SBLSEY, SUSSEX.—At 7.35 A.M. on the 19th March the Coastguard reported that a vessel was on the Mixen Reef, flying signals of distress. The crew of the Life-boat Lucy Newbon were at once assembled and the boat launched, but just after she had taken the water a very heavy sea struck the boat and threw her back broadside on. The crew at once left the boat and she was beached and again launched, the crew and helpers being wet through to the skin. In the meantime the vessel had got clear of the reef and drove away with the wind and tide, and the Lifeboat, as soon as she was afloat, proceeded after her. On reaching the vessel she was found to be the ketch Gladys, of Guernsey, bound from Dunkirk to Southampton with a cargo of manure. Her headsails had been blown away, and the captain stated that he would make an attempt to get to Littlehampton. As it was then too late on the tide to make the harbour the Coxswain, Thomas J. Sparshott, advised him to anchor in the " Park," and offered to pilot him there. On arrival, however, the weather looked very threatening, and the captain decided to proceed to Littlehampton, where he anchored. The Coxswain, ascertaining that the services of the Life-boat were no longer required, shaped his course for Selsey, where he arrived at 4.40 P.M. after beating up against heavy squalls and a strong flood tide. A S.W. gale was blowing the whole time the Life-boat was afloat, and the service was reported to have been one of the roughest experienced for some time; the boat, however, behaved splendidly and gave the liveliest satisfaction.

PENZANCE, CORNWALL. — At about 3 P.M. on the 21st March, during a gale from the S.S.W., a number of the big trawlers belonging to Penzance, which had been at anchor off Newlyn, ran for Penzance Harbour for shelter. Several of the steam drifters also started to return. As the rounding of Penzance Pierhead was attended with danger, the Life-boat was launched, and lay off the pierhead in case her services should be required. Fortunately all the vessels succeeded in getting into safety, but as the weather showed no signs of improving, it was considered advisable to keep the boat afloat in case she should be required again.

MONTROSE, FOBFABSHIRE. The No. 1 Life-boat Sarah Jane Turner was launched at 7.40 P.M. on the 22nd March, in answer to distress signals from a vessel to the north of the entrance to the harbour. The Life-boat reached the vessel at 8.10 P.M., and found that she was the ketch Lady Dorcas, of Montrose, bound from the Tees to Montrose with a cargo of salt. She had stranded, and was full of water, with her cargo washing out. The crew of two men were rescued, and the boat returned to her station, where she arrived at 8.40 P.M. The ketch became a total wreck.

FILEY, YORKSHIRE. — Three of the fishing cobles belonging to Filey were overtaken by a heavy sea when out fishing on the 27th March. The Lifeboat Hollon the Third was launched and proceeded to their assistance. The cobles had considerable difficulty in getting into safety, but they eventually succeeded, closely attended by the Life-boat.

YOUGHAL, co. CORK.—At 3.10A.M.

on the 28th March the Coastguard reported that a vessel was ashore in Youghal Bay, about three miles to the S.W. of the station. A strong S.E.

gale prevailed at the time, with a very heavy and broken sea; the Life-boat Marianne L. Hay was therefore launched and proceeded to her. When crossing the bar, a very heavy sea struck the Life-boat, breaking on board, and in addition to breaking four of the oars, washed one of the crew overboard. A rope was at once thrown to him, and fortunately he was saved. When the Life-boat reached the vessel, it was found that the crew of three hands had taken refuge in the rigging. The Life-boat at once went alongside and successfully rescued them. The boat then returned to her station, but, owing to the heavy sea and to the wind having died down, the whole of the journey had to be done under oars. The vessel was the ketch P. M. Willcock, of Aberystwyth, bound from Portmadoc to New Ross, co. Wexford. with a cargo of slates.

Shortly after the crew had been rescued, the mizen mast went by the board, and the ketch showed every indication of becoming a total wreck.

