(From Pullen's Kent Argus, 1st Dec., 1888.) THE triennial dinner to Ramsgate Lifeboat men, the expenses of which are defrayed by the interest of 200Z. left by the late Admiral Sir George Back, F.B.S., took place on the 29th November, at the Royal Oak Hotel, Harbour Street. The large dining-hall was well filled, there being some seventy persons present. In addition to Coxswain FISH and " ye brave Life-boatmen," there were also present CHARLES DIBDIN, Esq., F.B.G.S., Secretary of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, who occupied the Chair; the Revs. HARRY BABTRAM and E. HARDCASTLE, J. SERAG MONTEFIORE, Esq., his Worship the Mayor (Captain L. W. VAILE), and Captain JONES, Harbour-Master. The dinner, which was of a substantial nature, was served up in excellent style.

In proposing " The Queen," the Chairman remarked that the English people were a loyal nation, but there was no section of the community more loyal than their sailors, and therefore he was sure they would carry with acclamation the toast of Her Majesty, as the patron of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION.

He expressed the hope that Her Majesty might long live to reign over the United Kingdom.

The National Anthem was then sung.

The Chairman next proposed " The Memory of Sir George Back," to whose generosity they were indebted for the dinner of which they had partaken. He then called on his Worship the Mayor to say a few words.

Captain VATLE, who was cordially received, remarked that with respect to their good, kind, departed friend, Admiral Sir George Back, he must say his memory was deserving of their highest respect. In this, his generous act of providing a dinner for Life-boat men, he had performed a service which would make them carry his memory to the latest generations. He took a particular interest in the Life-boat service, and it was seldom that the Lifeboat went out of Ramsgate harbour but that he earnestly watched it.

Mr. SEBAG MONTEFIORE, in the unavoidable absence of the Eight Hon. JAMES LOWTHER, proposed " Success to the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION." Addressing the Life-boat men, he said he believed it was not from any hope of reward, but from the most humane considerations, that they were ready and willing to render assistance to poor suffering creatures who were in danger at sea. He was quite sure that all those present who were not engaged in such unselfish work must have the proudest admiration for those feelings by which the Life-boat men were actuated. He was exceedingly glad that the task of proposing this toast should have fallen to his lot, because it was only a few years ago that his daughter performed the ceremony of christening a new Life-boat at Newhaven, and he himself was intimately acquainted with the late Mr.

THOMAS CHAPMAN, a gentleman who was associated with this Institution (cheers).

The Chairman, responding to this toast, said: " My gallant friends, I am very grateful to you for the very kind manner in which you have received the toast which has been proposed in such agreeable terms by our good friend Mr. SEBAG MONTEFIOKE. It is now three years since I last had the pleasure of meeting the Ramsgate Life-boat men on a similar festive occasion, and I can assure you that it is no small pleasure to recognise around me many faces I saw then. As for Coxswain FISH, he does not look a day older than he did then, and I trust he may be spared for many years to come to command the Bradford witTa. that coolness and bravery for which he is BO well known (hear, hear). Since our last dinner, three years ago, the Life-boat Institution has been showing the most remarkable activity.

Science and experience have produced improvements in the construction of Life-boats as in everything else, and the Committee have determined that the brave men who man the Life-boats shall, as is their due, be put in possession of those improvements, and so be furnished with the best possible machinery for carrying out their noble work. With this view the Committee have built, since last we met, as many as 120 new Lifeboats, all of which have been furnished with water-ballast and other valuable additions, materially improving the stability, seaworthiness and consequent safety of the boats. You yourselves, thanks to the liberality of the town of Bradford, have been supplied by the Institution with a new centre-board boat.

Experience has already shown you how superior the new Bradford is to the boat she replaced, and reports are coming in from the coxswains and crews all round the coast, speaking in the highest terms of the new boats. Then, again, the Committee have been doing their very utmost to find some means, really satisfactory means, for propelling Life-boats mechanically.

Yon know that it has been the fashion for people who know nothing experimentally of the sea, and nothing about Life-boat work — 'fools rush in where angels fear to tread!'—to say in an off-hand way: ' Oh! there ought to be steam Life-boats.' Well, let them try and produce one, and they will find that they are beset by a multitude of difficulties at the very outset. Bather more than two years ago a special committee was sent by the Institution to the Liverpool Exhibition, to see whether anything could be found among the many proposals exhibited there suitable for the purpose; but no, there was nothing of any practical value to the Institution. Then experts, including the most experienced coxswains all round the coast, among them Coxswain FISH, were consulted, and still no solution of the question was obtained. On the contrary, the tendency of the evidence given was in the direction of questioning the desirability of employing steam for Life-boat work at all, even -should it be possible to do so. Nothing daunted, the Committee early last year offered gold and silver medals to all the world for drawings and models of a mechanically propelled Life-boat, and although a response came from all parts, the appointed judges found it impossible to make any award, as there was no scheme advances which could be utilized. In the spring of this year the well-known shipbuilders Messrs. J. and F. Green, of Blackwall submitted to us a scheme for a steam Life-boat, and after much consultation with the professional officers of the Institution, the Committee and other qualified persons, a mechanically-propelled Lifeboat, with apparently every prospect o success, is being constructed, and we sincerely trust the attempt may prove really successful; but time will show.

