THE ninety-second Annual General Meeting of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE- BOAT INSTITUTION was held in the Council Chamber at the Caxton Hall, Westminster, on Wednesday, March 29th, 1916, at 3.30 P.M. The Eight Hon. the Earl of Plymouth, P.O., C.B., presided, and amongst those present were:—The Earl Waldegrave, P.C., Lord Sydenham, G.C.S.I., Sir Godfrey Baring, Bart., M.P., the Hon. George Colville, Sir William Corry, Bart., Sir R. U. Penrose Fitz-Gerald, Bart., Mr.

J. B. Fortescue, Mr. Harry Hargood, Captain Sir H. Acton Blake, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Gerard H. U. Noel, G.C.B., K,C.M.G., Mr. E. F. Noel, Captain Robert Pitman, C.M.G., R.N., Rear- Admiral Hector B. Stewart, the Rev.

Hugh B. Chapman, Chaplain of the Savoy, Lieut.-Col. C. L. Fraser, V.D., R.A.M.C. (T.), Mr. George F. Shee, M.A. (Secretary), Commander Thomas Holmes, R.N. (Chief Inspector of Life- boats), and Mr. P. W. Gidney (Assistant Secretary).

The CHAIRMAN: Ladies and gentlemen, I think it will interest everyone if I read two telegrams which have just been received. There has been, as you will readily understand, no time to get anything like full reports from the various Stations.* (The telegrams reporting the rescue of eleven lives by the Burnham and Margate Life-boats were read.) Ladies and gentlemen, I regret that the first duty which I have to perform in placing the Report before you is to refer to the death of several very strong supporters of the Institu- tion, whose loss we all deplore. I refer to the * [It will be remembered that the great gale which wrought such havoo throughout the country had occurred on the .SSth March.— EDITOR.] deaths of Sir John Cameron Lamb, Colonel Edgcumbe, Sir Allen W. Young, and Mr.

Arnold Morley, who for a long time past had taken a deep interest in the Institution; and Mr. Arnold Morley, I might remind you, besides presenting a Motor Boat for St.

Mary's (Scilly Islands), has bequeathed a sum of £5,000 to its funds. (Hear, hear.) But the greatest loss of all, you will agree, is the death of a gallant officer and gentle- man, Lieutenant - Commander Gartside- Tipping, R.N. (Hear, hear.) You know what the circumstances of his death were.

