The Mayor of Rye's Fund; Mcmcrials to the Seventeen Life-boatmen.

ON 22nd June a meeting was held between the Attorney-General (Sir William* Jowitt, E.G.) and the Trustees of the Fund which the Mayor of Rye raised for the dependents of the 17 Lifeboatmen of Rye Harbour who lost their lives when the Life-boat capsized on service on 15th November last. At this meeting the Attorney-General put before the Trustees the following scheme for the distribution of the Fund, which amounted to about £34,500.

" (1) Capital grant to be made forthwith as follows : £1,000 to each of the five widows ; £250 to the parent or parents of each unmarried son lost in the disaster. This would involve a capital expenditure of £8,000, being £5,000 to widows, and £3,000 to parents.

" (2) The balance of the Fund, which will then amount to about £25,000, is to be handed over to the Public Trustee for administration by him. He will be assisted by a local committee, consisting of seven persons whose names have been previously agreed.

" (3) The Public Trustee, acting on the advice of this committee, will administer the Fund so as to secure the maximum benefits to the dependents, and to see that there is on the one hand no premature exhaustion of the Fund, and on the other hand no undue accumulation which would result in a tontine for the ultimate survivors, or any undisposed of surplus.

" (4) A trust deed will be prepared defining the powers of the Public Trustee as to administration, involving the power to make further capital grants and to settle the question of who are dependents. The details of the trust deed will be settled by the Trustees in consultation with the Public Trustee and Mr. Idle [the solicitor representing some of the dependents of the Lifeboatmen] with power to consult the Attorney-General should any difficulties arise." This scheme was fully approved by the Trustees and was accepted by the dependents of the 17 Life-boatmen.

Two Memorials.

A memorial tablet made of Manx stone has been presented to Rye Harbour Church by the people of the Isle of Man. It was unveiled on 24th June by Sir Claude Hill, K.C.S.I., C.I.E., Lieutenant-Governor of the Isle of Man, and was consecrated by the Bishop of Chichester (the Very Rev. G. K. A.

Bell, D.D.). A special form of service was conducted by the Vicar of Rye Harbour (Rev. H. Newton) assisted by the Vicar of Peasmarsh (Rev. E. T.

Clarke, M.A., R.D.), and Lady Maud Warrender sang " 0 Rest in the Lord." Among those present was the Mayor of Rye (Counciller L. A. Vidler, J.P.), and the church was filled with members of the families of the seventeen men.

In unveiling the tablet Sir Claude Hill said that it was a message of love and sympathy to the people of Rye Harbour from that small island, set in the midst of the storms of the Irish Sea, which was the home of Sir William Hillary, and the birthplace of the Royal National Life-boat Institution which he had founded.

Besides this tablet at Rye Harbour, a memorial stained-glass window has been placed in Winchelsea Church.

The window is the work of Mr. Douglas Strachan, who executed the stainedglass windows which were Great Britain's gift to the Palace of Peace at The Hague.

It depicts a Life-boat putting out to a ship in distress, while figures on the shore watch it as it goes. The window was unveiled on 6th July by the Right Rev. R. S. Fyffe, D.D., late Bishop of Rangoon, and the ceremony was attended by the Mayors and Corporations of Rye and Winchelsea, and many relatives of the seventeen Lifeboatmen..