Should this venture be successful, such a ix at will necessarily be able to be used at a very limited number of stations only.

At the risk of tiring you, I have given you all these details to show you how anxious the rulers of the Life-boat Institution are to promote the efficiency of the service (hear, hear). But now I must give you a few results in the way of figures, which will, I think, demonstrate to you clearly the very great importance of the Life-boat Institution, and the necessity for its existence, a fact, I think, pretty generally recognised in this country of oursj not to mention the rest of the world. The ROyAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION was established in 1824, only two generations ago, and yet in that comparatively short time it has granted rewards for the saving on our coasts of nearly 34,000 lives, almost twice the population of Ramsgate, and this year alone it has bestowed rewards for the rescuing of nearly 700 lives from a watery grave. Surely, gentlemen, an institution which can point to such a record of good work done merits the confidence and support of the public; aye, it has it too (hear, hear). I cannot impress upon you too strongly the fact, often lost sight of, that the Life-boat service is one of great danger; and notwithstanding all the improvements and scientific inventions which may be introduced, it will always continue to be so. Considering that undoubted truth, it is really marvellous that the Life-boat crews meet with so few accidents.

Since the introduction of the self-righting Life-boat, in 1852, as many as 70,000 Life-boat men have gone out in those Life-boats on service, not for exercise, mark you, and of these only 79 have nobly perished in their gallant attempts to rescue others, giving a less of one man in every 880. This proportion will certainly compare favourably with any other service attended with danger. In conclusion, allow me to thank you once again most cordially for the kindness with which you have been good enough to express your entire approval of and confidence in the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION. May it ever deserve your commendation and sympathy" (cheers).

The Chairman then proposed the health of the Bradford's crew, coupling with the toast the names of Captain JOKES and Coxswain FISH.

Captain JONES, in response, said he was exceedingly proud and gratified in having the honour of responding to so popular a toast as the health and prosperity of the Bradford Life-boat crew. There was no greater public spirit shown in England than that which was expressed towards an institution of such benefit and mercy, which their country so admirably kept up. They had heard already of the lives saved by the Life-boat crew, but they must also take into account the cumber of families that have been restored to the arms of their husbands and fathers (hear, hear). In conclusion, the Captain wished every success and prosperity to the Lifeboat Bradford and her crew.

Coxswain FISH said he had great pleasure in rising to say that although he was coxswain of the Ramsgate Lifeboat he only regarded himself as one of the crew. He was proud to inform them that he had a willing crew to do the service placed before them (hear, hear). In their work they trusted a great deal to the tug, and he was sure that that vessel had a commander and crew ready and willing to do all that lay in their power to assist the Life-boat. Of course, when the Life-boat left the tug at sea, the work of rescue was left to the Life-boat, He thought that they had always done the best that man could do to accomplish their work in a proper manner, and they had endeavoured to give satisfaction.

He knew that everybody was endeared to the Life-boat, and he hoped that the new boat would prove as useful as its predecessors.

He believed that they were all satisfied that the Institution did its utmost to provide them with the best possible boat. Personally, he was quite satisfied with the new Bradford, and was willing to trust himself in her at any time; but if, after she had had a fair trial, the men were dissatisfied with her, •which he was sure would not be the case, he had no doubt the Institution would readily send them another one. He then called on the men to give three cheers for the Institution, which they did, making the dining-hall ring again and again with their cheers.

The last toast on the list was that of "The Friends of the Life-boat Cause." This was proposed by Mr. DIBDIN, who coupled with it the name of the Rev. H.BABTRAM.

The Bev, H. BABTRAM, in responding, said he was pleased the Chairman had coupled his name with the toast, because he was indeed a friend of the Life-boat cause. He considered it was well that a landsman should give his view of the matter. He had listened with respect to all that had been said that evening, and he was greatly interested by it. He then spoke of the motives which actuated friends of the cause to render assistance, commenting in high terms of the good work that had been performed by the Ramsgate Life-boat crew.

Several songs were subsequently sung by the men, including one entitled " Coxswain Fish and the_Bradford Lifeboat Crew.".