from the service of the Institution in 1920.) THE perfect Inspector of Life-boats should be a man of many parts. First and foremost, he must, of course, be a seaman; but he must add some knowledge of the art of the boatbuilder in order adequately to report on the state of the boats he inspects, and on any necessary repairs to them; of the wheelwright, for he must examine the lifeboat carriages, and be sure of their condition for transporting the boat over rough and uneven ground; of the builder, in order to examine and report on any defect in the life-boat houses; of the civil engineer, that he may do the same for the slip-ways; of the marine engineer, when he is inspecting a steam life-boat; of the motor mechanic, for motor life-boats; of the accountant, as he has to examine the branch accounts, and see that they are properly kept; of the orator, for he must on occasion speak in public on behalf of the Institution; and lastly, a little of the writer's craft must be thrown on to the heap, if his reports are to be lucid, and clearly understood at headquarters.

Tact and Patience In addition to such knowledge, he must show tact, and patience in dealing with all classes of men, from the lord of the manor, whom he seeks to interest in the local life-boat, to the fishinglad whose grievance against the Institution it may be his business to inquire into and, if possible, remedy; nor is it always with men alone that he has to deal, for alas! it is sometimes his painful duty to call on and condole with widows whose husbands have been lost in the service of the Institution.

I have described an ideal, one which, indeed, I have fallen far short of myself; but some of all these multifarious duties I have had to perform at various times during my career.

The life of an Inspector of Life-boats is in many ways an arduous one.

When visiting a station he always launches the life-boat and takes her afloat however bad the weather; indeed, the worse the weather the more useful and necessary the exercise; but this means that very frequently, especially in winter, he gets wet to the skin, and is unable to change till he can get back to the place where he is stopping, which is often not till some hours afterwards, when he has completed his inspection. He has practically no home life; he sees little of his family; he spends his time among strangers; he lives in uncomfortable hotels. But there are many compensatory advantages.

Pick of Picked Body It is a free, open-air, healthy life; it is full of adventures; it brings him into contact with all sorts and conditions of men. He receives much hospitality, and makes many friends, some of whom he keeps for life. Of these none stand out more conspicuously in my memory than the various coxswains of life-boats whom I have met round the coast. The pick of a picked body of men, they combine the simplicity of character of the fisherman with the moral qualities which go to make leaders of men.

Was it not on just such that the great choice fell in Galilee of old ? " Greater love hath no man than this, that he should lay down his life for a friend.".