The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-19 00:00:00

ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITU-
TION.

The annual meeting of this institution for the
preservation of life from shipwreck, founded in
1824, was held yesterday at the London Tavern,
Bishopsg,ate street, the Duke of Northumberland
presiding. There were present—Lord Talbot,
Admiral Bowles, Sir Chas. Rowley, Sir G. Tyler,
General Blanshard, Captains Maude, Ryder, Shep -
herd,'Perrott, Washington, Robertson, and Nairne,
Lord Donouglunore, and other gentlemen. The
report, which was read by Mr. Lewis, the secretary,
commenced by expressing the confident hope of the
committee that while showing the rapidly extend-
ing sphere of the operations of the institution, and
its proportional advancement in national import-
ance, the committee would likewise be able to show
its increasing claim for public support. The largely
augmented and still increasing number of the life-
boats of the institution had now made it truly na-
tional in its position as well as in its principles.
The committee continued to receive applications to
establish lifeboats on various parts of the coast of
the United Kingdom. They possessed already the
large number of 70 lifeboats. The committee con-
tinued to receive the most satisfactory reports
of the new class of self-righting lifeboats, on
Mr. Peake's design. The lifeboats of the insti-
tution during the past year had saved 132 lives
without the occurrence of a single disaster to the
boats or their crews. It appeared by the important
abstract of wrecks and casualties on our coasts, pre-
sented to Parliament by the Board of Trade, that
during the past year 1,140 wrecks had taken place
on the ccast of the United Kingdom, from which
532 of our fellow-creatures had met, unhappily,
with a watery grave. It was, however, consola-
tory to learn that during the same period the num-
ber of lives saved amounted to 1,668. Of this large
number, 399 lives were saved by lifeboats. The
total number of persons saved from shipwreck since
the first establishment of the National Lifeboat In-
stitution, and for rescuing whom, by its lifeboats and
other means, the committee had granted honorary
and pecuniary rewards, was 10,475. The lives of
374 persons wrecked on the coasts of the British
Isles had been rescued during the past year
through the instrumentality of those to whom
rewards had been granted by the institution.
Twenty-six silver medals, eleven other honorary
distinctions, and 543/. had been voted in acknow-
ledgment of these gallant exertions. Since the
establishment of the institution in 1824, 79 gold
medallions and 603 silver medals for distinguished
services had been voted for saving life, besides
pecuniary rewards amounting to 10,699/. From
the financial statement of the institution, it ap-
peared that 3,0111. had been expended in the build-
ing, repairing, and fittings of lifeboats, etc. ; 1871.
in exercising lifeboats, in addition to 6681. paid
through its local branches for the same purpose ;
787/. on lifeboat carriages ; 1,0971. on lifeboat
houses ; 5781. in rewards and medals for saving or
attempting to save lives from wrecks. The total
expenditure having been 6,9821., while the receipts
of the institution, exclusive of the grant of 2,0731.
from the Board of Trade, had been 3,2531. 14s. sd.
In order to meet pressing necessities, the commit-
tee had been compelled again to intrenoh to the ex-
tent of 1,500/. on the society's capital, the preser-
vation of which was becoming more than ever essen-
tial to secure the stability and efficiency of the in-
stitution, owing to the increased number of its life-
boat establishments. The committee regretted to
state that the present liabilities of the institution
for lifeboats, carriages, boat houses, &c., still
amounted to 3,1981., which had been solely in-
curred on account of their continued solicitude to
bprooatviede staebvleirshymeexrito.sedTllac
isieceimnwmtl an
iitte
committee efficient
hadthieplliefae:
sure to record a repetition of the munificent gift of
Mr. W. M'Kerrell, of Bath and of Hillhouse, Ayr-
shire. Last year that gentleman presented the sum
of 1801. to assist in placing a first-class lifeboat on
a dangerous station on the English coast ; this
year Mr. M'Kerrell has again offered the like sisal
to station a similar lifeboat on the north-east coast
of Scotland, where the fisheries are carried on, and
where great loss of life among the fishermen took
place last winter. The committee also desired to
refer to the liberal contributions, amounting to
2501., which the institution had received during
the past year from the sister institution, the Ship-
wrecked Fishermen and Mariners' Society, chiefly
collected in threepences from its members. The
institution was also to be benefited by two
legacies of 100/. each, left to it by Mrs. Jane
Davis and Miss Maria Peterson. The commit-
tee, in conclusion, appealed with renewed
assurance to the wealthier portion of the com-
munity throughout the land, happily removed as
most of them are by locality from pain of being eye-
witnesses of those scenes of distress arising from
shipwrecks. They felt assured that they should not
have to plead in vain on behalf of an institution
whose lifeboats, with God's blessing, has been so
eminently successful. On the motion of Admiral
Bowles, seconded by Mr. W. Cotton, the report
was adopted and ordered to be printed. Lord
Talbot moved a resolution, which was seconded
by Captain Shepherd, and unanimously agreed to,
pledging the meeting to make the objects of the
institution more extensively known, so that it
might receive that amount of public support
which would be commensurate with its important
operations. A vote of thanks was then passed, on
the motion of Mr. Chapman, seconded by Mr.
Montagu Gore, to the Lords of the Committee of
Privy Council fir Trade, and to the Marine De-
partment of the Board of Trade, for the im-
polipint and cordial aid afforded by the board to
the institution ; also, ..to the Commodore, Con=
troller.General, and Deputy Controller-General
and the officers and men of her Majesty's Coast
Guard service, for their continued valuable
assistance to the society. Mr. Thos. Baring, M.P.,
moved, and Mr. G. Lyall, M.P., seconded a vote
of thanks to his Grace the President, the Duke of
Northumberland, for his able conduct in the chair,
and fur the interest which lie continued to take in
the institution, which the noble Duke briefly ac-
, knowledged, observing that it was a labour of love
as well as of duty, in which they were all equally
engaged, and for which no especial thanks were due
for any humble services he had been able to render
to the institution.

