ST. ANNE'S-ON-THE-SEA, LANCASHIRE.— The No. 1 Life-boat which has done duty at St. Anne's since 1886 has been re- placed by a new boat of the Liverpoo1 type, 36 feet long by 9 feet wide, fitted with two water-ballast tanks, and row- ing twelve oars double banked. A new transporting carriage to the main wheels of which Tipping's plateways have been attached has been provided for use with the new Life-boat to facilitate her trans- port over the difficult shore at St. Anne's.

The cost of the new Life-boat has been met from the legacy bequeathed to the Institution by the late Mr. James Scarlett, of Bowdon, Cheshire, and in accordance with his wishes she is named the James Scarlett.

Glorious weather favoured the cere- mony of publicly naming and launching the new Life-boat, which took place on Saturday, the 12th December last, when great interest was manifested in the proceedings and large crowds assembled.

The firing of a Life-boat rocket was the signal for the starting of the pro- cession. First came a posse of police under Inspector Scott, with the St.

Anne's Prize Band following playing a lively march. The members of the Fire Brigade in uniform were next in the procession, and then followed some of those tanned, weather-beaten heroes of the sea who command the Fylde Life- boats. These were Coxswain Superin- tendent N. Leadbetter and Second- Coxswain J. Levick, Fleetwood; Cox- swain Superintendent W. G. Parkinson, Ex-Coxswain Superintendent T. Clark- son, and Ex - Second - Coxswain W.

Anderson, Lytham ; Coxswain Superin- tendent Richard Parr, and Second- Coxswain Henry Parr, Blackpool.

Messrs. C. Myers and C. H. Turner, Honorary Secretaries of the Lytham and Blackpool branches respectively were present.

Then came the new Life-boat, drawn by six horses, and manned by the St.

Anne's crew, under their Coxswain T.

Rimmer. The crew wore their lifebelts and red caps and, carrying their oars upright, made a brave show.

Next in the order of procession were the invited guests, residents and others who walked on foot, viz., the Rev. A. E.

Howe, Messrs. Chas. Stansfield (Black- pool), F. Hughes, C. Birkett, J. Burs- lem, F. S. Eekersley, B. Brook, H.

Gregson, J. Maude, W. Clegg, A. Dux- bury, W. Proctor, J. W. Lawson, R.

Hargreaves, J. Miller, R. V. Pye, W.

Gregson, H. J. Carmont, T. Whalley, W. Seel, Rev. J. W. Varley, J. Dux- bury, and Lieut. P. E. Maclean, R.N.R., District Inspector of Life-boats.

The St. Anne's Urban Council were represented by Councillors W. Thomp- son (chairman), J. E. Stonex, J. Hallam, T. Ferguson, R. H. Irving, W. Mackie, S. L. Stott, J.P., Edwin Cooper, H. D.

Rothwell, W. H. Jackson, and Mr. T.

Bradley (Clerk to the Council and honorary secretary of the Local Branch Life-boat Committee and Disaster Fund Committee).

The Life-boat Committee were repre- sented by Mr. C. W. Macara, J.P.

(chairman of the branch), Mrs. Macara (president of the ladies' committee), Mrs. Catterall (secretary of the ladies' committee), Mr. E. Stansfield, Rev.

H. E. Butler, Rev. W. Elstub, Mr. J.

Whiteside, and Mr. N. Walmsley.

The St. Anne's Land and Building Company were represented by Messrs.

G. Webb, J.P. (chairman), W. J.

Porritt, and N. Morris (directors), and Mr. W. H. Nutter (secretary).

There were also several relatives and friends of the donor present—viz., Mrs.

Scarlett, Miss Mary RushEorth Scarlett, Mr. J. W. Gilby and Miss Gilby (brother and sister of Mrs. Scarlett), the Misses Margaret and Katherine and Master James Scarlett, Mr. T. H. Rigby, of Southport (executor), and Mr. W.

