LXV. MONTROSE No. 1.—The Mincing Lane, 33 feet by 8J feet, 10 oars.

LXVI. Ditto No. 2.—The Roman Governor of Caer Hun, 30 feet by 8 feet, 10 oa s. ' STANDING upon what may be termed a narrow sandy peninsula, is to be found Montrose, a Royal burgh and seaport town in the county of Forfar, bounded on the east by the German Ocean, on the south by the river South Esk, and on the j west by a large basin not less than seven miles in circumference, into which the tide, flowing up the South Esk, spreads itself after passing the town. This basin becomes dry at low water, but its alternate filling and emptying, as the tide flows and ebbs, has an important effect in scouring and deepening the harbour. On the east of the town, and between it and the sea, are extensive links, or downs, a pleasant stretch of green turf laid out partly as a racecourse, but forming prin- cipally one of the finest golfing grounds in Scotland.

Montrose was anciently called " Ce- lurca," but the derivation of the present j name " Montrose " is a matter of dispute, | some authorities saying that it comes from " Mons Rosarum" (the Mount of Eoses), and they point to the seal of the j town which bears a bunch of roses and the motto " Mare ditat rosa decorat" (the sea enriches and the rose adorns); others however affirm that it is derived from " Moin ross" (the promontory of i the moss).

The town has a very ancient and in-teresting history. The Danes attacked the place twice; first in 980, when they found it a walled town with a castle, both of which they plundered and razed.

The town lay in ruins for some time, but in the course of years sprang into exist- ence again, the burgh receiving its first charter from David I., about the begin- ning of the 12th century, and William the Lion resided at its rebuilt castle at the end of that century. Edward I. also visited the place, and received the homage of Baliol. Later on Wallace took it from the English, landing at the harbour when he came from France at the invitation of the northern lords, and David II. granted a charter increasing the privileges which David I. had conferred upon the inhabit- ants. Sir James Douglas embarked from this port in 1330, on his unsuccessful attempt to cony tlie heart oi Robert Bruce to the Holy Land; also, the cele- brated Marquis of Montrose was born here, in 1626. It was, too, the first port made by the French fleet in 1715, with James the Chevalier on board, and the port was used as a rendezvous of the Jacobites in 1745. In later years (1777) it became the birthplace of Joseph Hume, the distinguished financial reformer.

Montrose possesses one of the oldest schools in Scotland, distinguished as having been the first place of learning in the country where Greek was taught.

The principal street is a continuation of the great high road from Arbroath, cross- ing the river South. Esk by means of a magnificent suspension bridge from Inch- brayock to the north side of the river.

It was designed by Captain Brown, the patentee of chain cables, and finished, at a cost of 20,000if. in 1829. There are four main chains, supported by two strong towers 71 feet in height, and these form the grand entry to the bridge on each side, through, an archway 16 feet wide by 18 feet high. The distance between the towers at the two extremities of the bridge, measuring from the centre of each, is 432 feet. An excellent statue of Sir Robert Peel, erected in 1855, is one ! of the finest ornaments of the street, and another was, in 1859, erected to Joseph i Hume, who represented the town in Par- i liament. Montrose has from an early period been a good trading port, and it is now the chief one in the district, which extends from Arbroath, in the south, to Bervie, in the north, and includes the pretty fishing villages of St. Cyrus and Johnshaven, favourite watering places in ; the summer on account of the bathing and the fishing in the two Esks, which, like all Scotch rivers, abound in salmon.

The harbour is formed by the outlet of i the river South Esk, and makes a safe asylum for vessels in bad weather. The j channel up to the quays is 172 yards j wide, with a depth of 16 feet at low water j neap tides. The approach to the harbour is rendered dangerous by a bar at the mouth, and by the formation of the Annat j Bank on the north side of the entrance, on which many vessels become stranded, i There are two good lighthouses, furnished with fixed red lights, and a third on Sandyness Point, the light of which, a flashing one, is 124 feet above the level of the water, and is visible for 17 miles.

The harbour contains a wet dock and a patent slip for repairing vessels, and ship- building has been for many years carried on, though flax-spinning and its kindred trades are the chief industries of the town, i Several sailing and steam ships are registered at the port, and a considerable number arrive and depart in the course j of the year. In consequence of the , numerous dangers to be encountered on so exposed a coast, a Life-boat has long been a necessity. The management of the old Montrose Life-boat establishment, which had existed some fifty years, was in 1869 transferred, with the annual interest of the stock, to the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, which had already placed several Life-boats on j the coast of Scotland, and was desirous i of extending its sphere of usefulness, j The committee at once decided to appro- i priate the station to the munificent gift of the Mincing Lane merchants, and a | new Boat, 33 feet by 8J, on the self- i righting principle, pulling 10 oars, was [ ordered to be built, as well as a house and slipway on the north bank of the river for its accommodation, close to the old house, in which the old Boat, renamed the Roman Governor of Gaer Sun, was still kept ready for service. A small boat is always kept in readiness to ferry the crew across the river, they being drawn from the well-known and skilful Ferryden fishermen, who are noted for their strictly moral and exemplary character. The same year (1869) the new Life-boat, Mincing Lane, was sent by the Institution to her station, and the smaller Boat, which had been retained as more adapted for launching off the shallow beach, was replaced in 1874 by a new one, 30 feet by 8, pulling 8 oars, the gift of Mr.

