The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-02 00:00:00

HER MAJESTY.

OSBORNE, Jan. 1.
The Queen, accompanied by Princess Beatrice,
drove out yesterday afternoon.
Her Majesty, accompanied by Princess Louise
and Prince Arthur, walked and drove in the
grounds this morning.
Prince Leopold and Princess Beatrice also went
out.

GALLANT AND l'Ek5E FERING RESCUE.

The following letter has been addressed to the
National Lifeboat Institution by a member of its
Bideford branch, on the brave and determined
services rendered by the crew of the lifeboat Hope,
stationed at Appledore, North Devon, on the 28th
ult., in saving eight of the crew of the Austrian
barque Pace, of Fuime

" BIDEFORD, Dec. 31, 1868.
"At about one p.m. on the 28th ult., Joseph
Cox, the coxswain of the Hope lifeboat stationed
at Appledore, was informed by the Coastguard that
two vessels were embayed, and would probably go
• on shore. He instantly assembled his crew, got
• horses, and dragged out the lifeboat on her car-
riage, ready for action. The vessel most in danger,
an Austrian barque, was soon discovered ; and as
she tried to work out of the bay the lifeboat and
her crew kept directly under her lee, moving
along with her. At length she grounded,
away flew the lifeboat over the Pebble Ridee,
and dashed into a terrific surf. The crew behaved
most nobly ; the boat at times was as upright "as a
ladder against a wall," and seas swept through her
from stem to stern, but they stuck to it, reached
the barque after anchoring ahead with the drogue,
and managed to make fast to her. The crew were
all assembled under shelter of the cuddy, and not
one would give a stern rope to the boat or move
from his position excepting one boy, who ran to the
side and dropped into the boat all safe. More than
five minutes elapsed without a soul stirring on
board. At length eight of them made a rush toge-
ther for the lifeboat, jumped helter-skelter over the
side, missed the boat, and fell into the water, but
were all but one picked up. A tremendous sea
now struck the boat, and drove her under the coun-
ter, where the rudder was carried away, and old
Cox all but killed, as he was jammed up against
the counter, but his lifebelt saved him, it being
crushed to pieces, however, by the collision. In
vain did the lifeboat crew appeal to the remainder
of the men on board the barque to come to the boat,
they would not stir ; so the lifeboat, seriously da
maged, and with the loss of her rudder, was obliged
to return to the shore, where she landed safely the
crew (more dead than alive) with their exertions ;
one of her crew is so seriously injured that it is
feared he will not recover. Old Cox was much in-
jured, but he would not give in ; nearly all his late
crew were too exhausted to go off again, and so he
appealled to the bystanders to man the boat. In an
instant she was more than manned, he and his son
and one other of the old crew going in her, and, in-
deed, the boat was launched with one too many on
board; young Cox steering with an oar in place of
the rudder—the stern of the boat being much
damaged. In this, state they had nearly again
reached the ship when a wave broke over the bow,
swept over the crew, and carried young Cox
(who was standing up steering with the oar)
right over the stern. The loss of the steering
oar made the boat broach to, and the next
wave found her broadside on, and rolled her
over, throwing all the crew into the surf.
As she righted the younger Cox managed to get
into her again, and one by one the brave fellows
all got on board, excepting old Cox. He had drifted
some distance, and they had only three oars left;
with these, however, they managed to turn the
boat's head round, and at last the brave old cox-
swain was enabled to clutch the blade of an oar,
when all but done for, and was got into the boat.
In the meanwhile the remainder of the crew of the
bark had climbed up to the mizen-top, and three
were afterwards drowned from not being able to
hold on in their exhausted state. The lifeboat again
reached the shore, and was dragged up on the
pebble ridge. Perhaps some will say that this is
sufficient to disprove all charges of want of pluck ;
but there is still more to come. Old Cox, more
dead than alive, called out for another crew, and
another crew were at his command in a moment ;
but -a difficulty now arose. The oars (save these
three) were all lost. Instantly a lot of horsemen
galloped off, with Mr. Yew at their head, for spare
oars, and in due time each horseman returned bear-
ing an oar. And now preparations were made to
launch the boat, but it was discovered that the tide
had turned, and had already dropped two feet, the
danger was rapidly passing away, and, moreover,
the third crew was not entirely composed of sailors.
Those on the spot (including Mr Yew) most wisely
interfered, and would not allow old Cox to launch.
Their wisdom was soon proved by the survivors •
from the wreck walking on shore. But I must
further add, that long before this happy finale had
taken place, the crew of the Raunton lifeboat, which
also belongs to the Lifeboat Society, not having
been able, after a most determined-and gallant at-
tempt, to get their boat to the wreck, had come
overland, and were clamorous to launch the
Appledore lifeboat, so that there were four distinct
crews of volunteers, two of which went off, and the
third and fourth were forcibly and wisely stopped.
It appears that the Austrian captain would not al-
low his crew to go to the lifeboat when she got
alongside, until at last in utter terror they disobeyed
him in a mass and rushed to the boat. Excuse this
hurried scrawl ; 1 am writing to save pest. I dis-
tinctly assert I have never known a more brave
affair with lifeboats than in this instance.
" The local committee further report that they
consider a more gallant service has never been seen
on the North Devon coast, or one attended with
greater danger to those engaged in it ; that the
launching and the landing again of the lifeboat over
the large stones of the pebble beach was a work of
much risk to all who assisted, and in doing which ,
several persons narrowly escaped serious injury.
"Surely England may well be proud of her
coast boatmen, when such proofs from time to time
are afforded of their indomitable courage and sclf-
devotion in the sacred cause of saving human life."

Miss Bateman, at the termination of her brilliant
engagement at theHaymarket Theatre, presented Mr. Jolt
her agent, with a central fire gun of most exquisite finish,
executed to order by those eminent makers Messrs. Lang
and Sons, 22, Cockspur-street. There can be no doubt nf
the shooting powers of the gun equal the style and wor/c-
-manship it will prove a most efficient weapon in the field.
The stock has an inlaid plate of gold, with the following
inscription :—" Presented to John Joy as a slight token
of esteem and regard, and in grateful recognition of bib
kindness during the past five years. From his sincere
friend, K. J. Bateman (Crowe). Christmas, 1868."
ROYAL INSURANCE COMPANY'S ALMANAC, 1869;
—lt again becomes our duty to bring before the notice c"
the public the annual brochure of the Royal Insurance
Company. Apart from the ordinary almanac informati°°
the elegantly decorated pages of this little annual 811°'/
much artistic ability. The title page exhibits a delicaci
of taste, and chasteness of design, rarely equalled, and the
twelve coloured representations of the company's builk
ings, in various parts of the world, are beautifully ele
cuted. We have pleasure. in commending this public3i
tion to our readers, and we are satisfied that the perusal 00
its pages, more especially that portion which treats of tli
principles of life insuranze, will prove very interesting to
them. Those who have not well considered the weiglit,J,
subject of life assurance, would do well to procure tillo
almanac, which may be had by application at the c°':11;
pany's offices, and should they have made up their mill
to insure (but we are doubtful as to which office WI
should adopt) we have hero a company with an annu:
income of £BOO,OOO, and a capital of two millions, wil°e
-
stability is beyond dispute.
DUNVILLE and Co., Belfast, are the larg 0
holders of Whisky in the world. Their Old Irish Whisky ftt
commended by the medical profession in preference to Free"
Brandy. Supplied in casks and cases for home use or export
tion. Quotations on application to Messrs. Dunville acKI
Belfast; or 4, Beaufort-bvildings, Strand, London
vertisictuout.]