The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-25 00:00:00

LIFEBOA2 SER VICES.

WEXFORD, DEC. 22.
The Danish brigantine Freia, from Konigsberg
to Dublin, grounded on the Dogger Bank Sand, off
Wexford, on Thursday night. At daylight, on
Friday,:a pilot boat, and afterwards a fishing cot,
attempted to get her off, but in vain. Tie master
and crew declined to leave in either boat. A snow
storm prevailing, the wind increasing, and the sea
getting up, the master afterwards made signals for
the fishing boat to return immediately, but it was
now too late, for the sea was rolling so high that
the fishing boat durst not venture near the sand-
bank. As soon, however, as the vessel's signals of
distress were observed, the Rosslaire lifeboat, be-
longing to the National Lifeboat Institution, was
immediately launched, and having promptly been
taken in tow 6f a steam-tug, she soon reached the
scene of danger. The sea was now running very
high, but the noble craft, with her hardy crew—
after some skilful management, and incurring some
risk of life—succeeded in taking off the whole crew,
consisting of six persons. They were afterwards
safely put on board the steam-tug and brought to
Wexford. The lifeboat was reported to have be.
hayed admirably, and to have given her crew every
satisfaction.

DUNGENESS, DEC. 22.

Last night the schooner Nathaniel, from Ham-
burg to Dublin, and the barque Kingston, of Hull,
from London to Algoa Bay, got on shore during a
gale of wind and heavy sea, off Dungeness. The
lifeboat of the National Lifeboat Institution pro-
ceeded off to the assistance of both vessels, but
neither of them would accept of its help, although
the barque burned signals of distress. It was a
bitter cold night, and the inpccting chief officer of
the Coast Guard report 3 that the lifeboat's crew's
conduct on the occasion was most praiseworthy. It
was expected that one or both vessels, which were
now in charge of Deal boatmen, will become total
wrecks.

(From the .Lifeboat Journal.)

A beautiful illustration of one of the lifeboats o,
the National Lifeboat Institution proceeding off to
a wreck, from an exquisite picture painted by Mr.
Samuel Walterei a talented artist of Bootle, near
Liverpool, accompanies the journal of the Society
for the January quarter. He was induced to paint
it from a generous motive, to help forward the
philanthropic objects of the Institution, by bring-
ing before the public, by a peculiar process of pho-
tography, a correct and picturesque view of the
valuable services of one of its boats. The vessel is
supposed to have struck on the outer ridge of rocks
called the Filey Bridge, on the Yorkshire coast.
The raging sea, the wild and angry sky, and the
rocky coast are depicted with a vigour and a truth-
fulness of delineation, which serves to impress the
fearful realities of such a scene 'vividly upon the
mind ; while the sight of the lifeboat manned by
her gallant crew, proceeding steadily in the face of
the tempest, on her errand of mercy, conveys an
idea of the ability of th• lifeboat service, and its
claims upon the benevolent sympathies of the pub-
lic, which it would be in •vain to attempt to convey
by any mere verbal description. There is a matter-
of-fact simplicity, a living eloquence, in the ma-
terials thus brought together, and arranged by the
skill of the artist into so pathetic, yet so unexagge-
rated a story, that renders the appeal which it
makes irresistible.

The list of the important services rendered by the
lifeboats of the Institution during the year which
is just closing has its own significance. It tells with
unmistakable accuracy, and with a fidelity that is
too thankfully felt in many a sailor's home, that
two hundred of our fellow-creatures have been
rescued during the past twelve months from what
may be considered an 'almost certain death ; for
it should be borne in mind, that the majority
of these lifeboat services
m services were of such a charac-
eter that
any other human
agency.
possibly be performed by
Let us give one such
illustration out of many. A few weeks ago it
blew a heavy gale off LYule Regis. About eight
o'clock at night the alum
.wase given that a
vessel was in distress in the offing
indeed the intense darkness, the strong gals
entering the
It was pitch
dark;
and the heavy surf on shore Were enough, said the li
mayor of the town, to appal any man
lifeboat. After some short delay, however, the boat
was manned by a gallant crew—her coxswain,
Thomas Bradley, being early at his post.
Tar-
barrels were lighted up on shore, and the boat pro-
ceeded on her mission of mercy. Se truly awful
was the night, that nearly every one on shore
believed she would never return egain. After
baffling the fury of the storm, and after an absence
of about an hour and a half, the lifeboat did return,