J. Faulkner, and accompanying the arty were Mrs. and Miss Bradley.

The ceremony of formally presenting ;he Life-boat took place in the Pier Pavilion. Mr. MACARA, who presided, laid that ceremony was not new to St.

Anne's—he had been at no less than our. The first boat presented to station was the Laura Janet, the donor being the late Mr. James Chad- wick, a Manchester merchant. The oat was capsized in the disaster of 1886—a disaster which would ever bememorable in the history of the Life-boat service and which had brought St. Anne's before the whole world. Twenty-seven Life-boatmen on that fatal night lost their lives on the Horse Bank and owing to that St. Anne's would ever occupy a prominent position in the record of Life-boat work. He was glad to say, however, that being asso- ciated with that terrible disaster led to the inauguration of the great popular movement known as the Life-boat people who had provided Life-boats, but provision for the men who manned those Life-boats was very neglected. The next boat given to St. Anne's was the Nora Royds, the donor being Colonel, now Sir Clement, Royds. (Applause.) That '. boat, owing to the state of the tides i and other circumstances, had done most of the life-saving on this station. She was rather a small boat, but the fact remained she had done most of the work. He remembered on the 22nd Saturday movement. That movement was to help the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE- BOAT INSTITUTION to provide for the men who man our Life-boats, for the widows and children of those who lose their lives in the service, and retiring allowances for the officers of the Life- boat crews after long and meritorious services. Until the inauguration of that popular movement that part of the Institution's work had not been sufficiently supported by the British nation. For years there had always been a considerable number of generous December, 1894, the most furious storm that he thought had ever visited the British coasts, and this part of the ; coast—he could not explain why—seemed to get the full brunt of any storm.

Three vessels were in distress, and the St. Anne's officials found on trying to acquaint the neighbouring stations that the telegraph and telephone wires were ! blown down and the railway lines sanded ' up. It was impossible for horses to be got to take the boat on the shore. The wind was so furious that people were knocked down and rolled along the sand.However, by the assistance of 300 or 400 'willing helpers and after great exertion the boat was launched at Nix's Hollow. Those men went out into the darkness, and he was sure there was not one of them but felt that he might share the fat& of his comrades of 1886.

They came back after an experience that had hardly ever been equalled in the history of the Life-boat service. He was told that the instrument for measur- ing the velocity of the wind at Fleet- wood broke after registering 120 miles an hour. He had no doubt it was a gust, but it was one of the most terrible storms we had ever had. Their Life- boatmen were unfortunate in not being able to bring home the mariners to whose rescue they went. The wind had suddenly changed and the vessel was driven off that particular bank and managed to get into deep water. The Life-boatmen were out from five to ten, and he remembered meeting them at the Life-boat slip and their saying that they would never go out in the boat again. He took them to the St. Anne's Hotel and gave them a square meal.

Before they had finished it the rocket was again fired, signalling them to go to another vessel in distress and every man of them went out again in the same boat—(applause)—without a moment's hesitation. They came in from the second expedition at five o'clock in the morning and refreshment was provided for them. The men were terribly tired, but when the rocket was again fired from the Morecambe Bay lightship they readily went a third time. (Applause.) That was one of the notable services of the St. Anne's Life-boat, and he could say that the St. Anne's Life- boatmen had always been ready to face anything. (Applause.) Proceed- ing, Mr. MACAKA said that the third and fourth boats given to the station were two boats named The Brothers, the donors being anonymous. The fifth boat was the one given by the late Mr. James Scarlett, of Bowdon, and was to be publicly named that day.

(Applause.) He hoped her record would be quite equal to those that had gone before. (Applause.) The boat was then formally presented to the Institution by Mr. T. H. RIGBY (on behalf of Mrs. Scarlett) for the donor. He said they would no doubt like to know something of the gentleman •who had given that boat. He (the speaker) was an intimate friend of Mr. Scarlett for forty years, and knew his boundless generosity. Mr. Scarlett was a man of singularly modest and retiring disposition; he was one of those who habitually concealed the generous things he was always doing. He could best sum up Mr. Scarlett's acts in the words of "Wordsworth— "That best portion of a good man's life, His little nameless unremembered acts of kindness and of love." Mr. James Scarlett had no family, and his residuary legatee and heir was Mr. Stephen Scarlett, who came to reside in St. Anne's, and it was "his daughter—the grand-niece of Mr. James Scarlett—who would name the new boat. (Applause.) It was his privilege to ask the District Inspector, Lieut.

