LIFE-BOAT DAY was held throughout the area of Greater London on 2nd May, and a gross sum of about £2,514 was raised. A number of separate Days were held in different parts of London in 1920 and 1921, but this is the first Greater London Day since 1919. In that year the Day raised a gross sum of £5,901. The difference is great, and the important point to notice is that it reflects not any failure in the readiness of the public to support the Life-boat Service, nor even the present depression in trade, but primarily the increasing and serious difficulty of getting Honorary Col- lectors. The number this year, instead of being 6,000 or 7,000, was only just over 1,000. This gives on an average £2 10s.

per collector, an excellent result, which entitles us to believe that, if only it had been possible to get an adequate number of collectors, London would have contri- buted quite as generously as in previous years.

* * * * I have dwelt on this point because I know that in greater or less degree the same difficulty is found everywhere. It is, in fact, the crux of the problem.

The Institution can undoubtedly get even the increasing revenue which it now requires, each year, if only it can find men and women to work for it. It is on this need that I hope all our Honorary Secretaries and other workers will con- centrate.

The great scarcity of collectors makes the Institution all the more grateful to those ladies who gave it their help—the Ladies' Committee and members of the Ladies' Life-boat Guild ; and I should like to take this opportunity of acknow- ledging their generous services. I would mention in particular the help which we received from the following ladies who organised depots : Mary, Marchioness of Queensberry, the Dowager Marchioness of Tweeddale, C.B.E., the Countess of Halsbury, the Lady Brownlow, Lady Baring, Lady Frank, Lady Laird Clowes, Lady Forbes, the Mayoresses of Kensing- ton, Richmond, Paddington, Deptford, and Bermondsey, Mrs. Hopkinson, Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. Mount Batten, Mrs.

Webster, and Mrs. Rix, M.B.E. It is typical of the spirit in which they worked that one lady was abroad with her box at 3.30 in the morning, in order to catch the numerous carmen and other early workers in her district. Another collected outside her house, which stands in its own grounds, all the morning.

When she went in to lunch her butler, moved by her example, asked to be allowed to take a tray and box for the rest of the day. When the Deputy Chairman and I visited this depot, we were met, therefore, by the unaccus- tomed but welcome spectacle of a gentle- man in top hat and morning coat carry- ing out, with great dignity and success, the beneficent work so often done by women. I trust his excellent example wi l be widely foUowed in future.

As has been the case before, one of the noticeable features of the Day was the readiness of the poorer classes to give, a greater readiness in very many cases than was shown by the well-to-do. The latter can be, and are, approached in other ways. To the former the Life- boat Day is their one opportunity of contributing. As such they recognise it. and welcome it.

# * * * I was told two stories by collectors which show the way in which the poor give. One working class woman, very poorly dressed, gave a shilling, which she could ill afford, saying that her son had been drowned during the war ; and a sailor gave half a crown with the remark, " I've never been wrecked yet, but I never know when I shall be," which exactly expresses, in popular speech, that feeling to which Sir William Hillary appealed when he said : " From the calamity of shipwreck no one can say that he may at all times remain free, and whilst he is now providing only for the safety of others, a day may come which will render the cause his own."The Institution and the Mercantile Marine.

I should like to direct the special attention of readers of these notes to the ; speech of Mr. T. W. Moore at the Annual Meeting. As Secretary of the Imperial Merchant Service Guild and Vice- Chairman of the Seafarers' Joint Council, he was able to speak both for the officers and the men of the Mercantile Marine, and his warm promise of support is very welcome. I should like to take this opportunity of acknowledging his kindness in giving the Institution im- mediate and very practical help by promising it a free advertisement for twelve months in the Guild's monthly journal, The Dolphin. The first of these advertisements appears in the May issue, and also a long report of our Annual Meeting. I will quote one passage from the introduction to the report, for it seems to me to state with admirable point and clearness the claim | of the Institution on all those who go to sea.

* # * * " Every officer and man going to sea owes a personal debt of gratitude to THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT IN- STITUTION, but it is only few of them who seem to know that this Institution receives no contributions whatever from the State, and entirely depends upon the voluntary contributions of people who understand and appreciate the in- estimable value and importance of the work of the Institution in saving life at sea. We, as acutely as anybody else, feel the financial pinch in these days, but there are certain things for which support is indispensable, and what could be more so than the cause of preserving and saving life ? " * # * * I feel sure that, with the appeal of the Life-boat Service placed continually before the Mercantile Marine in one of their own magazines, and by the help and with the cordial support of their own Guild, we may hope that its officers and men will contribute as generously and consistently as the officers and men of the Royal Navy.