Most of you, perhaps all of you, I dare say know better than I do the invaluable services which he had rendered for so long to the Life-boat Institution; and I find it difficult, speaking to those who may have known him well personally, to pay an adequate tribute to those services. , If you will allow me, I do not think I can « / better than just quote a few words only from the Report referring to his death: " Lieutenant - Commander Gartside- Tipping, R.N., was killed in action off the Belgian Coast when in command of the yacht Sanda, and few incidents in the great war are more striking than the death in action of this the oldest Naval officer afloat, who came forward at the outbreak of war, and, placing his services at the disposal of the Admiralty at the age of sixty-five, was for over a year engaged in the arduous and dangerous duties of mine-sweeping in the Channel and in tha North Sea. Lieutenant-Commander Gartside- Tipping's long association with the Institution, his exceptional skill as a yachtsman and a yacht designer, and his invention of the Life-boat Carriage Wheel-Plates which are named after him, make his loss severely felt on public grounds; while the charm of his personality and his living interest in the Life- boat cause make the words of one who was present at the time that he found his death seem the fittest epitaph for an active and well-spent life: 'And so dies a very gallant officer and perfect gentleman '—words which were first used with regard to another brave man who lies amid the eternal snows of the Antarctic." I think probably the matter of deepest interest with regard to the Report which I now have the honour to present is the manner in which the Institution has been able to carry on its work under abnormal conditions, and how its organization has stood the tests of the war. Let me say at once that there never was any doubt, and there never is any doubt, as to the manner in which the work of individuals will be carried out in this Life- boat Service. The workers in this great cause, the Life-boat men, are in constant readiness to meet all emergencies; their lives are ever ready to be offered in fulfilment of their humane work in saving the lives of others, and the highest state of efficiency is the result of the constant practice of those qualities of courage and skill, endurance and devotion to their voluntary duties, which have ever been and are now the glory of the Life-boat Service. (Applause.) But what is the effect on the resources of the Institution and its personnel? With regard to the personnel I have no figures actually before me, but I know that there must have been, and there was, a demand for the younger men of the personnel, and that they have gone to fulfil those duties which must be placed first—in the combatant services of the State. I am told that certain Stations have had to be closed because of the difficulty of getting the full crews to man the boats. It is inevitable that this should have bean so, but every effort has been made to do this in the fewest possible cases; and as I say —I have not the figures before me, but I hope and believe that these cases are only very few—the difficulties that the Committee of Management have been confronted with in regard to construction and the keeping up of the Life-boats themselves, and the work connected with them, are referred to in the Report, namely, the difficulty of getting labour and the difficulty of getting material, when the demands of the Admiralty have first to be dealt with. But you will, I am sure, be gratified to see by the Report that these difficulties have to a large extent been overcome, and this at least can be said, that the Committee of Management can give you the assurance that the high standard of work which they have required in the building of these boats and their equip- ment has not been allowed to drop. The Life-boat crews themselves have risen to the occasion, as brave men always do. Quite apart from the ordinary dangers that this Service necessarily entails for everyone taking an active part in it, the particular dangers incident to the state of war have been added —particularly by the danger of mines and torpedoes. No less than 562 lives have been rescued since the outbreak of war in what are purely war services. (Hear, hear !) So that apart from the ordinary work of saving life, the veteran crews of our Life-boats—upon whom we have naturally to depend more and more, and whose responsibility is increased because of the younger men being called away —these veteran crews have rendered the greatest services to the State in rescuing fighting men, or those engaged in supplying the country with the absolute necessaries of life upon which we all depend. If we take the whole period from the outbreak of the war, the lives saved by the Service amount to nearly 2,000—-(hear, hear!)—and nearly all of these are men in the prime and vigour of life. So that, even from that point of view, the advantage to the State of this wonderful Life-boat Service in the present time of need has been great indeed. I deeply regret to have to draw your attention to the loss of two brave men who were drowned, one in the 'Worthing Life-boat {I think he was known as Burgess), and the other, named Carr, in the Bridlington Life-boat, The Committee of Management have naturally felt that there is some danger of the funds of the Institution suffering owing to the general absorption of interest in the war.

It is, therefore, very gratifying to note that owing to the special efforts which have been made, there is actually an increase in the number of subscribers during the past year— (applause)—showing that the general feeling in the country, if its attention is specially drawn to it, is one of the deepest gratitude to the men engaged in this Service; and I hope and believe that there is no grave danger, if the matter is properly put before the people of this country, that the great Institution which we have all come here to support will really suffer, or feel any less able than it has done in the past to perform ttie most important duties which it has voluntarily undertaken.

I would mention in this connexion that there is to be a Life-boat Flag Day held in London on the 19th May; and that, I trust, will receive a great deal of popular support, and will collect those very small sums of money which so many are ready enough to give who find it difficult to give in any sub- scription list. In connexion with that will you let me read, with Lord Waldegrave's permission, a letter from that most gracious Lady, Queen Alexandra. Her Majesty says: " Dear Lord Waldegrave,—I have read with much interest the leaflet containing the account of the rescues by the Life-boats at the wreck of the Hospital Ship Bohilla, and the list of war services performed by Life- boats to His Majesty's Ships, Mine-sweepera, etc., since the commencement of the War, and have heard witb. deep admiration of the gallant work of the crews which man the boats. I have always had the utmost sym- pathy for the great work carried on by the Institution, of which I have for many years past been a Patron, and which is so intimately connected with our whole maritime life. I am indeed glad to learn of the signal services the Life-boats have rendered, and how nobly the crews have lived up to their reputation for fearless courage and humanity; and I feel sure that it is only necessary to bring these facts to the notice of the British public in order to secure for the Institution, in war time, the generous support which it has received in happier days, and thus enable it to continue the life-saving work for which the coasts of the United Kingdom are renowned." (Applause.) Her Majesty reminds us, if we needed any reminding, that we must never forget that these great services rendered by the Crews of the Life-boats are rendered year in and year out: they always go on. We become accustomed to see reports of the bravery of the crews, the rescues which have been constantly accomplished round our coasts ; and although it is work for which we are deeply grateful, and for which we have a deep admiration when our thoughts are turned especially to it, as they would naturally have heen in the terrible storms which have just been sweeping over the country, still, to a certain extent, familiarity with this work must sometimes bring with it a little neglect, and special efforts may have to be made now and then to draw our attention to the needs of the RO AL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, because, although the War may increase the difficulties and dangers, difficulties and dan- gers are the constant companions of our brave Life-boat men; the elements never give them any long period of peace.

