and mercifully disasters resulting in the loss of a whole Life-boat crew are very few and far between, but an accident of this character took place, alas! at Kingstown on Christmas Eve, and was the worst which had befallen the Service for nine years. Since the establishment of the Institution in 1824, there have only been three cases in which a whole crew has been lost, and one of these happened to a life-boat unconnected with the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION.

At 10 A.M. on the 24th December, the ship Palme, of Finland, was observed dragging her anchors off Kingstown Har- bour, while a strong gale was blowing from the E.S.E. with a heavy sea. The Kingstown No. 2 Life-boat, Civil Service No. 7, proceeded to her assistance under sail, but when about 600 yards distant from the vessel, which went aground 1 miles N.N.W. of Kingstown Harbour in 15 feet of water, where she was sur- rounded by a rough, short and confused sea, the Life-boat capsized, remaining keel upwards and the whole of her crew of fifteen men lost their lives. The Kings- town No. 1 Life-boat, Hannah Piokard, put off soon after the other boat had left.

She had only a crew of nine men on board, and accordingly she went to H.M.S. Melampus, and obtained six volun- teers to complete, intending then to join a steam-tug, which had got under way for the purpose of towing her. The tug, however, finally declined to go out, and the Life-boat therefore went alone under sail; she behaved well, but as she neared the vessel the large Life-boat was found capsized. This boat also capsized while under sail but righted immediately and all but three of the crew regained her; these three, of whom only one was really separated from the boat, were promptly got on board; she was repeatedly filled by the curling seas, from which she freed herself at once, but having lost her mizen and some of the oars, and finding they could not make the wreck, on account of their leeward position, the crew returned to the land, which was reached after a severe struggle, the boat being consider- ably damaged in landing on a rocky shore.

The Life-boat, Aaron Stark Syines, sta- tioned at Poolbeg, also went out but was unable to reach the vessel.

On the following morning Mr. BASIL HALL, the Institution's Inspector of Life- boats in Ireland, went out in a steam-tag with the Poolbeg Life-boat in tow, but after encountering several heavy seas, which half-filled the stokehold, was com- pelled to slip the Life-boat and turn back.

The boat attempted to proceed alone, but was unable to do so, and eventually run- ning back was re-taken in tow, and returned to Poolbeg. The s.s. Tearaght, belonging to the Commissioners of Irish Lights, also attempted to reach the vessel from Kingstown Harbour, but was com- pelled to put back. On the succeeding day (26th December) the Tearaght again proceeded to the rescue at daylight, anchored ahead of the wreck, lowered the port Life-boat, and under the command of Captain THOMAS McCoMBIE, the master of the vessel, with eight volunteers from his crew, and his son (aged fifteen years), saved in two trips the master, his wife and child, and the crew of seventeen men from the ill-fated ship. Very great risk was incurred in effecting the rescue and in returning to the steamer; on the second occasion the boat was very nearly swamped by the heavy breakers. The Poolbeg Life-boat also put off again, but found that the rescue had been accom- plished.

Her Majesty THE QUEEN graciously despatched a telegram to the Lord- Lieutenant of Ireland, expressing her deep sympathy with the widows and orphans of the Life-boat men. Lady CADOGAN visited Kingstown and person- ally delivered the message to the bereaved families. Her Majesty also contributed the sum of 30Z. to the fund for the relief of the widows and dependents of the Life- boat men.

A public funeral was accorded to thirteen of the men whose bodies had been recovered. The Institution was repre- sented by Commander ST. VINCENT NEPEAN, E.N., Chief Inspector of Life- boats. The scene was a most impressive one, the line of carriages and other vehicles being at least a mile in length, and the inhabitants of Kingstown and the sur- rounding neighbourhood attending in tens of thousands, thronging the route and filling the cemetery.

Steps were promptly taken to relieve the immediate wants of those who had been dependent for subsistence on the earnings of the poor fellows who were lost. Thirteen of them left widows; thirty-one dependent children and eight other dependent relatives were left un- provided for.

The Institution granted the sum of 2,200Z. in aid of the fund raised locally for the relief of the widows and others.

All the expenses in connection with the funerals were also defrayed by the Institution, and each widow or other legal representative received the pay- ment of 1Z. 10s. awarded in respect of each Life-boat man who had gone in the boat.

At the request of the Institution the Board of Trade held an inquiry into the circumstances attending this lamentable casualty.

The Board of Trade having, at the request of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE- BOAT INSTITUTION, held an Official Inquiry into the circumstances attending this casualty, have since issued the Report of their Inspecting Officers who held the investigation. They find, forming the best judgment they can under the circum- stances, " that the cause of the casualty was the failure of the Life-boat to right herself, owing to in juries sustained by the end air-chambers, or one of them, upon her being capsized." The Gold Medal of the Institution, accompanied by a copy of the vote in- scribed on vellum and framed, was awarded to Captain THOMAS McCoMBIE, a binocular glass, bearing a suitable in- scription, to his son, and 2Z. each to the crew of eight men, in recognition of their gallantry in saving the lives of those on board the wrecked vessel.