* * * * We have additional proof of the warm admiration of seafarers for the work of the Life-boat Service, and of their readi- ness to give it their support, in the fact that the National Sailors and Firemen's Union of Great Britain and Ireland has most generously offered to help the Institution in making its appeals, in every way and in all parts of the coun- try. Not a little of this help was given with London Life-loat Day, and I ; would take this opportunity of express- 1 ing the Institution's warmest thanks to the officials of the Union, and especially to Mr. J. Henson, C.B.E., the Union's Assistant General Secretary.

* * * * In this connexion I certainly think that much more might be done to make systematic appeals to officers and men when they come ashore, and I would invite the Honorary Secretaries at our branches in ports, both large and small, to consider what they can do in this way.

At one port on the south coast masters of ships are invited at the harbour office to make a contribution to the Branch funds. At this port there is at present no Life-boat, but a station is to be established there, and when this is done, the harbour authorities themselves pro- pose to make a voluntary " levy " of one shilling on every incoming vessel. It is anticipated that this levy will raise £30 a year.

* * * * Independently of this, a Life-boat worker of many years' experience has suggested that the crews of fishing boats also should be systematically ap- proached when and where they are paid, and that, in time, they would come to look upon it as a matter of course on these occasions to contribute a small coin as a thank-offering for their own safety.

It. would be most appropriate that they should do so, for no one benefits more directly and more frequently by the Life- boat Service. Over one-quarter of the lives saved by the Life-boats each year are the lives of fishermen. That this can be done is shown by the example of Berwick-on-Tweed. The Honorary Secretary of the Life-boat Station there writes: "At my instigation every fish- ing boat hailing from here has agreed to give 10s. per annum to the funds of the R.N.L.I., most willingly and gladly." The Loss of the "Brandaris." In the February issue of The Life-Boat I referred to the tragic loss of the Dutch Motor Life-boat, Brandaris, which went out on service on October 23rd, 1921, and never returned. I have now re- ceived from Mr. de Booy, the Secretary of the North and South Holland Life- Saving Society, a copy of the April issue of De Reddingboot, the Society's monthly journal. The first article in it is on the Brandaris, and is written by a Dutch naval officer, Lieutenant P. S. J.

de Vries. It seems to me so fine a tribute to Life-boat work (such a tribute as can only be paid by those whose profession is the sea), and it so vividly describes the dangers of the Life-boat Service, that I will quote it in full.

* * * * " The evening journal of Monday told us that the Brandaris, the Ters- chelling Motor Life-boat, was missing.

It is thus possible that this wonderful boat is lost. Many will have read this tragic news without being struck by it, but those who inhabit our islands will understand what the loss of this Life- boat, with her able and courageous crew, means. No weather so rough, no storm so heavy, but Brandaris went out.

Full of hope and confidence, we saw the brave boat leave harbour, and we knew for certain that the endangered crew would be saved. Other Life-boats on our coast may have saved more men, but the circumstances under which Brandaris had to work were more difficult than those of other Life-boats.

" Many a time I saw her go out during the War. From my patrol boat, looking for a good lee, I would watch Brandaris go out through Stortemelk (' Spilt Milk '), though the mouth of this channel seemed unapproachable because of the surf. Right through the heavy breakers she would go, against the fierce current which one meets here when the weather is stormy, buried in the seething water, but always forging ahead.

" We would watch her with anxious hearts, for she had not only to fight the elements, but also ran the risk of meeting a mine. (Think of the G. 11 and the Frans Narebout.') Then, hours later, we would see her coming back, a proud victor.

" We seamen were proud of this boat, for we could appreciate what she had done for our fellow-men, our comrades in danger. But oh, how little in Holland the man ashore appreciates what a sailor does ! In this compare Holland with England—and see the difference ! Now Brandaris no longer exists. She has been vanquished at last, but with honour and glory. The dismay along the coast will be great, but never shall we forget Brandaris and her fine crew ! " An Interesting Ceremony.