Ladies and gentlemen, I beg to present the Report. (Applause.) I will now call on the Secretary, Mr. George F. Shee, to read the names of the officials and Committee.

The SECRETARY then read the names of the President, Vice-Presidents, Treasurer, and other members of the Committee of Manage- ment, and the Auditors for the ensuing year, and the CHAIRMAN declared them to be duly elected.

The CHAIRMAN : Before calling upon Lord Sydenham, who is to move a resolution, I have the pleasant duty of presenting medals to two of the heroic men whom we have the privilege of welcoming here to-day. (Ap- plause.) I think it is a very hnppy idea of the Committee of Management to bring up the men who have earned the highest honour which the lustitution can confer to receive their medals at the Annual Meeting.

Naturally, it is not possible owing to the great distances to get many of them present, but we are extremely glad that two of them are here, and it adds to our pleasure in reading the records of the services which have been rendered by them. I shall ask the Secretary to read the brief record of the gallant actions of the two Coxswains who are here to-day, one of them being accompanied, I am glad to say, by Lieutenant-Colonel SYaser, the Honorary Secretary of the Berwick-on-Tweed Branch, who was himself a participator in the splendid exploit for which one of these dis- tinctions is conferred.

(Medals were then presented to James Jamieson, of Berwick-on-Tweed, and Robert Cross, of Spurn, Coxswains, and the Secretary read the respective records of the rescues effected by them.) See page 118.

LORD SYDENHAM : My lords, ladies and gentlemen, I esteem it a very great honour to have been asked to move this resolution, which runs : "That this Meeting, fully recog- nizing the important services of the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION in its national work of life-saving, desires to record its hearty appreciation of the gallantry of the Coxswains and Crews of the Institution's Life-boats, and gratefully to acknowledge the valuable help rendered to the cause by the Local Committees, Honorary Secretaries, Honorary Treasurers, and Ladies' Auxiliaries." That resolution is a formal recognition by this meeting of the magnificent work which the Institution is carrying out, and I am sure all who have read the Annual Report must realize the very high state of efficiency and organization which the Institu- tion has attained and maintained in spite of the great difficulties which have arisen in con- sequence of the War. This year, 1915-16, will be memorable throughout the whole Empire, and it will be notable in the annals of the Life-boat Institution. When we look back on the long and anxious months, and the strain through which we have passed, we find in them much to rejoice at, and also, I am afraid, much to deplore. But one of the j brightest spots in the picture of the past is the wonderful way in which the whole sea- faring population of these islands has responded to the call of duty, and has willingly and cheerfully undertaken the most arduous service without even hope of reward.

It was left to the Germans to organize a deliberate campaign against unarmed fisher- men, who had always in the past been treated with special consideration by every civilized nation. The services which the Mercantile Marine have rendered to the Country in these times of difficulty are simply invaluable. The Mercantile Marine has added immensely to the resources of the Royal Navy, and without their assistance it would have been hardly possible for the Navy to carry on the wonderful work which they have done in dealing with the submarine menace. A month before the War broke out a well-known Admiral wrote to the Times, expressing the apprehension that, if there should be many losses of mer- chant vessels in a great war, it might be found that there would be serious difficulty in manning the Mercantile Marine. We have reason to be supremely thankful that that forecast has not turned out to be correct. In the last year only, forty British ships were sunk without any warning, and, as we know, during the last two weeks there have been still heavier losses, yet our food supply continues to arrive, and our Mercantile Marine shows no signs whatever of having been materially affected. Not only has this new and inhuman mode of warfare—piracy, as it has been properly called—thrown an increased strain upon the resources of the Life-boat Institution, but it has also given it full oppor- tunities, which opportunities it has turned to the fullest account. Our Chairman has given figures as to the lives saved during the course of this War, and I find that Life-boats were launched on 183 occasions to His Majesty's ships and other vessels which have heen in danger as the direct result of the operations of this mode of warfare. That shows that the Institution has played a magnificent part in this time of peril, and it has proved the brotherhood of the sea, and all these gallant crews who have taken part in this work of rescue have freely rendered their services on behalf of the devoted men who are guarding our liberties and upholding our national honour on sea and land.

