, the 23rd October, a coastguardman, on the look-out near the quiet little seaside town of Clacton, saw a signal rocket fired from, the Gunfleet Floating Lightship, which told of a wreck on the Gunfleet Sand and asked for a Lifeboat's aid. The man ran for the Freemasons' Life-boat Albert Edward, which was stationed here about three years ago by the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, and the crew were got together, and the boat was run down to the beach. The wind and tide were both dead against the boat, which had only oars and sail to propel it, .but a steamer was sighted, which proved to be the Consett of Sunderland, whose captain kindly towed them as close. At half-past four on the morning of Sunday, the 23rd October, a coastguardman, on the look-out near the quiet little seaside town of Clacton, saw a signal rocket fired from, the Gunfleet Floating Lightship, which told of a wreck on the G-unfleet Sand and asked for a Lifeboat's aid. The man ran for the Freemasons' Life-boat Albert Edward, which was stationed here about three years ago by the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, and the crew were got together, and the boat was run down to the beach. The wind and tide were both dead against the boat, which had only oars and sail to propel it, .but a steamer was sighted, which proved to be the Consett of Sunderland, whose captain kindly towed them as close to the Sands as he could with safety to his own ship, when he let them go, and they took to their oars. When within about twenty yards of the wreck, on the •weather side, they dropped anchor; but huge roller coming, lifted the wreck and carried it further on to the sand. They were obliged, therefore, to pay out more cable, and were just successful in making connection by a line with the wreck when another roller lifted it and carried it quite out of reach. They had paid out all their cable, and it was therefore a question whether they should abandon the wreck or voluntarily encounter one of the greatest dangers to which a Life-boat is liable— viz. that of destruction by boarding on the windward side, and the crew unanimously, and with a ready courage which is beyond all praise, determined to risk this, in order to attempt the rescue of the foreigners. They therefore let go the cable, and the next roller cast their boat right on to the deck of the vessel, which proved to be the Madeleine, of Boulogne, a new steam fishing vessel, with a crew of sixteen hands. After some buffeting, breaking their rudder and an oar, and otherwise damaging their tackle, they were enabled to make fast to the side of the wreck, and the Frenchmen one by one jumped, fell, or were pulled into the boat.

One poor boy, starved with the cold wind and drenching spray, fell into the sea, but was rescued with a boat-hook; and one of the men, falling into the sea, just managed to seize the fortunately long beard of one of the crew, and was actually sustained and partly pulled into the boat by this means. The result was that the whole of the sixteen were safely brought to land.