Maclean, to accept that boat on behalf of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT IN- STITUTION. (Applause.) Lieut. MACLEAN, in accepting the boat, said great thanks were due for the hand- some gift of the boat. Before it was decided to build a new boat for a station a deputation of the crew was sent to various parts of the coast to inspect the different classes of boats and see which type they pre- ferred to have. The deputation from St. Anne's having seen two or three types decided to have such a boat as the one being launched that day, known as the "Liverpool" type. She was not a self-righting boat, but she had all the most recent improvements which could be put into a boat, and was a splendid craft. He had now great pleasure in handing over the boat to the St. Anne's branch of the Institution. (Applause.) Mr. C. W. MACABA said that, as chairman of the St. Anne's branch, he had great pleasure in accepting that boat. As Lieut. Maclean had said, a great deal of trouble had been taken and anxious time spent on the part of the Parent Institution, the Local Committee and the life-boatmen to secure the best type of boat for this part of the coast.

Every part of the British coast had some .peculiarity, a.ud he was sorry tosay that the launching arrangements at this station under certain circumstances of the tide had not improved. The silting up of the channel was a very serious matter and other causes had made the problem of deciding upon the type of boat to be placed on the station a very difficult one. They hoped that the Life-boatmen would be thoroughly satis- fied with her. Mr. Macara concluded by expressing appreciation of the gene- rosity of the donor.

Prayers having been offered by the Vicar, the Rev. H. E. BUTLER, the hymn " Eternal Father, strong to save" was sung.

An adjournment was then made to the shore where, a few yards to the south of the pier the James Scarlett Life-boat was waiting to be named and launched. A great crowd of people had assembled in a semi-circle, the ends of which reached the water, the Life-boat and platform being in the centre.

Large numbers of people also remained on the pier to get a better view of the ceremony.

When the crew, with Lieut. Maclean and Coxswain Rimmer, had manned the boat, Miss MARY RUSHFORTH SCARLETT broke a bottle o! champagne over the stern of the boat, saying: " I name this boat the James Scarlett." The order to let go was given, and after a heave at the ropes the new Life-boat glided gracefully from her carriage on to the swelling surface of the sea amid hearty cheers. For some minutes her progress against the heavy sea and tide was watched with interest, until she was lost to sight behind the pier jetty.

The CHAIRMAN said they should thank Miss Scarlett for having come to St. Anne's to name the new Life-boat.

They were fortunate in having that young lady's services, and he thought she would remember that splendid ceremony as long as she lived.

Three hearty cheers were then given for Miss Scarlett.

Many of the guests and members of the procession afterwards sat down to an excellent cold collation at the Grand Hotel, and in the evening the Life- boatmen and the members of the St.

Anne's Band were entertained to a hot supper and concert at the St. Anne's Hotel on the invitation of Mrs. Scarlett and Mr. Edwin Mansfield.

BLAKENEY, NORFOLK; AND WHITBY No. 1, YORKSHIRE.—-The Life-boats placed by the Institution on these Stations, many years ago, have also recently been replaced by new ones.

The Blakeney boat is named the Caroline, as desired by her donor, the late Miss Caroline Everard, of Laverstock, Wilts.

The boat is of the Liverpool type, 38 ft.

long by 10ft. 9 in. wide, rows 14 oars, and is fitted with two drop-keels and two water-ballast tanks. The Whitby No. 1 Life-boat is of the self-righting type, 35 ft. long by 8| ft. wide, rows 10 oars, and is fitted with one drop- keel and two water-ballast tanks. She bears the same name as her predecessor, the Robert and Mary Ellis, being the gift of the late Mrs. Ellis of Harrogate..