IT is with great pleasure we have to record a visit from Captain PFEIFER, the Chief Inspector of the German Life-boat Service, or, as it is called in Germany, " Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbriichiger." Captain PFEIFER came over in April, and spent a week in visiting various Life-boat stations, including Harwich, where he had an opportunity of going afloat in the steam Life-boat City of Glasgow.

The German Life-boat Service, like our own, is supported by voluntary contributions, and in fact is modelled on the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTI- TUTION. The German Emperor is its patron, and they have their Committee of Management, Local Committees, and Honorary Secretaries, also a staff of technical officers.

Established in 1865, when its subscrip- tion list showed but 3,874 subscribers, who contributed 14,179 marks (£708), it rose rapidly, and the "Annual Report, 1894-95," tells us that there are now 49,528 annual subscribers, and that the amount of their subscriptions is 142,759 marks (£7,138). The in- come for the year 1894-95 appears to have been 228,600 marks (£11,430), and the expenditure 174,000 marks (£8,700).

The rules for the management of the stations are practically the same as our own, including those relating to property In addition to the Life-boat Service, the rocket stations are also under the management of the " Deutsche Gesell- schaft zur Rettung Schiffbriichiger," and there are in all 104 Life-boats and 66 rocket apparatus. These are disposed as follows:— , North Sea.

! Baltic. Totals. Double Stations (Life-boat and Rocket) . . 2 49 51 Life-boat Stations 43 10 53 Packet Stations . 3 12 15 The greater number of the Life-boats are small non-self-righting boats built of steel, rowing from 8 to 10 oars, double-banked, very light, weighing about 1J tons. Steel is found to be especially suitable to withstand the ice, great quantities of which have to be contended with in winter.

There is only one self-righting boat; this class of boat is considered too heavy, and draws too much water for the long flat beaches.

A large class of decked sailing-boat is also used. These boats are worked by from three to five hands, who have sleeping accommodation on board. Their chief work is to the outlying sandbanks in the North Sea, and when unable to reach the stranded vessels they are com- pelled to anchor in one of the deep, narrow channels which abound among these banks and wait for an opportunity to approach the distressed ship.

It is unnecessary to point out how much the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION welcomes visits from repre- sentatives of the sister services abroad.

Mutual interchange of ideas cannot but have a beneficial effect in forwarding and perfecting the means employed for the great work of saving life from shipwreck.