WITH the hearty co-operation of His Grace the Duke of DEVONSHIRE, who is the Mayor of Eastbourne and the Free- holder, and the Corporation of Eastbourne, the lessees, an admirable Bite for a new Life-boat house has recently been pro- vided at Eastbourne in a prominent and very suitable spot for launching the Life-boat near the Wish Tower; and the fund specially raised by the Daily Tele- graph, to commemorate the well known actor WILLIAM TERRISS, who was a short while since cruelly assassinated, has been utilised for the building of a new boat- house on the site in question as a memorial which it is believed would have been particularly acceptable to him could he have been consulted, as he had been a sailor, and was very fond of the sea and everything connected with it, besides having a special affection for Eastbourne.

On Saturday, the 10th July last, the ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the new building took place, and was in every way completely successful; the weather was simply perfect and all the proceedings passed off in a most satis- factory manner. The Duchess of DEVON- SHIRE, who presided on the occasion, was accompanied by Lady MARY and Lady THEO ATCHESON. Her Grace was received on her arrival by Rev. H. BICKERSTETH OTTLEY (Vicar of Eastbourne), the Chair- man of the Local Life-boat and Reception Committees, who was accompanied by Mr. Alderman J. SKINNER (Deputy-Mayor of Eastbourne), Mr. H. W. FOVARGUE (Town Clerk, wearing wig and gown), the Chair- man and Deputy-Chairman of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION (Sir EDWARD BIRKBECK, Bart, and Colonel FITZROY CLAYTON), Mr. CHARLES WYND- HAM, and Mr. H. LAWSON, L.C.C. There were also present the bandsmen of the Sussex Artillery, the guard of honour of the Eastbourne College Cadet Corps, and the crew of the Life-boat in cork jackets led by Huggett, the coxswain.

The VICAR announced the regret of the Duke of DEVONSHIRE and other distin- guished persons that they were unable to attend the ceremony, and stated that the family of the late Mr. TERRISS was repre- sented by his son, Mr. TOM TERRISS, and that his daughter had sent the following telegram:— "I am deeply grateful to Her Grape the Duchess of Devonshire and the public who have so generously come forward to erect this splendid Life-boat house to my dear father's memory, and noting would have been of more consolation to me than to have witness, d this loving tribute to-day did I not know that the strain would be more than I could bear.— ELLALINE TERRISS." An address was then delivered by Mr. CHARLES WYNDHAM, after which, at the call of the chairman, Mr. H. LAWSON, L.C.C., on behalf of the Daily Telegraph, stated the result of the appeal fur funds to provide a suitable memorial .to Mr. Terriss, and the decision to apply the subscriptions received (12162.) to the erection of a Life-boat house at East- bourne. He said:— " That the heart of the late Mr. Terriss ever went out to those who go down to the tea in ships. The public always associated him with the characterization of naval parts in nearly every theatre in the country, and there are few in which he did not take an important share in the representation of (he dramatic masterpieces of our literature. His last letter was written to enclose his subscription to the fund for the widows and children of those who perii-hed in the Margate Life-boat disaster. It gites us very great pleasure to think that the money which we have collected for this purpose should be devoted to the gn at national and voluntary organisation for saving life at sea, which has ever been associated with the most daring deeds of heroism and the most unselfish devotion to duty. I have very much pleasure, therefore, in formally making my report to Sir EDWARD BIRKBECK, Chairman of the Institution." (Cheers.) Sir EDWARD BIRKBECK next accepted the gift on behalf of the Institution, and added the important announcement that be house would, when complete, be supplied with a new Life-boat. He said :— "The deputy-chairman, Colonel FITZROY CLAYTON, and myself are proud to take part in this most important and interesting Occasion.

When first the question was brought to our notice by the Daily Telegraph authorities that they were desirous of some memorial being placed to the late William Terriss in connection with the Royal National Life-boat Institution, we most readily fell in with any proposal they wished to make, and the desire that a Life-boat house should be erected at the important station of Eastbourne was one that met with our entire approval. I am only too glad of this oppor- tunity of expressing on behalf of my committee our most earnest thanks to the proprietors and the authorities of the Daily Telegraph for the great pains which they took in bringing the matter before the public in their well-known newspaper, and in raising a sum which is sufficient to erect the finest Life-boat house that there will be around the coasts of the United Kingdom. (Cheers.) And I do most heartily congratulate the inhabitants of East- bourne that they will have what I may truly call such a magnificent structure. (Cheers.) I also am desirous of thanking Mr. CHARLES WYNDHAM and those of the dramatic proles-don who so liberally subscribed to the Fund.

