ON llth May the centenary was cele- brated at Douglas, Isle of Man, of the Tower of Refuge on St. Mary's Rock, in the middle of the Bay. This tower was built by Sir William Hillary, the founder of the Institution, and the first stone was laid in April, 1832.

The five Life-boats in the Isle of Man —the Motor Life-boats from Douglas, Port Erin and Ramsey, and the Pulling and Sailing Life-boats from Peel and Port St. Mary—were all present in Douglas Bay, and the people of the Isle of Man and the Institution joined to- gether to do honour to the memory of Hillary.

The Institution was represented by Sir Godfrey Baring, Bt., Chairman of the Committee of Management, and among those taking part in the ceremony were the Lieutenant-Governor of the Isle of Man (Sir Claude Hill, K.C.S.I., C.I.E.), the Receiver-General, High Bailiff Lay, the Mayor of Douglas, Colonel H. W. Madoc, C.B.E., M.V.O., the Honorary Secretary of the Douglas Branch, and representatives of the other Life-boat Branches in the Is- land.

These and others were taken out to St. Mary's Rock in the Life-boats, and there, on the invitation of the Lieutenant - Governor, Sir Godfrey Baring unveiled a plaque which had been placed on the Tower at the entrance, by permission of the Harbour Commissioners. This plaque bears the following inscription :— " 1832-1932. In grateful memory of Sir William Hillary, Bart., the founder of the Royal National Life- boat Institution, who, a hundred years ago, erected this Tower on St.

Mary's Rock as a warning to all sea craft and as a refuge in case of ship- wreck. 1932." In calling upon Sir Godfrey Baring to unveil the plaque, the Lieutenant- Governor said that the people of the Island had shown their appreciation of Hillary's work in the best and most practical way by the continued, unre- mitting and splendid support which they gave to the Institution.

Sir Godfrey Baring, after the unveil- ing, recalled the great services of Sir William Hillary as the founder of the Life-boat Service and as a Life-boatman who had continued the work of rescue until he was sixty-three years old, and had helped to rescue 305 lives. " We are here," he said, " to commemorate a noble incident in a noble life. For a hundred years this Tower has withstood the gales and seas of Douglas Bay as a mute but eloquent symbol of the generosity, foresight and humanitarian zeal of Sir William Hillary. I hope that it will survive to the end of time and standing on this rock I must quote those lines which Wordsworth wrote of it: " ' A tower of refuge built for the else forlorn.

Spare it, ye waves, and lift the mariner, Struggling for life, into its saving arms ! ' " After the ceremony at the Tower, Sir Godfrey Baring went to St. George's Churchyard, where he laid a wreath on Hillary's grave. He then went to the Fort Anne Hotel, which had been Hillary's house for a number of years.

Here, at the invitation of the Mayor of Douglas,- he unveiled another plaque which had been in the wall of the old Villa Marina shelter, and has now been placed in the wall of the hotel on the road by the Life-boat House.

Speeches were made by the Mayor, the Lieutenant-Governor, Sir Godfrey Baring and Deemster Farrant, and the Life-boat Crews were presented to Sir Godfrey Baring.

Scenes from Life-boat History.

The Crews were entertained to tea, and in the evening there was a special Life-boat performance at the Gaiety Theatre with scenes from the Life-boat history of the Island. The first scene, in Sir William Hillary's library, was the discussion which led to the building of the Tower of Refuge. This was followed by a scene in a cottage near the sea, a hundred years ago, just after the Tower was built, and another scene showed the bringing in of survivors of a shipwreck. Towards the end of the programme came a tableau of the Life- boatmen of the Island.

During the performance speeches were made by the Lieutenant-Governor and Sir Godfrey Baring, who expressed the gratitude of the Institution to the Isle of Man and to its Life-boatmen.

Sir Godfrey Baring also presented awards which had been made by the Institution to Colonel Madoc, the Honorary Secretary of the Douglas Branch, Mr. George Sayle, the Honorary Secretary of the Peel Branch, and Mrs.

Harrison, Chairman of the Ramsey Ladies' Life-boat Guild..