At the same time, no doubt, the difficulties of the Institution have increased very greatly.

The Chairman has told you that some Life- boat stations have had to be abandoned, and then I find that a large number of the staff has been commandeered, and all the employees of the Institution have been attested under Lord Derby's scheme. Besides that, all the Inspectors have been withdrawn, so that much of the -work has largely devolved on the Honorary Secretaries, who have most cheer- fully and successfully carried it on. Then, again, the Chairman referred to the building of Life-boats as having been checked and delayed. We all know the stress which has been thrown upon labour and machinery in this country, and the country has been hard put to it to perform the work required, so that when we look upon all these difficulties and consider them as a whole we must all feel that the Lite-boat Service in time of extreme and exceptional stress has risen most splen- didly to the national needs, and we can look back upon this year of war with special pride.

There are some peculiar features with regard to the Life-boat Institution which must appeal powerfully to every section of our population.

Curiously enough it was first started by a military officer, Sir William Hillary, who lived in the Isle of Man. He was deeply touched by the wrecks he saw and the lives which were lost, and he conceived the idea of a general Life-boat Service, and at an advanced age he went out to the rescue of a shipwrecked crew; he was severely injured, and he himself received the first Gold Medal of the Life-boat Institution. Now it would rejoice his heart if he could have foreseen the immense growth of this Institution after his" death, and if he could have known that in less than one hundred years of its life it had been the means of saving no less than 53,358 people. It is hardly possible to estimate the value of these lives to the nation.

This Institution has grown up very gradu- ally, until now it has a fleet of 265 Life-boats, and last year 6,097 men took part in the work of rescue, and two lost their lives in carrying out that work.

In all this work the Life-boat Service has to be constantly mobilized against the dangers of the seas, it has to be always on the watch to see that opportunities are taken at once without regard to the risks of the moment, and it seems to me that such a service is absolutely unique. What the Bed Cross is to the wounded in war the Life-boat Service is, and has been, to those who are engaged on the sea. (Applause.) It is natural, therefore, that all through its life the Life-boat Institu- tion has kept in the closest touch with the fighting services, and now in times of war it has been able to render most direct and valuable assistance to those services.

There is another point which appeals strongly to me. This Institution has grown to its present high state of efficiency without any aid from the State; it depends wholly upon private generosity, and it is a striking instance of what private effort can accomplish in organization, in administration, and in scientific progress. I say scientific progress because I understand the Institution brings out its own designs, carries out its own experi- ments, and has itself developed the motor Life-boat, which is probably going to revolu- tionize the greater part of its work. If only all our Government Departments were as well managed as the Life-boat Institution is I think some things would be very different to what they are now. (Applause.) On the 19th May, you have been told, there will be a collection which will give everyone an opportunity in the streets to assist in this work, and the Secretary asks me to say that lady helpers will be most watmly welcomed, and I am sure we all feel that upon lady helpers in these times success must largely depend in those efforts.

There is one last phase of Life-boat work which I should like to mention, and that is that the Life-boat Service cherishes and rewards heroism at all times, and in these dark days of war the deeds of our Life-boat crews, who are helping our men on sea and on land, and who are assisting in the work of our soldiers and sailors, will be read to history, and history will tell of the days when they fought the brutal Prussian aggression and upheld our Army and Navy, freely giving their lives in the greatest of all causes. Ladies and gentlemen, we must never forget the courage and humanity ofi»the Coxswains and Crews engaged in the Life-boat Service. We all honour the two men who have to-day received medals: we recognize that they have not only taken a part nobly in this war, but that they have kept alive the best characteristics of the British nation and have given us a shining example of duty and self-sacrifice. (Applause.) I have the greatest pleasure in proposing the adoption of this resolution, which is a tribute of this meeting to the gallantry of the Coxswains and Crews oj the Life-boat Institu- tion, and to the services of all who have helped to build up and maintain this benevolent and successful Institution.