An interesting ceremony took place on May 8th, when the Lord Mayor of London unveiled at the Royal Exchange a portrait of John Julius Angerstein, who is known as the " Father of Lloyds." He was born in St. Petersburg in 1735, being of German descent, came to England at the age of fourteen, and lived to the age of eighty-eight. He was Chairman of Lloyd's from 1790 to 1796, and, by common consent, is one of the leading figures in the history of marine insurance. With the advice and help of Sir Thomas Lawrence, he made a fine collection of pictures, and thirty-eight of these, purchased by the Government after his death, formed the nucleus of our National Gallery.

* * * * His claim to our special remembrance is that, on May 20th, 1802, at a general meeting of Lloyds, he proposed " That the sum of two thousand pounds sterling be given out of the funds of this House into the hands of a committee for the encouragement of Life-boats being insti- tuted in different parts of the coast of the three kingdoms, to be under certain restrictions, such as that the parties applying to engage, to man and take care of the boats at the different places do so at their own expense." * * * * Mr. Angerstein has been described as the " originator of the idea of estab- lishing Life-boats round our coasts." This is hardly correct, since the first Life-boat Station had been established at Bamburgh, on the Northumbrian coast, sixteen years before his resolution was proposed, and this had been followed, in 1789, by the establishment of the famous Station at South Shields and, in 1798, by the establishment of a Station at North Shields. Undoubtedly, however, Mr. Angerstein did much to encourage the building of Life-boats in the days before this Institution was founded. The Institution has another, and personal, link with him in the fact that its present Chief Inspector of Life- boats, Captain Howard Rowley, R.N., is Mr. Angerstein's great-great-grandson.

Remarkable Feat by Two Life-boats.

The very much greater range of action which mechanical power gives is one of the chief advantages of the Motor Life- boat, but this does not mean that the Pulling and Sailing Life-boat cannot also cover great distances. It can, and does, although it is important to emphasise the fact that it cannot be depended upon to do it with anything like the same certainty as a Motor Life-boat. We have just had from the north of Scotland striking proof of the sailing powers of a Life-boat.

* * * # At four in the afternoon of 15th April the Coxswain at Thurso, on the north coast of Scotland, received a message from the Wick wireless station asking for help for the s.s. Pretoria, which had broken adrift from two tugs near Whiten Head, Loch Eriboll, thirty-five miles to the westward of Thurso. A strong northerly gale was blowing, with a heavy broken sea and heavy rain. The Boat was launched by 4.30, and proceeding under sail, reached the Pretoria three and a half hours later. She sailed round the vessel several times, burning flares, but got no response. She then made for the entrance of Loch Eriboll, where she found the two tugs, and learnt that one of them had got the crew of the Pretoria on board. The Life-boat stood by until ten o'clock. The weather had then got very much worse. She returned to her station, reaching it at 6.30 next morning.

She had been afloat for fourteen hours, and had covered a distance of no less than seventy miles.

* * * * The same message from the Wick Wireless Station had also been received just after four in the afternoon, at the Longhope station in the Orkneys, and a similar message from Cape Wrath.

Ten minutes later the Boat was afloat.

The distance to Loch Eriboll was forty- five miles, and this was covered under sail in four and a half hours, but no trace of the Pretoria could be found, although the Life-boat cruised about for an hour.

She then returned to her station, reach- ing it at five in the morning. She had been afloat for thirteen hours and had sailed ninety miles. Both these were not only very fine services, but remarkable feats for Pulling and Sailing Life-boats, and the Committee of Management have shown their appreciation by giving the crews of both Boats extra monetary awards.

A "Lifeboat" on the Irrawaddi.

I reproduce on another page a very interesting photograph which I have received from Mr. H. S. Hunter, the late Honorary Secretary of the Cresswell Branch, who, as mentioned in the last issue, left this country some months ago to take up a post at Rangoon. Mr.

Hunter has not been long in making Life-boat experiments in Burma, and no doubt he is right in claiming to be the first man who has ever fitted air- tight cases to a Burmese dug-out. This is his description of the photograph.

* * * * " It is a photograph of myself in a ' dug-out' on the Chinese border, 1,000 miles up the Irrawaddi. It tickles my sense of humour to claim that, since the Stone Age, I am probably the first man to change a ' dug-out' into a Life-boat.