FILEY, YORKSHIRE. — The Life-boat Hollon the Third was launched shortly before 9 A.M. on the 28th March to the assistance of twenty-three of the fishing cobles, which had put to sea earlier in the morning for the purpose of hauling their crab pots. The wind was from E.S.E., and had increased to a whole gale, bringing with it a sea which was dangerously heavy for the boats. As the boats came in, the Lifeboat supplied several of the crews with life-belts, which the men were very glad to receive, as they were in considerable peril. Fortunately the whole of the twenty-three boats eventually succeeded in getting into safety, but the difficulty was such that great excitement prevailed among the inhabitants and visitors.

It is reported that the gale was one of the worst that had been experienced by the cobles for many years.

SCARBOROUGH, YORKSHIRE.—An E.S.E. gale suddenly sprang up on the 28th March while the small herring coble Thankful Arthur, of Filey, was at sea, and as the heavy sea showed every sign of increasing, the Life-boat Queensbury was launched to her assistance, and stood by until she succeeded in getting into the harbour in safety.

BOULMER, NORTHUMBERLAND. — The steam trawler Tadorne, of Boulogne, was wrecked early in the morning of the 29th March, during a fog, a short distance from Howick Haven. The vessel was bound from Boulogne to the Iceland fishing grounds, and had a crew of thirty hands on board, of whom five perished as a result of the wreck.

Information of the casualty reached Boulmer by telephone a few minutes after 6 A.M. and the Life-boat Arthur B.

Dawes was very promptly launched.

The wreck was found in a very awkward position, surrounded by rocks, and exposed to very heavy breakers, the result of the previous evening's S.E.

gale. The deck of the trawler was just awash and heavy seas were continually rolling over her, and the crew had taken refuge in the rigging. Before the arrival of the Life-boat three of the crew had put off in the ship's boat, which was swamped, and two of the men were unfortunately drowned, the third man succeeding in swimming ashore.

As the Life-boat approached the vessel another man was washed off the wreck in an injured and helpless condition; he was picked up by the Life-boat with considerable difficulty, but died soon after he had been landed. With great difficulty and danger, owing to the rocks and the want of room in which to manoeuvre the boat, the Life-boat got alongside the wreck and took off twenty men. Whilst doing so the boat was repeatedly filled with** water, and some of the crew were knocked about and dazed with i the weight of water dashed upon them. ; The work of rescue was necessarily slow, as the shipwrecked men were numbed by the cold and seemed afraid to leave the rigging. As there were now twentyone rescued men in the boat it was i decided to take them ashore and come j back for the others. After a heavy pull, owing to the crowded boat, Boulmer was reached at about 10 A.M. Ten fresh oarsmen were procured and the boat started again for the wreck. Four more of the crew were taken off and landed at Howick Haven, this being now practicable.

Unhappily, before the arrival of the Life-boat on the first occasion two of the vessel's crew had died from exposure while in the rigging, and the bodies of these two unfortunate men were eventually landed by the Life-boat when the tide had ebbed. The boat then returned to Bouliner, where she arrived at about 1.30 P.M.

The services performed on this occasion elicited the greatest praise from all, and the Life-boat crews behaved with great gallantry, showing indomitable pluck in carrying out the rescue. The first Coxswain and the second Coxswain as well as the Bowman were in the boat on both occasions, ' and the Coxswain was of opinion that this service was the most difficult and dangerous that he had ever been called upon to perform during the whole of the time he had been engaged in Life-boat work. In connexion with the sad loss of life the jury, at the subsequent inquest, after expressing their sympathy with the relatives of the deceased men, recorded their high appreciation of the gallant services of ! the Life-boat crew, and placed on record their " admiration of men who | risked their own lives to save those of others." At their next meeting the Committee of Management bestowed the " Thanks " of the Institution inscribed on Vellum, together with the Silver : Medal of the Institution, on the Cox- [ swain, William Stephenson, and awarded i him and each of the men who took part ' in the service an additional monetary ! reward.