The Rev. HUGH B. CHAPMAN, Chaplain of the Chapel Royal, Savoy: My lords, ladies and gentlemen, after the resolution you have heard I am sure any words from me will be unnecessary, seeing that we are all practically agreed on the subject which has brought us together.

I have been asked by the Secretary to draw attention to an additional note after the Annual Report was drawn up, and it is this : —" The Port Eynon Life-boat, while proceed- ing on the 1st January to the assistance of the s.s. Dunvegan, of Glasgow, was struck by a succession of heavy seas and capsized twice.

Although the boat righted herself at once, three men, including the Coxswain and the Second Coxswain, were unfortunately drowned.

In the case of the Coxswain no dependent relatives were left, but the other two men were married, and the Committee of Management at once voted the sum of £400 towards the relief of the widows and dependent children of these men, who had sacrificed their lives in endeavouring to save their fellow men." It is difficult, ladies and gentlemen, to follow a succinct speech like that of Lord Sydenham and also that of the Chairman, with regard to the Life-boat Institution, without being guilty of repetition, but at the same time I cannot help confirming the senti- ments expressed by Lord Sydenham, and I feel sure everyone of us, if we could speak, would probably say the same thing. Why I felt it impossible to refuse the invitation to speak here to-day was because of the delight which was afforded me by the contrast of an Institution such as the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE- BOAT INSTITUTION with the spirit of bitterness and cruelty which is apparent in the actions of the enemy. It was a relief to me, after reading until I was tired, all this ruthlessness, to realise that a society like the Life-boat Institution was always going on, and that the whole idea at the bottom of it was not to murder or do harm, but on every occasion to save life. I have heard it said of some young men that they have been more or less shelter- ing themselves in the R.A.M.C. or the A.S.C., which are considered to be non-fighting corps in the present war, but no one can say that there can be any sheltering in joining a Life- boat crew with all its dangers, and with the idea of saving and helping, at their own peril, the lives of their fellow-men; and what the Life-boat Institution spells for me, if I may use a bull, is that it is a sort of militant kind- ness—there is all the courage of the man and there is all the kindness of the heart. That is what draws me to it, and that is why I rather wonder that on an occasion of this kind people do not come to a great meeting of the Life-boat Institution in order to express the fact that however patriotic the English may be, and however determined they are to fight to a finish the war in which we are engaged, the great main point about the English heart is its humaneness and its love.

Another point which also seems to have appealed to both Lord Sydenham and to our Chairman is the chronic character of the lessons taught by the Life-boat Institution.

We are from time to time enthused by the daring of certain deeds performed, and we hear of D.S.O.'s and V.G.'s and other decora- tions, many of which no doubt are rightly earned, whilst we hear of others which prob- ably do not create the same enthusiasm, but which have a great deal to do with ceremonial of staff and so forth; but what strikes one is the chronic character of the courage of these Life-boat men. We take the heroism of Life- boat men for granted, we take the heroism of nurses for granted, but at the same time it is satisfactory to learn of the chronic character of the courage which this Institution teaches us, and no one could possibly have been on the coast and witnessed anything like a storm such as we had last night without instinctively thinking of the Life-boat men. There is a brotherhood and a unity which ought to appeal to the whole of the kingdom, and although we may have limitations from our insular position, on the other hand one of its gains is that our hearts invariably go out when we hear a storm or feel the wind break- , ing while comfortable in our beds. All glory, i I say, to men of this class.

! There is another point which appeals to i me immensely, and that is the modesty of ! these men. Nothing struck me more forcibly I than the attitude of our two friends who to-day received their medals, and I presume that for a brave man to be publicly rewarded amounts almost to a pain. I expect he always thinks he does not deserve it, and there is i something about it which seldom appears in the newspapers. These men's modesty appeals to me. They face terrific dangers deserving, as we probably should think, a V.C. more or less on every occasion, and it is difficult to find out which is the most courageous of them; but doubtless the men who appeared before you this afternoon only regarded them- selves as typical of their class.

