The No. 1 Life- boat Covent Garden was launched at 1.45 P.M. on the 4th September, the Coastguard having reported a vessel was making distress signals. It transpired that the ketch barge Empress of India, of. Ipswich, whilst bound from Sunder- land to London with a cargo of bottles, was overtaken by a violent northerly gale when off Caister and sprung a leak. Signals of distress were made, and the Covent Garden Life-boat put off in a very heavy sea. On reaching the vessel it was found that she was water- logged, and the four persons on board, including the master's wife, were rescued as the vessel was sinking. As the weather was too bad for the Life-boat to attempt to land at Caister, she pro- ceeded to Yarmouth, where the rescued people were landed, wet through and exhausted. A very gratifying letter of thanks was subsequently received from the master of the barge, in which he spoke in high terms of the service rendered him..