THE LIFE-BOAT, OR JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION. (ISSBBD Q0ABTEBLT.) You VIII.—No. 80,] MAI IST, 1871, [Pmcz Is. AT the ANNUAL GENEBAI/ MEET/NO of the BOYAI. NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION, held at the London Tavern OB Tuesday, the 14th day of March, 1871, His Grace the DUKE of HoBTH«MBE»i»AjsrD, P.O., D.O.L., President of the Institution, in the Chair, the following Beport of the Committee was read by the Secretary:— ANNUAL BEPOBT. The transactions of the Institution Osr this the forty-seventh anniversary of during the year may be thus summarized: the establishment of the EOYAL NATIONAL Life-boats,— Since the last Beport four- LIFK-BOAT IMSTCTCMOH, for the Preserva- teen new life-boats have been placed on the tion of Life from Shipwreck, its Committee coast, and stationed at the following of Management place before its supporters places : — and the British 3?ublie their Annual ENGLAND. Beporf. DUBHAM ..... Seaham. In doing so they beg to return their LINCOLNSHIRE. Chapel. warm thanks to all those who, by their NOKFOI.K ..... Palling. SUFFOLK ..... Gorleston. donations and annual subscriptions, haTe Pakefleld. enabled them successfully to prosecute the Kessingland. important national dnty which they haTe Thorpenesg, Aldborongh. undertaken, and they desire to express KENT ...... Kiagssfewne. their gratitude for the Divine Messing I>EVONSIUBE .... Morte Bay. •which has rested on their labours. It is true that, in reference to the funds, SCOTLAHD. a considerable diminution has occurred in BacHe. Banff. the contributions of the year. The Com- FOBFAS .... mittee, however, feel sure that this fact IEELAND. need not be atkibuted to any falling off in Co. XAKBOS BERET . Qreeneastte. the sympathy and interest of the public in the work of saving lives from shipwreck; New transporting-earriages and boat- it is rather to be accounted for by the houses have likewise been provided for nrgent demand for aid to the numberless several of the above boats. victims of the fearful struggle which, The Institution has now two hundred during the latter months of the year, was and twenty-eight life-boats on the coasts raging between two neighbouring nations of the United Kingdom and the Channel on the continent of Europe. Islands. During the past year these boats LIFE-BOAT JOEBSAI,—Yot,, Till.—So. : 26 ANNUAL EEPOET. [MAY 1, 1871. have rescued five hundred and thirteen their own strong arms and wills; and off they went, followed by the anxious gaze and hopes of persons from a watery grave, nearly all of the spectators on shore. The seas on the bar are whom have been saved under circumstances said to have been terrific, yet as each wave broke heavily over the boat, one throwing her up almost which would have precluded their rescue perpendicularly, she nevertheless steadily sur- by any ordinary description of boat. mounted them; and when over the heavy lines of surf on the bar, her oars 'were taken in and sails The Committee are thankful to say that were set, and in an hour more she had reached although many of those services were of a the distressed ship. Owing to the heavy sea, it was still a work of no slight difliculty to get her crew most difficult and dangerous character, yet on board, who, standing on the stern, had to avail that they were performed without serious themselves of the brief moments when the boat was raised high on the summit of a wave, and accident to any of the life-boats, and with- thus one by one they jumped into her, and all got out the loss of a single man amongst those safely on board. It had been thought that the life-boat would then have had to run to Stone- by whom the boats were worked. haven, ten miles farther north, with the rescued men, but fortunately the wind had veered more to Shipwrecks.—Although the shipwrecks the east, and she was enabled to return with them to Montrose; to the no slight joy and relief of during the past year were, on the whole, those who, with anxious and wistful eyes, had neither so numerous nor so distressing been watching for her return. The life-boat's crew were loud in their praises of the behaviour as usual,' yet the fearful catastrophe of of their boat both under oars and sails; yet what the foundering of H.M.S. Captain, with would be the value of even such boats without the daring courage and the skilful management of 500 persons on board, in the Bay of Biscay, such men ? When the character of this service is during a gale of wind, sent a thrill of considered, viz., the specially dangerous seas which, during