WE are very glad to record the founding of another Life-boat Service. It is in Iceland, is a voluntary Service like'our own, and makes the number of National Life-boat Services seventeen, of which number four are maintained by the State, while eleven are maintained by voluntary societies. This is the brief history of its founding.

In February, 1927, the Institution re- ceived from Mr. Jon E. Bergsveinsson, of Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, a letter to say that at the last convention of the representatives of the fishing in- dustries he had been appointed to in- vestigate the methods of saving life from shipwreck in neighbouring coun- tries, especially Norway, Sweden, Den- mark and Great Britain. He had per- sonally visited the first three countries, and he wrote to the Institution as being " the world's oldest society of its kind, which enjoys an experience covering more than a century, and, as the Institu- tion which has time and again evidenced that one of its objects is to share its experience with those who are less for- tunate," to ask for particulars about its methods and organisation.

These particulars were sent, and with them an invitation to discuss the whole question at the Headquarters of the In- stitution and to visit some of its Life- boat Stations.

A year later the Institution re- ceived a letter from Mr. Bergsveinsson, announcing that an Icelandic Life-boat Society had been founded : " I am sure it will be a pleasure to you to learn that a national organization has now been founded here in Reykjavik with the object of preventing accidents at sea or elsewhere and providing assist- ance for those who become involved in The last article in this series appeared in The Lifeboat for March, 1926.danger at sea. The society, which is called the National Safety Association of Iceland (Slysavarnafjelag Islands), was founded on January 29th, 1928. The number of members enrolled at the inaugural meeting amounted to 128, in- cluding 25 life members. The annual membership subscription for ladies and for men under twenty is 1 krone (equal to 1/1J), while adult men pay 2 kr., and life members pay 50 kr. once for all.

There are no paid officials.

" The object of the Association is the prevention of accidents at sea, drowning and other accidents, and to work for the provision of assistance for those who become involved in danger at sea.

" The Association shall do its utmost to educate the public in the causes of accidents at sea and the principal means of preventing the same. Its aim is to provide life-saving apparatus on sea and ashore, and to instruct the public in the importance and the use of these. It calls for increased safety of ships, and a more rigorous inspection of these. It desires to encourage Parliament, the Government and the public to support these safety measures by pecuniary assistance. It demands the amending of the laws of the land in this respect.

" The Association enters upon its career under the sincere and universal good wishes of the people.

" I can assure you that I have derived much useful information from the literature you were good enough to send me, and I doubt whether the society would yet be formed if we had not had the benefit of this. I shall therefore always regard you as one of our sup- porters in the founding of the Associa- tion and so remember you with grati- tude." Following this letter, the Institution received in June, 1928, a visit from a representative of the Icelandic Govern- ment, who was studying the organiza- tion of the Life-boat Service in different countries. He was taken to see the Institution's Storeyard at Poplar and the Building Yard at Cowes. He also visited the Life-boat Stations at South- end-on-Sea and Margate.

In October, 1928, we again heard from Mr. Bergsveinsson, who wrote: "The Association has been success- ful in the acquisition of members and funds to the utmost that could be expected. Men and women belonging to all the different classes of society have joined—State officials, artisans, farmers, merchants, shipowners and seafaring men have come forward. The oldest member is an octogenarian lady, while the youngest one is a newly-born, unchristened baby boy." At the same time Mr. Bergsveinsson consulted the Institution about the type of Life-boat which should be placed at the first Station to be estab- lished on the coast of Iceland, and asked if a Boat could be obtained in England.

A British Life-boat for Iceland.

Since the Institution was unaware of the type of coast where it was proposed to place this first Icelandic Life-boat, it found it difficult to give any advice, but as the Icelandic Society was in favour of having a Pulling rather than a Motor Life-boat to begin with, the Institution recommended a 35-foot Self-righting Life-boat, and offered to supply Iceland with a Life-boat of this type from its Reserve Fleet. This offer was accepted, and the Life-boat chosen was one which had served at Whitehills in Banff shire, and been transferred to the Eeserve Fleet in 1928.

She arrived at Keykjavik on the 15th April of this year. Just a week later the Inaugural Ceremony took place, and Mrs. Gudrun Brynj olfsdottir named Iceland's first Life-boat Por- steinn. Since the Inaugural Ceremony, so Mr. Bergsveinsson, now Secretary of the Society writes, a house has been built for the Life-boat " in Sandgeroi, lying in the centre of the most dan- gerous coastline in the Reykjanes Peninsula." Here the boat was stationed on 28th July last.

We offer the "National Safety Association of Iceland" our best wishes; proud that the first Life-boat of the most northern Life-boat Service in the world was built on the Thames and served first on the coasts of Scotland..