As soon as possible after the arrival of a new Life-boat at her Station an exer- cise is held, preferably in rough weather, in order not only to test her sea-going qualities, but also as a means of giving the crew some experience of the boat, before they are called upon actually to use her in the service of saving life. A description of such an exorcise may be of interest to readers, and the following is a short account of one which took place in the case of the last new Life- boat built by the Institution. This boat was sent to Hornsea, a small town on that low-lying part of the coast of Yorkshire known as Holderness.

More than the usual difficulties con- front the Life-boat Service here, for not only does the beach consist of very soft flat sand, into which the wheels of the carriage are apt to sink deeply; but recently a series of wooden groynes have been erected along the whole length of the foreshore. These groynes, which reach from high water mark nearly down to low, serve as an admir- able protection to the town against the erosion of the sea which is taking place all along this coast, but at the same time they add very greatly to the danger and difficulty of launching a Life-boat in rough weather; as, should the boat be swept on to one of them, it would inevitably mean a catastrophe, involving not only her own destruction, but very probably also the drowning of many of her crew. In addition to these natural difficulties, it should be mentioned that the gradual dwindling of the fishing population, which for many reasons is too common a feature of our sea-coast towns and villages, has gone on at Hornsea to such an extent that there are now no longer any sea-faring men left to man the Life-boat.

Faced with this difficulty, the Institu- tion had either to abolish a Life-boat Station which helps to guard the en- trance of the great River Humber, or to look elsewhere for a crew. Fortu- nately, at the neighbouring town of Bridlington, seventeen miles to the northward, there is an ample number of some of the hardiest and most skilful boatmen on the whole coast of these Islands; and arrangements have been made to utilise the services of these men. On the alarm of a wreck being given, while the people at Hornsea prepare the boat for launching, a team of ten horses bringing her down to the water's edge, twelve men from Bridling- ton drive there in motor-cars, and arrive not long after the boat has been made ready. It was at the request of these men that a new Life-boat exactly similar to their own at Bridlington was supplied to Hornsea, and it is the first launch of this boat which it is proposed to describe.

September 28th last was fixed for the exercise, and, being a Saturday after- noon, all Hornsea had turned out to witness it. An easterly gale had sprung up in the night, and a heavy sea, which was growing with the flood, was making home on the beach with a strong northerly sweep along the shore.

As soon as the Bridlington men had arrived, they took their places in the boat, with one man from Hornsea, who acts as pilot, and a member of the local committee. The District Inspector was also present. The jib and mizen were set before launching, and the fore halliards were manned. Waiting for a favourable opportunity, the Coxswain gave the order to " launch." The boat shot off her carriage and plunged into the breakers, the fore lug being run up at the same time. She took the water on the starboard tack, but for several long minutes made no seaway whatever, the heavy rollers knocking her bow off each time she met one, and the sweep washing her bodily towards the next groyne to leeward. However, they just managed to clear it by the skin of their teeth, and eventually reached the mother sea beyond the breakers, where they were able to tack, and stand sufficiently far to the southward to run for the very narrow portion of this coast where it is possible to beach a boat after half-flood. The boat was then headed shoreward, the drogue —• the large conical bag which keeps her stern-on to the seas—being worked by two men, who alternately " tripped " and " filled " it. Heading straight for the spot which, before the launch, the Coxswain had marked with his mind's eye, the boat, now rising like a sea bird on each huge sea, anon lost to view in the trough be- tween them, held on her way; all was going well, but just before she reached the beach, one roller was too much for her, and she broached to. Almost immediately afterwards another one struck her, and throwing her on her beam ends, washed three of the men, including the Inspec- tor, into the sea ; but no harm was done, one swimming for the shore, while two managed to get back into the boat, which was almost immediately grappled by willing hands on the beach, and hauled out of danger.

The District Inspector, from whose official report this account is taken, praises the Coxswain and crew very highly for their management of the boat, and considers that the sailing of one of the smaller type of boats off her carriage through such a sea, without a haul-off warp, was an exhibition of' daring seamanship, which, it may be added, convinced the people of Hornsea of the wisdom of going to Bridlington for a crew. It may be observed that although the principal services of the Institution's Life-boats are performed practically entirely under sail, the actual leaving of the beach with the sails set is con- fined to the very large type of boat which is in use off the coast of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and Kent,- and the method above described could only be attempted by skilled men who had absolute confidence in their boat. On their return, the crew expressed them- selves as delighted with their new boat, and after their experience of that; day are ready to do anything and go any- where in her.

This article may be fittingly closed with an extract from a letter written by a visitor to Hornsea, who is a zealous worker for the Life-boat cause. It gives a graphic account from the onlooker's point of view.

" I was present," this lady writes, "at the launch of the boat here last Saturday, when a strong north-east wind was blowing, making the launch very difficult; in fact, some of the crew (Bridlington men) said it would not be possible to get the boat out, but the Coxswain said he knew he could, and we had the thrilling experience of seeing the boat taken out under sail, the oars not being used. Over and over again was the boat hidden by the breakers, only the sails being seen ; again and again did heavy seas wash over her, but she was just splendid, righting herself at once. She then returned, and just when the boat touched the beach, a heavy sea struck her, throwing some of the men into the water. The postcard I send you was taken just after she righted herself ; you will still see one of the crew hanging on to the sail. Then we saw the advantage of being under sail. If the boat had not been heavier than previous ones, it would not have been possible to launch her, the wind and seas would have been too' strong.

"There was a great crowd of people on the shore, and never have I been so cold, but I would not have missed the sight, and am thankful that so many witnessed it, so that much more sym- pathy will be felt in the Life-boat cause." [The illustrations are from photo- graphs taken at the time of the launch.].