shoreward blowing gales of wind, agony throughout the land, paralleled only break wildly on the bars of all rivers on so ex- by the wreck of the Royal George, which posed a coast, and the long distance of twelve miles on a lee-shore which had to be traversed, occurred nearly a century ago. it will be readily conceived that it would be The loss of the Captain, and the great diflicult to speak in too high terms of the noble courage and hardihood of the brave fellows by war, which has caused such terrible whom it was performed." devastation on the continent, will long On the other hand, the number of lives connect painful memories with the past lost by shipwrecks on our coasts during and present years. the year 1870, is stated by the returns The NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION made to the Board of Trade to be 791; has meanwhile continued unceasingly an- and in spite of the best regulations and other war, that with the elements—the the most vigilant instruments of safety, war between the life-boat and the storm; the elements will frequently baffle all and it may not be amiss to give here a human skill and precaution. Thus a win- brief account of one of its most recent ter can hardly be expected to pass without victories, as illustrative of the able and the loss of many valuable lives on and determined courage displayed by the war- around our shores, when we remember the riors in the life-boat cause:—• circumstances under which many ships "In the early part of the year a strong gale are lost, often during the dark hours of from the S.E., with a tremendous sea, was every- where raging on the shore at Montrose, on the the night; such as by collision with each east coast of Scotland, when a partially dismasted schooner, which turned out to be the Dtmia, of other, by being overwhelmed in mid-ocean, Aeroeskiobing, in Denmark, was observed to be at by being driven ashore amidst unapproach- anchor in Bervie Bay, about twelve miles north of Montrose, in a very dangerous position. The able rocks, or by striking on outlying rocket apparatus from the nearest coastguard banks on parts of the coast far distant station was soon on the spot, but the vessel being too far from the shore to be reached by it, a tele- from any Life-boat or Eocket Apparatus gram was at once sent to Montrose for the life- Station. boat and a steam-tug to come to the aid of the schooner and crew. As soon as practicable, the There can, however, be no doubt, as the life-boat Mincing Lane was launched, manned by Committee have had to state on previous the well-known and skilful Ferryden fishermen, and was towed to the harbour's mouth, when it occasions, that a large, if not an alarming, was found that the sea on the bar was too heavy number of the lives lost on our coast must to admit of the steamer being taken through it. After some consultation and an only natural slight be put down to the incapacity of masters hesitation, the coxswain and crew of the life-boat and the unseaworthiness of the ships determined at all risks to cross the bar, if possible, and perform the service without other aid than themselves; were these two great causes MAT 1, 1871.] ANNUAL REPORT. 27 of mischief removed, it cannot be doubted renewed efforts and skill to contend suc- that a large diminution of the lives on cessfully with the tempest. an average lost would take place. Thus, then, hundreds of persons have In addition to contributing to the been saved last year from the perils of rescue of 784 lives during the past year, Shipwreek by the Life-boats of the Insti- as is shown in the accompanying list,* tution, and thousands have lined our cliffs the Institution has assisted in saving and shores to watch them on their errands property of the value of many thousand of mercy, many of whom have doubtlessly pounds. lifted up their hearts to " Him whom No less than twenty-one ships have been the winds and seas obey," with thankful- saved from destruction by the Life-boats, ness that He had put i^ into the thoughts and in other cases the boats have been of men to provide for the rescue of their signalled off to vessels in distress, and have fellow-creatures in their hour of greatest sometimes remained for hours together by danger. them, thereby encouraging their crews to These Life-boat Services have, of course * The Life-boats of the Institution were instrumental in 1870 in rescuing the 'crews of the following Wrecked Vessels:— 1870. Austrian Barque Suez 10 Barque Ida Maria, of Dantzic 14 ! Herring-boat Jem and Fishing-boat Ship KenUworth, of Liverpool ...