A fitting sequel to the splendid gallantry displayed in January took place in May when the Duke of Northumberland, the President of the Institution, presented the awards made by the Committee of Management to Coxswain Stephenson and the crew, together with medals and -a, diploma awarded to the former by the Societe des Hospitaliers Sauveteurs Bretons.

The occasion was one of widespread interest to the inhabitants of Alnmouth and district, and a large company assembled to do honour to the gallant men.

The Duke of Northumberland, in rising to make the presentations, said that they had often been proud of their Life-boatmen. Along the whole length of the Northumbrian coast the fishermen had always shown themselves most ready to go to the assistance of any vessels in distress. This was by no means the first time that Boulmer men had done good service in this- direction, and he had been told that the service which they had met that night to celebrate was one of an exceptionally arduous character, and one demanding all the perseverance, all the coolness, and courage and devotion which the Boulmer men had so often shown. He was at the time six thousand miles away, at the Cape of Good Hope, and he heard nothing of this until his return to England. However, from all he could learn there was one matter upon which they could congratulate all concerned in the business, and that was the promptitude and the readiness with which the Life-boat acted.

The Duke then went on to extol the excellent work carried out by the Institution, and to urge the claims for support—support it richly deserved—• from all classes of the community. His Grace then presented the awards, and M. le Baron de Belabre, French Consul at Newcastle, handed over the French awards and expressed the gratitude of his countrymen.

Coxswain Stephenson having suitably responded, and the thanks of the meeting having been accorded to the Duke, and to Sir Francis Walker for having presided, the proceedings terminated.

NORTH SUNDERLAND, NORTHUMBERLAND.

—Only two of the cobles belonging to North Sunderland put to sea on 29th March, as the sea was very heavy.

During the afternoon a thick fog came on and one of the boats returned ashore. Towards evening the fog got worse, and as the other boat, named the Thanksgiving, had not returned it was considered advisable to launch the Life-boat, Forster Fawsett. The Life-boat succeeded in falling in with the coble some distance from the harbour and conveyed her to safety.

PALLING, NORFOLK.—At 8.45 in the morning of the 2nd April guns were heard from the Haisborough and Would Light-vessels, and in response the Palling No. 2 Life-boat Hearts of Oak was launched. On reaching the Haisborough Sands the steamer Caithness, of Newcastle, was found ashore in the vicinity of the Middle Buoy. At the request of the master the Life-boat " stood by " the steamer until she floated, and, no further assistance being required, the boat returned to her station. At the time of the casualty the Caithness was bound from Blyth to Bombay with a cargo of coal. When the steamer floated she drifted on to the Life-boat, which was lying at anchor, and in order to save the boat and the crew from disaster it was necessary for the Coxswain to cut the Life-boat's cable.

NEWHAVEN, SUSSEX.—At 10 A.M. on I the 10th April information was received ! that a vessel was ashore about two miles ! to the west of Newhaven Breakwater.

The new motor Life-boat Sir FitzRoy Clayton, which has recently been sent to I Newhaven, was at once despatched, and found the fishing lugger Smiling Morn, j of Shoreham, in a dangerous position i on the rocks, with three men aboard.

| Life-boatmen assisted to throw ballast overboard and to get a tow rope to a tug, which had also come to the vessel's assistance. The Life-boat " stood by " | until the tug succeeded in floating the i vessel, and then returned to harbour.

This was the first service performed by i this Life-boat, and she is reported to have behaved well.

LOWESTOFT, SUFFOLK.—During tine cold weather on the 19th April the | Coxswain, John Swan, observed a man in a small boat trying to reach a j smack which was outside the harbour.

After several attempts one of the oars broke and the boat began to drift toi wards Holm Sands. Seeing that the man's life was in danger, the Coxswain assembled the crew of the Life-boat Kentwell, and launched. The boat was ; picked up in a helpless condition just on i the edge of the Sand, and the man was taken into the Life-boat and conveyed ashore. The boat belonged to the trawler I Pet, of Lowestoft..