Where I think we benefit by coming to a meeting of this kind is that we learn how bravery ought not only to be sudden, but that it ought to be ready at any time whenever there are storms, and that when we are called upon to do certain brave actions when the occasion comes in our way, we ought to take it all for granted, like these men do, and become weather-beaten in our service, and hold up our heads, look our fellow men in the face, feeling that we have done our duty. It I has been a pleasure to me, and an honour to ! me as a clergyman and as Chaplain of a Royal Chapel, to come here to bear witness and to offer these men my personal thanks. I feel that every clergyman ought to congratulate bravery, and I do not believe particularly in a High Church or a Low Church or a Broad Church, but I am perfectly content if I belong to a brave church. So I feel the greatest ! pleasure in seconding Lord Sydenham's re- solution, and I hope that these funds will ! not only not suffer in consequence of the war, i but that the subscriptions will be doubled j as the result of the lesson which I think is accentuated by the characters of the men who i have just been presented with medals.

! The Secretary tells me that at the end of the war some £50,000 will be required for material and for reconstruction, and I have no doubt, Lord Plymouth, that, while in this year of war, adversity is very much to the fore, there are a certain number of people who have made something out of the war (though God help them, and I do not know however they managed it), and I cannot help thinking that this Institution will afford them a most excellent opportunity of giving by way of conscience money, and I do trust that your funds will be redoubled, and that the Institution will ever be in a flourishing state.

The CHAIRMAN: Ladies and gentlemen, I need not read the resolution again. Those in favour will please signify the same in the usual way. Carried unanimously.

Earl WALDSGBAVE : Ladies and gentlemen, I have much pleasure in proposing that the thanks of this meeting be given to the Bight Honourable the Earl of Plymouth for his great kindness in coming and presiding over our meeting to-day, and thus giving us a further proof of the deep interest which he has always shown in the welfare of the Life- hoat Institution. For many years past he has used his powerful influence in Worcester- shire and Glamorganshire, the counties with •which he is chiefly associated, greatly to the benefit of our cause, and he has not even allowed the many claims which the war has made on the time of a man in his position to diminish his efforts for our benefit. I and my colleagues on the Committee of Manage- ment would cordially welcome similar co- operation from gentlemen in other counties, especially in the south of England. Personal effort by leading men in a county or district in regard to an Institution like this does more to help us than all the efforts of our district organisers, valuable as they are, and I hope I can induce various other gentlemen to follow Lord Plymouth's example.

It is more difficult, I know, in London, with its many interests of world-wide import- ance, to raise the same amount of enthusiasm over a cause, however worthy it may be, than it is in a county or a county town, where there are not so many things to attract the attention and generosity of the inhabitants.

As you have already heard, we shall try and see what we can do for the benefit of the Institution in London, and we are shortly going to make an effort for the Life-boat cause; though we have not the advantage, of course, of the local and personal leadership associated with names like Lord Plymouth's.

Fortunately the Lord Mayor of London and the Mayors of the Metropolitan Boroughs have expressed their generous sympathy and desire to help us on our Flag Day, which, as you have been told, we propose to hold through- out the Metropolis on Friday, May 19th. I am afraid Flag Days have been rather over- done, but I think the special services which our Life-boats have rendered to His Majesty's ships and other vessels which have been in distress directly in connexion with the war justify us in making this effort and trying to impose one more Flag Day on the people of London. The great cities of Scotland, of the North of England, and also of Wales and Ireland, have generously recognized the work of the Institution, in spite of the many war appeals, and I hope we can look for- ward with confidence to the result of our Flag Day.

I want to emphasize a few words which fell from Lord Sydenham with regard to the personal help of the women of London. I have no fear that with the sympathy which has been so well expressed by His Majesty the King and by Queen Alexandra, we shall fail in our appeal to the ladies of London; and I want now (and I would ask the Press to take a note of the fact) to appeal to all the ladies who admire and sympathize with the heroism of our Life-boat crews to come forward with an offer to sell flags or to lend or superintend depots on Friday, May 19th.

If they will kindly write to the Secretary with any particular offer, stating at the same time the Borough they reside in, or where they will be prepared to work, their offers will be cordially accepted and gladly utilized.