DAFIBS GRIFFITH, of Conway, who had given 400Z. to the Institution to defray the cost. The same name, Roman Gover- nor of Gaer Etin was given to her. This designation was suggested to Mr. Griffith by his friend Mr. Gladstone, the late Premier, on account of Mr. Griffith having on his property in North WaJes the remains of a Roman encampment resembling one near Rome which Mr. Gladstone had seen.

With the exception of the very first case, in December, 1869, when three un- successful attempts were made, on a dark stormy night, to save the crew of the Hermes, wrecked on the Annat Bank, the Montrose Life-boats have been uni- formly successful. The records on the black-boards in the boat-houses show the following results:— Number of lives saved by the Mincing Lane 136 Ditto ditto Hainan Governor ... 79 Total lives saved . 215 besides many cases in which the Life-boat proceeded to the bar and conned vessels into safety.

The Ferryden fishermen have the privilege of using the Life-boat to attend fishing-boats running to the harbour in sudden storms, and the records show that about 250 fishermen have been so at- tended. The district protected by the Montrose boats includes Lunan Bay and Montrose Harbour and Bay, as far north as the river North Esk, a range of about ten miles. It is now proposed to add to the efficiency of the station by placing a third Life-boat at the northern extremity of the district, and with this object in view the whole beach between St. Cyrus and Kirkside was recently examined by the Chief Inspector of Life-boats, the Hon.

Secretary, and other members of the Local Committee. Ultimately a site for the new boat-house was fixed upon, a little to the west of Kirkside salmon fishing station, on the north side of the old mouth of the river North Esk.

The district is a very dangerous one ; in heavy S.E. gales vessels get embayed between the Red Head and the Tod Head, and if they clear the rocky coast they usually come ashore in Montrose Bay, or attempt to run for Montrose Harbour, an unsafe proceeding for a stranger, owing to the Annat Bank on the north side of entrance. Several causes conduce to the efficiency of the branch, such as there being two Boats conveniently placed, with courageous and experienced crews near at hand at all times, and generally to its excellent organization, under the able and energetic Hon. Secretary, Mr.

JAMES WAKKACK, who for above thirteen years has held that office, assisted by a zealous committee. Excellent service has been invariably rendered by the Mont- rose crews, and it may not be amiss, perhaps, to mention, as briefly as possible, the facts connected with one of the most daring services on the Scotch coast, and attended with the greatest risk to some of the Life-boatmen.

On the 21st December, 1874, the Mincing Lane, WILLIAM MEARNS, sen., coxswain, crossed the Annat Bank in a heavy S.E. gale to rescue the crew of the Henrietta, of Memel, stranded to the north of the bank. When 100 yards or so from the ship, the Life-boat was struck by a heavy sea and capsized, and when she righted, five of her crew, including the coxswain, were floating away to lee- ward. Knowing that with their cork life-belts on these men would float, the remainder determined to save the brig's crew, and then pick up their own men.

Having obtained communication and suc- ceeded in rescuing a portion of the crew, they then pulled after and picked up their floating comrades, deeming their own men were by that time in greater danger than those on the brig. The rest of the crew of the Henrietta were subse- quently rescued by the other Life-boat, which had launched on perceiving the capsize of No. 1 Boat. One of the Life- boatmen, Alexander Paton, unfortunately died a few days after from the effects of the exposure. The Silver Medal was voted to each of the coxswains, WILLIAM MEARNS and WILLIAM MEARNS, Jun., in acknowledgment of their long and gallant services in the Life-boat on this occasion.

Again, in the early part of last year the Parent Committee expressed their appre- ciation of the excellent services of the Montrose Life-boatmen by a vote of thanks, inscribed on vellum, to the crews and their coxswains, DAVID DUNCAN and JAMES WATT, worthy successors of the two MEARNS, in recognition of the good service in saving life from shipwreck which they had rendered, but especially on the occasion of the rescue of four men from the s.s. Mayflower, of Glasgow, on .the 9th March, 1884; and only quite recently, at the beginning of last August, the Silver Medal of the Society was pre- sented to DAVID DUNCAN on his retire- ment from the post of coxswain, in recog- nition of the services which he had ren- dered. The station, as has been already stated, is under the management of a local committee, of which Mr. JAMES WAERACK is the Hon. Secretary, and it is owing to the mutual good understanding that has always existed between him and the brave and well-known men of Ferry- den that the station owes its efficiency, and, to use the expression of one of the coxswains, JAMES WATT, he is the right man in the right place, and a better Hon. Secretary it would be impossible to find.