The Committee tendered their thanks to the captain of H.M.S. Melampus for kindly permitting six of the crew of the vessel to volunteer for service in the Life- boat, and the men were also thanked and remunerated for the services they ren- dered.

The thanks of the Committee were also given to Mr. BASIL HALL, District Inspec- tor of Life-boats, for his services in trying to get the Poolbeg Life-boat towed to the vessel. Rewards were granted to the crews of the steam-tugs Flying Sprite and Flying Swallow, and thanks were pre- sented to the Clyde Shipping Company, the owners of the tugs, and to Mr. WATT, their agent in Dublin, for kindly allowing the gratuitous use of their vessels on the occasions in question.

Extra pay was awarded to the crews of the Kingstown No. 1 and Poolbeg Life- boats, and the thanks of the Institution, inscribed on vellum and framed, were voted to Mr. MICHAEL DALTON, coxswain of the Poolbeg Life-boat, in recognition of his indefatigable and praiseworthy endeavours to reach the vessel.

On the 14th January a sister-boat to the one which met with this terrible disaster, viz., the Queenstown No. 2 Life-boat Endeavour, was taken alongside Hanlbowline Island, Cork Harbour, and subjected to some severe tests under the superintendence of the District Inspector of Life-boats, Mr. BASIL HALL, and the Surveyor of Life-boats, Mr. J. LUTHER EVANS, in the presence of the Local Committee and numerous other spectators, amongst whom were Rear - Admiral BUCKLE, Commander - in - Chief of the Irish Station; Mr. R. U. PENROSE-FITZ- GERALD, M.P., Member of the Head Building and General Committees of the Parent Institution ; Captain BOARDMAN, R.N., H.M.S. Warspite; Captain EDWARDS, Principal Officer of the Board of Trade; Lieut. A. GIPPS, R.N., Admiral's Secretary; Commander GRIGGS, K.N.; Mr. THOMAS MILLER ; Captain USBORNE, R.N., Harbour Master; and Mr. D. ANDERSON, Naval Storekeeper, Haulbowline.

At noon the Endeavour was towed alongside the northern side of Haulbow- line Island, with foresail, mainsail, and jigger set, and manned with her crew of fifteen hands all told, under the command of the Coxswain, FRED ELLIOTT. She is 42 ft. long, with beam of 11 ft., and her fore and aft air-tight chambers are equal to 5 tons resistance power each, while her air-tight compartments underneath the deck number sixteen in the aggregate, which gives the craft great resistance against the water, and affords her ample power when capsized to right herself immediately. She has the means oftaking in a quantity of water, as occasion may require, to act as ballast and steady her when on a life-saving errand, and is equipped with drop keels which can be lowered and raised in cases of emergency.

Two experiments took place. The first was the capsizing of the boat with her masts standing and her sails set, and the second capsize occurred with masts and sails lowered and gear made fast. A lengthy 10-ton crane jutted over the stone-built northern boundary wall of the island on top of the Life-boat lying underneath. Everything was made fast on board the Endeavour, particular attention being paid to the valves of the air-chambers, fore and aft. All being ready, a 5-inch hawser was placed under her bottom, and being brought up at the other side of the boat, was made fast to the bollards fore and aft, whilst the other end of the rope was attached to the hook of the winch. This rope was not equal to the strain and parted twice. A new rope of somewhat stouter dimensions was then procured, and the winch work- ing slowly and carefully the Life-boat gradually heeled over, but the force of the north-west wind filling the sails, greatly assisted the boat against the power of capsizing her; however, by mechanical force, she was gradually overturned until she was keel upmost, but immediately afterwards, notwithstanding the heavy topweight of wet sails and masts, she I righted herself with marvellous rapidity, j and within half a minute afterwards all | the water had disappeared from inside.

I Her masts and sails were then lowered ; and stowed with other gear. When the ; second test was made quickly the I Endeavour was forced to heel over, in the water rushed, and for the second time her keel was exhibited to the spectators; but instantly she rolled over again, making like a half somersault, and came upright in the winking of an eye, when all the water rushed out again through the re- lieving valves in her bottom within thirty seconds. Everyone seemed pleased with the test—in fact, they were delighted.

The crew of the Life-boat were most agree- ably surprised,and consider their craft to be the safest they have ever boarded in their lives. The local committee are perfectly satisfied with the results of the experi- ments, which took place in rather calm and shallow water. Had the exhibitions taken place in deep and rough sea, it stands to reason that the test would have been even more successful. Indeed, it is thought by some that the Endeavour can- not be capsized by either wind or sea, and her overturning can only be effected by mechanical force. However, it has been amply proved that she is a thoroughly buoyant boat, and possessed of wonderful righting powers.