I now beg to move : " That the best thanks of this Meeting be given to the Eight Honour- able the Earl of Plymouth, P.O., C.B., for presiding over this the Ninety-second Annual General Meeting oi the ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION." Lieutenant-Colonel C. L. FRASER : Mr. Chairman, my lords, ladies and gentlemen, I have to thank the officials of the Institution for asking me to come from the north-eastern corner of Northumberland to second this vote of thanks to Lord Plymouth. Why they sent so far to get so ordinary an individual I do not know, except it be that all my life I have taken a keen interest in the Institution, and have lately had an opportunity of buying my experience in its work. I am very glad to say that I was born and brought up in a town amongst such men as the men who man these Life-boats, and I should like to say a word, oi two about these men as I know them in their own homes. But for them there could be no such thing as meetings of this kind; there would be no presentations to Coxswains, and there could not be, unless the rank and file did their duty as fearlessly as the Coxswains do. The fame of the deeds of the crews of British Life-boats is known all throughout the world; they are deeds of no less import- ance than those of our Army and Navy.

Now this particular brand of the genus homo, ' the fisherman, is not known to many of the people in this room, and in order to know the fisherman one has to know a very great deal about him; you have to know about his boat —the Life-boat, the water and the doubtful ways of fish, and you have to know how he makes his living, and so on. Occasionally, however, he is driven off the sea altogether, and then he becomes quite a different man.

He assumes the attitude and mien of ,a dejected penguin for the time being; he buries his hands in his pockets, he turns his pipe upside down, he shrinks his head down between his shoulders, his knees are bent, and he feels that he has to lean against some- thing, that something generally being the sea wall. Other penguins collect about him, and they hold a meeting; but there are no speakers.

All the speeches consist only of monosyllabic words, and if any of the other penguins agrees he is allowed to nod his head, that is all. I once heard a garrulous penguin utter six words, and he was punished for it; the other penguins left him and went to another wall.

However, the gale grows a ace, and the men begin to get restless, and gradually they close up towards the Life-boat house. Many a time it has been my lot to see such companies of men suddenly galvanized into life and action. You can imagine what must have happened yesterday in that fearful blizzard at every Life-boat house ; every crew round the coast, I should think, was ready for duty, and many of the crews were out the whole night waiting to see what was going to occur. Then when the alarm does come, there is such a scene that it can only be seen to be under- stood ; there is the rush for the Life-boat house, the sudden donning of belts, and so on, and all is ready; the last worcrts given, the Coxswain yells out "All clear," and then for weal or for woe the great boat is floated.

Most times the boat succeeds in her errand, but sometimes she must fail, for the elements are terrible in their strength, and I would ask everyone to remember that if a boat does fail, no blame ought to be imputed to the men manning her. These fishermen have no eight hours; they have no trade union; all they have is a precarious livelihood, and their only means are derived from the eternal elements.

Ladies and gentlemen, I bog to give you this brief picture of the gallant men who man the crews of our Life-boats.- (Applause.) Our noble Chairman, Lord Plymouth, eminently deserves every word of the com- mendation which has been spoken by Lord Waldegrave ; and it has occurred to me often —Why is it, I wonder, that we always find noblemen at the head of all charitable and useful institutions ? It has been always so, and I trust it always will be so. You may look back into history as far as you please, and you will find that noblemen have led our Navies at sea, have led our Armies in the field, have impoverished themselves in the cause of the country, giving freely and un- grudgingly of their means, and they have freely laid down their lives for their King and country. Now, if you will allow me, I should like to quote two lines of a very ancient Highland pibroch, which says : Come away, come away, hark to the summons; Come in your war array, gentles and commons.

After all, in these days we do not think too much of class distinction, and I, myself, divide men into two classes in my own mind, namely, those who are fighting and willing to fight, and those who will not. We of the Life-boat Service welcome noblemen as our leaders, because we know that those who join this Institution do so purely from altruistic motives, and none more so than the noble Lord who proposed the vote of thanks to the Chairman. In the perpetual struggle going on, men and Life-boats versus the mighty elements, it is an inspiration to the boats' crews to know that they have the sympathy of the Sovereign, and the active sympathies, too, of all classes of his subjects. Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me very great pleasure indeed to second this vote of thanks to the Chairman. (Applause.) WALDEGRAVE: Ladies and gentle- men, it is now my duty to put to you the resolution which I have read. Those in favour will signify the same. Carried unanimously.

The CHAIRMAN having briefly replied, the proceedings terminated.