The Sun.
London, England, 1851-11-21 00:00:00

THE PRIZE LIFE-BOAT.

The life-boat, built and designed by Mr. James
Beeching, of Yarmouth, known as the "Northumber-
land Prize Life-boat," being the boat selected from
280 others as deserving of the prize of 100 guineas
presented by his Grace the Duke of Northumberland,
has recently been towed by the Monkey steam-vessel,
from Woolwich into Ramsgate Harbour.
A trial of the Northumberland life-boat's sailing
was made on Tuesday, the 18th inst., from off the
adjoining harbour of Broadstairs, against the Broad-
stairs life-boat, designed, and benevolently presented
by Mr. White, of Cowes; the Broadstairs boat being
so much the smaller of the two, had not the same
chances, and was dropped in the wake of her more
aristocratic rival.

The next trial of the Northumberland life-boat
was made on the same day in the harbour of Rams-
gate, in the presence of Lieut. Wells, R.N., com-
manding the coast guard at Broadstairs ; Lieut. Sim-
mons, R.N., commanding at Ramsgate; Captain
Martin, the harbour-master, and a host of scientific
men of all services. The life-boat was brought under
a crane, and, by means of tackle, capsized with one
hand aboard—in 14 seconds she relieved and righted
herself, and there, amidst enthusiastic cheering, and
without more inconvenience than a wet jacket, stood
the inventor's intrepid son, Mr. Samuel Botching, of
Ramsgate.
On the day following the Northumberland life-
boat was manned by a picked crew of thirteen men
from the adjoining coast-guard stations, commanded
by Captain Charlewood, the inspecting commander.
She sailed for the Goodwin Sands, and behaved in
every way. most admirably. A revenue cutter, which
accompanied her, could hardly outsail the life-boat ;
and her crew declared their confidence to be so great
in her powers and qualifications, that they would not
hesitate to go out in her during the hardest gale or
through the heaviest sea.

The principal qualifications of this life-boat are the
power of self-righting, self-ballasting with water bal-
last in secure compartments, and of self-relieving
when capsized, in from 14 to 20 seconds. In addition
to these recommendations she is also a fast sailer,
very dry, steers well and easily, pulls lightly, and is
most capacious, having a double bank of oars, with
room aboard for 40 or 50 souls; altogether she is
most perfect and effective, and great praise is due to
her inventor, Mr. James Beeching, of Yarmouth.

MORTALITY OF BRITISH FIELD-MARSHALS.—
Within the last two years there have been no less than five
Field-Marshals who have died, vie. :—His Majesty, the King
of the Netherlands, appointed '2Bth July, 1845 (at Waterloo) ;
Sir George Nugent, Bart., appointed 9th Nov. 1846; Thomas
Grosvenor, 9th November, 1846; his Royal Highness Adol-
phus Frederick, Duke of ambridge, 26th November, 1813;
and, lastly, his Majesty Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover,
appointed 26th November, 1813, who died on the 18th No-
vember instant. The following are the present Field-Mar-
shals remaining, viz.:—His Grace Arthur Duke of Welling-
ten, K.G., G.C. 8., G.C.H.,appointed on the 21st June, 1813,
Colonel of the Grenadier egiment of Feet Guards, Coloael-
in-Chief of the Rifle Brigade, Constable of the Tower of
London, 29th December, 1826, Lord Warden of the Cinque
Ports, 27th December, 1828, and Commander-in-Chief of
the Army, 15th August, 1842, Ranger of St. James's, the
Green, and Hyde-parks, in 1851; his Majesty Leopold King
of the Belgians, K.G., G.C.8., and G.C.H., on the 24th May,
1816 ; his Royal Highness Prince Albert, K.G., G.C.8., and
G.C.M.G., on the Bth February, 1840, Colonel of the Scots
Fusilier Guards, Governor and Constable of Windsor Castle,
18th May, 1843, and Ranger of Windsor Home Park ; Henry
,
William Marquis of Anglesey, KG., G.C.B, and G. C,ll.
on the 9th November, 1846 (at Waterloo), *Colonel of the
Royal Regiment of Horse Guards (Blue), 30th December,
1842, Captain of Cowes Castle, 25th March, 1816, and pre-
sent Master-General
EsuTg7stleTdl,oaNn.—d 11:whenry • _ Grinnell, Esq.,
sent Maater-General of the Ornance.
disbursed the Arctic expedition of
whoseTH
in search of Sir John Franklin •
offered his two vessels to the Government
search, hoping that the rescue
tained.—.Ar7
TiToork.a.ToTrilibuz/Ittes.......iin
abandoned until his fate shall whose princely liberality
the Advance and Rescue
and his companions, has again
to prosecute the
of Sir John may never be
have been positively ascer
CAUTION T . 1 inquiry
day held by Mr. Wakley, M.P., at the Lord Wellington,
Wellington,
University-street, to inquire relative to the death of Sarah
yester-
Somerset, aged three months, who was found dead in her bed
t
on Monday morning last. It appeared that on Sunday night
last the child slept with her parents and its head was
tle
covered over with the bed clothes. Al four o'clock.
as.
sin
morning the mother knew it to be alive, and at ialf t
sufferingfrom a
she discovered it to be dead. It had been
proved that the child died of snffocaoiwo
cold. The surgeon (Mr. Clapham,t.obhfe.e22,mFr.rlaNnrcaihsi-ear
said
children were
ignorance of their
found dead it was perdfecitnlythdreieradbfueldsto
The habit of covering children's heads with ththreinugkhh
the
einany
mothers.
bed-
clothes was most pernicious and dangerous, and he believed
that in less than two months at least two hundred children
would die of being thus asphyxiated. Human breath was
a most deadly poison, and even a man could as effectually
kill himself by covering his head with the bed-clothes, and
breathing over and over again the same air, as he might by
taking prussic acid. In children, death was very easily
caused by these means, especially when there was any bron-
chital affection. He trusted that mothers would take warn-
ing by the cases that were daily occurring. Yerdict—.44 Ac.
cidental suffocation.