(Cheers.) The question of a new Life-boat house was not a new one, for the local committee had pressed my committee to give the matter serious consideration, because the gallant crew of Eastbourne required a larger boat than their present one. We felt that this was the opportunity to grant their request. (Cheers.) The old Life-t oat house was not large enough for the type of boat which the crew wished to have, and therefore we have consented to the proposal, and they will shortly have not only a new Life-boat house, but a new Life-bout as well, to be built according to the crew's own wishes. (Cheers.) For it is one of the practices of the Institution that we leave to those who risk their lives in the boat to choose the.type of craft which they believe to be the best adapted to the station to which they are attached. A deputation from the East- bourne crew have visited various stations to ascertain which description of Life-boat they consider most suitable. They have been to Southport, Rhyl, Tynemouth, and Newhaven, and they have fixed upon a type of boat of which I believe they will bo very proud, and which, if needs be, will prove very serviceable.

I may briefly say that she will be 35 ft. in length, and of 8 ft. 6in. hcutn, and fitted with all the newest improvements that science has in- vented, and everything that can possibly be done will be done. I may remind you that, though the services of this station have been few, still it is credited with having saved fifty- four lives, and I hope that when this Life-boat house is finished, and the new Life-boat is in it, the thousands of visitors who come to East- bourne will inspect them both, and they will not leave the collecting - box empty. (Loud cheers.) It was through to the notice of our Committee last Thursday that at the town of Great Yarmouth, principally in bronze and six- pences, no less a sum than 502. was taken out of the collecting-box, contributed in this way in appreciation of the Life-boat services. Finally, on behalf of the Institution, I wish to say that our most grateful thanks are due to Her Grace for having come here to-day. There is no lady in London who has done more in collecting money during the last three years in the West lind, and with such successful results, than Her Grace the Mayoress of Eastbourne. (Cheers.) After these speeches, the Venerable the Archdeacon of LEWES conducted a brief religions service, followed by a choir of school children, dressed in white, with orange, blue, and purple sashes, trained by Mr. MATTHEWS and Mr. CARDOR, singing the hymn " For those at Sea," which was followed by versicles and responses, the Lord's Prayer, Psalm cvii., and a special Collect.

Mr. Ton TERRISS then accepted from Sir EDWARD BIRKBECK a silver trowel, inscribed, which he tendered to the Duchess, who forthwith discharged the duty of stone - laying. The engraved block, in gold letters, bore the record: "This foundation-stone of the William Terriss Memorial Life-boat House was laid by Her Grace the Duchess of DEVON- SHIRE on the 16th of July, 1898." As it was suspended from a tripod the stone was turned so that this inscription should be hereafter read from the exterior of the building. The stone having been lowered into position and adjusted, her Grace said: " I declare the foundation-stone of this Life-boat house to be well and truly laid, in memory of WILLIAM TERRISS, to the glory of God, and to aid in rescuing those who may be in danger of ship- wreck or other peril on the sea." There now only remained the pleasant duty of moving a vote of thanks to Her Grace, which fell to Colonel FrrzRoy CLAYTON to discharge. In so doing, he referred to the gallant services of the Eastbourne crew in saving eleven lives at Birling G ip in the face of a gale of wind blowing strong on shore, and added that three or four of the crow who manned the boat on that desperate occasion were still with them to do good work wherever it should be required. ' The new Life-boat house will be 50 ft.

long and 20 ft. wide, built in Reymer red brick, with Victoria stone dressings, pil- astres, balustrade and ornamentation.

The roof will be fl.it and asphalted. Mr. W. T. DOUGLAS, M.Inst.C.E., engineer and architect to the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTI- TUTION, has prepared the plans. Above the memorial stone will be placed a tablet with an inscription: " This Life-boat house has been erected in memory of WILLIAM TURKISH with subscriptions re- ceived by the Daily Telegraph from those who loved and admired him, and who sorrowed together, with all his friends and fellow-countrymen, at his most cruel and untimely end, 1898. 'Shadows we are, and shadows we pursue'"—TERRISS'S favourite quotation.