ATHERFIELD, ISLE OF WIGHT. — It having been considered that a Life-boat placed at Atherfield, on the south-west shore of the Isle of Wight, would be the means of affording material assistance to vessels which are not unfrequently driven on to the ledges of rocks off that dangerous part of the coast, the ROYAL NATIONAL LITE-BOAT INSTITUTION decided last year to form a Life-boat Station there. Accordingly a corrugated iron boat-house has been erected on the top of the cliff—here about 76 feet high—to the face of which a series of flat skids or sleepers have been securely fastened; over these the Lifeboat is lowered by ropes, the incline being 1 in 3, and the distance to the beach about 240 feet. When returning to the boat-house the Life-boat is hauled up by means of a powerful winch. The new boat, which was placed on its Station in October last, is 31 feet long, 7J feet wide, and rows 10 oars, double-banked. It possesses all the latest improvements, with all the other characteristics of the boats of the Institution in the way of self-righting, self-ejecting water, etc. The cost of the new boat and equipment has been defrayed from a legacy bequeathed to the Institution for the purpose by the late Mrs. SWIFT, of Kensington and Chale, the boat being named after her the Catherine Swift.

The London, Brighton and South Coast Railway Company kindly gave the Life-boat a free conveyance over their line from London to Portsmouth, -whence it was sailed to its station on the 29th Oct.

by the crew, who came over specially to fetch it. When off St. Catherine's, they found a very heavy hollow sea in the " race" there; and the coxswain and crew afterwards reported that the boat behaved admirably and gave them every satisfaction. The slipway was found to work perfectly, while not the least difficulty was experienced in hauling the boat up the steep incline and placing it in the house. A launch can be effected in about a quarter of an hour; and altogether this new Life-boat Station is likely to prove a very efficient one. There are seven brothers in the crew, including WILLIAM COTTON the coxswain superintendent, and DAVID COTTON the second coxswain. The two last-named men had the silver medal of the Institution voted to them for their conspicuous gallantry in going out three times in the Brighstone Grange Life-boat on the 9th and 10th March, 1888, and assisting to save the lives of thirty persons from the ship Sirenia, of Glasgow, which had stranded on Atherfield Ledge during foggy and tempestuous weather.

SWANAGE, DORSET.—In December last the Life-boat placed some years since on this Station was replaced by a new Lifeboat of the latest type; provided with two sliding keels, also with three waterballast tanks for use in the event of the drop keels having to be slipped at any time. The new boat, which is 37 feet long and 8 feet wide, rowing 12 oars, is double-banked. She had a most sucviously cessful harbour trial in London before being despatched to the coast. The cost of the new Life-boat and its equipment has been defrayed by Lady ERLE in memory of her husband, the late Bight Hon. Sir WILLIAM ERLE, P.O., Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, after whom the boat is named the William Erie.

On the 28th December the Life-boat was publicly launched at its Station for the first time in the presence of many hundreds of spectators. There had preservice sucviously been a procession through the town of Swanage to the Life-boat house, on arriving at which the President of the Branch, GEORGE BURT, Esq., formerly Sheriff of London, delivered an address to those present, in which he spoke in the highest terms of the great work of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, and the noble services in saving life from shipwreck performed by our coast boatmen and fishermen; after which he called on the rector of the parish, the Eev. T. A.

| GURNET, who conducted a short religious preservice appropriate to the occasion, in which a surpliced choir took part. The ceremony of naming the boat was then performed by Miss BUHT, and immediately afterwards the Life-boat, with its crew on board, was launched into the sea, and put through a series of trials in the bay, following which it was brought alongside the pier and capsized under a crane to demonstrate its powers of self-righting, self-ejecting water, etc. In the evening the event was celebrated by a supper at the Town Hall, to which nearly two hundred sat down, under the presidency of Mr. BUBT. The toast of the evening was that of the Institution, and Lady EBLE, the donor of the new Life-boat, which was very cordially received.

UPGANG, NEAR WHITBY, AND ALDEBURGH, SUFFOLK.—A gift from a generous anonymous donor has enabled the Institution to defray the cost of replacing the Life-boats at these Stations by new ones of improved form. For the former place a self-righting Life-boat 34 feet long, and 7 feet wide, rowing 10 oars, doublebanked, and provided with two waterballast tanks, has been provided. The Aldeburgh new boat is one of the Norfolk and Suffolk sailing Life-boat type; it measures 46 feet by 12 feet, and is fitted to row 14 oars when not used under sail.

In compliance with the request of the kind donor, these boats have been respectively named the Upgang and the Aldeburgh.

RHOSNEIGIB, ANGLESEY, KINGSDOWNE, KENT, AND TBALEE BAT, IRELAND.—New self-righting Life-boats have also been despatched to these Stations, their dimensions respectively being 34 feet by 1 feet, 40 feet by 10 feet, and 34 feet by 8 feet. The two first-named boats bear the same names as their predecessors, viz., the Tho'mas LingJtam and the Charles Hargrave. The Tralee Life-boat has been provided from a legacy bequeathed to the Institution by the late Miss L. C. SARGENSON, of New Bond Street; and, in accordance with the wishes of the testatrix, the boat is named the Louisa and Emma..