I did so, as the photograph shows, by securing two 30-foot bamboo poles along each side. These poles are, of course, made up of air-tight sections about 10 inches long and 3 inches internal dia- meter. I am sorry to say that it was not very efficient as the bamboo was green, and, owing to the terrific heat cf the sun beating on one pole, steam was generated in one of the sections and it burst with a tremendous bang, shatter- ing the whole length of the pole." Sennen Cove and Appledore Motor Life-boats.

These two Boats left Cowes to go to theirJStations by sea on April 28th, under the command of Captain Innes, the Inspector of Life-boats for the Western District. The weather during their voyage was fine. Sennen Cove was reached on May 1st, and Appledore on the following day. Altogether the Sennen Cove Boat covered 226 miles in thirty hours, giving an average speed of 71 knots ; and the Appledore Boat covered 324 miles at an average speed of just under 7J knots. The new Motor Life-boats for Brixham and Selsey have also gone to their Stations ; and those for Bembridge, Buckle, Penlee and Barry Dock are nearing completion.

The Line-Thro wing Gun.

It has been decided to supply the following stations with the new Line- throwing Gun : Broughty Ferry, Sea- ham, Fishguard, Beaumaris, St.

David's, Fraserburgh, Port Patrick, Wick, Buckie, St. Abb's, Spurn, Dover, Newhaven, Brixham, The Lizard, Sen- nen Cove.

Tractor used for Salvage.

Unexpected uses are already being found for the Motor Caterpillar Tractors whose main duty is the launch of Life- boats on flat sandy beaches. At Rhyl on 14th April a boat, weighing eight tons, went ashore on a sand bank, and the Tractor was used to drag her off.

Station Branches.

I hope in future to record in these notes the special Letters of Thanks and Appreciation which are sent to the Honorary Secretaries or other officials of the Station Branches, and I have much pleasure in saying that, in accordance with the decisions of the Committee of Management at its meetings in April and May, Letters of Appreciation were sent as follows :— To the Teignmouth Branch, for the excellent condition of the station.

To Captain Stephen, Harbour Master, of Fraserburgh, for taking charge of the Life-boat on service on 15th March and the 6th April, when the Coxswain was absent owing to illness.

To the Coxswain and Crew of the Bembridge Life-boat, in recognition of their services in saving the motor barge Clipper and her two hands on 8th March.

To the Cullercoats Branch, for the excellent condition of the station.

To the Kessingland Branch, for a very smart launch on 1st May in connexion with the presentation ceremony to the Honorary Secretary.

To the Youghal Branch, for a smart launch on 25th April.

To the Dunbar Branch, for a smart launch on 27th April.

A Life-boat Dance in Ulster.

In the issue of The Life-Boat for Novem- ber, 1921, I recorded the bravery of our workers in Dublin who were collecting in the streets when fighting was going on, and who, even in these difficult and terrible circumstances, actually suc- ceeded in raising a larger sum than in the previous year. A somewhat similar story comes to me from an Honorary Secretary of a Branch in the north of Ireland, where a dance was held in aid of our funds at the beginning of May.

He writes : " You cannot realise how difficult times are over here, but when I tell you that there was considerable danger in having a dance at all, you will realise how splendidly those in charge responded to my request for help. The police were ready for any emergency, but, happily, their aid was not required.

However, they were on patrol all night." The dance raised £40. Another Branch in Ulster recently held a Sale of Work on behalf of the Institution, which realised the substantial sum of £70.

An Appeal to the Army.

It will be remembered that in 1920 the Duke of Connaught issued a per- sonal appeal to all those corps in the Army of which he is Colonel or Colonel- in-Chief asking their officers and men to support the Institution. As a result of this appeal the Institution received altogether nearly £1,000 from units scattered all over the worfd. This splendid response from only a small pro- portion of the Army decided the Com- mittee of Management to make an appeal to the whole, and this has now been issued. It will, in future, be issued every year, and it i? hoped that the Army will take its place with the Navy as one of the permanent and most generous supporters of the Life-boat Service.

Exhibitions.

Readers of The Life-Boat who live in London, or who are likely to be in Lon- don during July, will, I am sure, be interested to know that the Institution has taken a stall, and will show Life- boat models and equipment, at the Deep Sea Fishing Exhibition, which will be held at the Royal Agricultural Hall from 24th July to 5th August. The Institu- tion is also exhibiting at the Marine and Small Craft Exhibition, which will be held, also at the Royal Agricultural Hall, from 14th to 22nd November..