---- ALARMING FIRE AT MAIDSTONE.—The town of Maid-
BELGIUM. stone was thrown into a state of consideralle alarm
In the Chamber of Representatives of Uelgium yesterday morning by the outbreak of a fire which lasted
ytsterday, M. Rodenbach and M. Vandeopeere- I several hours, and which at one time threatened to
boom drew attention to the fact that the revenue of destroy a large amount of property. Shortly after three
the post-office has for some time past, exceeded. o'clock a.m., as one of the borough police, named Baker,
.7,eansgeoliiinhlisiround4, while passing the saw-mill of D.lr.
the expenses by
that the government ought conFequently to fulfil I lofetrhsbeam-,toeet, he obsarved smuotketocbome
theing
an engagement entered into in 1849 to reduce 2,000,000 fr., and they insisted
from a part premise, which turned o
engine-room. He imintdiately gave an alarm, and in a
the postage, whenever that surplus was attained, short time Mr. Mundell, superintendent of tho borough
to a uniform rate of 10c.; they also maintained police, with the whole of his men, were on the spot, and
that a reduction to that fate would cause such an the engines belong;ng to the Kent County office and the
augmentation in the number of letters that it Anchor wera also speodil at the scene of conflagraticn,
would be profitable to the treasury. The Minister followed by the engine from the barracks, but owing to
of Public Works said that the government was the defective arrangera, nts for the supply of water, their
fav,:iirable, to the re luction, but thought that services were of very little use. Adjoining to the saw-
the moment was not opportune for effecting it ; mills was a large timber yard stocked with timber, and
that, besides, Various diminutions not taken into also a large carpenter's shop, and at t_h_eesrser:r was an
account by the honourable representatives had toI extensive malt-house, the property of m .16 '
be male from the 2,000,000 f., and that, though
quantity of grain. The
ley and Stacey, brewers, of
.Maidstone, which. a
very considerable q
con-
exceedingly well arranged the existing system was t
n 9
being subjected to improvements which were whole of these premises were very speedily on fire,
and t,.e flames, from the inflammable nature of the ma-
causing expense. M. Orts announced that, in the terials, shot an immense distance into the air, and illu-
mined the horizon for many miles. In about four hours
discussing of the budget of ways Rad means, he
would bring forward the question whether the the fire was got under, but the whole of the premises
general situation of the finances would not allow above mentioned were entirely destroyed. The damage
the reduction of the postage to be effected without is estimated at 8,0001., only a small portion of which, it
inconvenience. The Minister of Finance con- appears, is covered by insurance.