The Express.
London, England, 1853-07-08 00:00:00

PREsERVATIO.Y OF LIFE FRO3I SIIIPWRECA

Yesterday a meeting of the general committee of
the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life
from Shipwreck, was held et the ofbcos, John-street,
Adelphi. The Duke of NOIITHUMBERLAND, K. 0., Presi-
dent, in the chair. We also observed present Mr. Alderman
Thompson, M.P., chairmen; Admiral Sir Thomas Herbert,
Ml'.; Colonel /Newhard, R.E , C.D.; Thomas Chapman,
EN., deputy chairman; Captain Dames; Captain Ellerby,
R.N. . • Capt. 11. W. Hall, R.N. ; Captain Halsted, R.N. ;
Edward Hurry, Vag. • Captain M'llardy, RN. • Major
Palmer; Captain Lambert Parrott; Captain Washington,
B.N. ; and Captain Ward, R N., the inspector of life boats.
Mr. Liwis, the Secretary, having read the minutes of
the previous meeting, the &leer Medal of the Institution
was voted to Mr. Robert Sand*, a black man, master of the

wrecking schooner, " Oracle,"- in consideration of his
noble elections in saving, under Divine Providence, 160
lives from the emigrant ship, William and Mary, of
Beth, bound from Liverpool to New Orleans, which was
wrecked on the 2nd Mar last, off the Bahama Islands. It
appears that these islands are surrounded by extensive coral
reefs, situated at the mouth of the Gulf Stream, and are,
during the winter months, the dread of 13146:11)11 bound to
and from New Orleans—spites than three emigrant vessels
having been wrecked there during the put winter. The
ship, William and Mary, having been observed by Sands to
strike on one of these reefs, he immediately bore down to
her assistance. sad found the poor emigrants using all their
might to keep her afloat, and discovered that they had been
cruelly deserted ►y the Captain and all the sailors, with the
exception of two men, and who, to add to the honor and
consternation of the unhappy people, had taken with them
all the ship's boats. Seeing the ship rapidly sinking, Sends
and his brave crew, who were like him, black men, without
leas of time set to work at the pumps, while a por-
tion of the women and children were being embarked
on beard his own schooner. This having been
done, b• placed his vessel under the charge of his brother,
giving directions to take her to the t land. Sands
still remained on board the sinking ship, his brother having
just returned is time, in company with another Tease!, to
take off the remainder. Being unable any longer to keep
the ship afloat by means of the pumr s, she went down head
foremast before them all, two men narrowly escaping with
their lives by jumping into the schooner's boat. Ilad not
Bands gallantly gone off in the first instance, without
having the least knowledge of the inhuman conduct of the
captain and his crew. 160 poor creatures must inevitably
have perished. Sands' heroic conduct was brought under
the notice of the institution by Major D'Arey, commandant
of the troops in the islands; and as it appears that the ope-
rations of the society are ►imited to the coasts of the united
Kingdom, au exception in this instance was made in favour
of Sands, who not only deserves the warm approbation of
the humane. bate/so a suitable acknowledgment from the
British and American governments.
The silver medal of the institution was also voted to
John Store, a fisherman at Whitby, in appreciation of his
frequent exertions, when able, to says life from wrecks.
Steer and his family were proverbial for their intrepidity.
Some time since, when a sloop was seen on Whitby liar to
be in circumstances of danger. Story, undeterred by the
sacrifice of a brother who had perished in going off to a
wreck, immediately put off in an open boat to tne assis-
tance of her distressed crew. Such, however, was the
violence of the storm, that he was dashed out of his boat
and had his leg severely fractured in two places, and nar-
rowly escaped a watery grave.
Several life-boats were reperted to have been sent to their
stations during the past month, but we regretted to observe
that in order to pay for them a considerable portion of the
smaa funded property of the institution was again or-
dered to be sold. The proceedings then closed.