The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-18 00:00:00

Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Yesterday a special meeting of this institution
was held at its house, John-street, Adelphi, to take
into consideration a communication from General
Knollys, as well as the unusually numerous ship-
wrecks that had taken place during the first days of
the present month; T. Baring, Esq., M.P., F.R.S.,
in the chair. There were also present T. Chapman,
Esq., F.R.S., J.P., Sir E. Perrott, Bart., Admiral
Al'llardy, Capt. Richards, R.N., hydrographer of
the Admiralty, J. Griffith, Esq., Admiral Ryder,
W. H. llarton, Esq., Capt. Ward, R.N., the in.
spector of lifeboats to the institution, and R. Lewis,
the secretary.

Gen. Knollys stated in his letter that his Royal
Highness the Prince of Wales would have much
satisfaction in acceding to the request of the com-
mittee to take the chair at the forthcoming annual
meeting of the institution next month. The com-
mittee expressed their high appreciation of the
Prince's kind and prompt response to their appli-
cation. The Lord Mayor had in the most obliging
manner placed for the occasion the Egyptian Hall
in the Mansion House at the disposal of the institu-
tion. Reports were read from different branches of
the institution detailing the noble services of the
lifeboats of the institution during the late gales. It
appeared that 31 lifeboats had been used on these
disastrous occasions, and that 113 lives had been
rescued from various shipwrecks in addition to
three vessels saved from destruction. The expense
of these services amounted to £390. It is satisfac-
tory to find that throughout those disastrous gales
not a single accident had happened to any of the
brave lifeboat men. The honorary secretaries of the
branches had also been as usual most zealous and
active on the occasion. The committee voted the
silver medal of the institution to Mr. Samuel Higgs,
the French vice consul at Penzance, for his brave
services in going off in the lifeboat to save six men
from the schooner Salome, of Brixham ; five men
from the schooner Selina Ann, of Looe, and six men
from the schooner Heiress, of Teignmouth. The
thanks of the institution, inscribed on vellum, were
also ordered to be presented to Mr. N. B. Downing,
honorary secretary of the Penzance branch, for his
able and untiring exertions on the above and other
occasions, when the lifeboat saved 30 men from four
different wrecks. The gold medal of the institution
was ordered to be presented to the Rev. C. Cobb,
in acknowledgment of his intrepid services in wading
into the surf and rescuing, at much risk of life, one
man who was in the rigging of the French lugger
Courrier de Dieppe, which was wrecked off Dym-
church, Kent, in a heavy sea, on Sunday, the 6th
inst. The committee voted the silver medal of the in-
stitution to a coastguard named Bathurst, who ably
assisted on the occasion. Mr. Cobb nobly plunged
into the surf, and was followed by Bathurst, the
latter having a rope round him, and Mr. Cobb hav-
ing succeeded in reaching the vessel, got the poor
fellow down, and with the assistance of the coast-
guard man who had joined him brought him safely
ashore. Other business having been transacted, the
proceedings closed.

Alderman Salomons, M.P., on the Reform

Question.

Last night at 8 o'clock, Mr. Alderman Salomons,
M.P., addressed a densely crowded public meeting
of electors and non-electors of the borough of
Greenwich, at the Literary Institution, High-street,
Deptford. The proceedings were at various points
of a most uproarious description, in consequence of
the presence of a large body of members of the local
Reform League and other advocates of manhoodsuf-
frage, who took exception to the alderman's views
on the reform question. The chair was taken by
Mr. B. Duval,who briefly referred to the objects of
the meeting, and was then followed by Mr. Alder-
man Salomons, expressed his views on various pub-
lic questions, as at a previous meeting held at
Greenwich. He was in favour of a reform of a
uniform rating for the whole of the metropolis, and
considered that some legislation was required to
render the capital embarked in railways and other
great works more secure. With regard to the reform
question, he did not think that its settlement would
be promoted by the holding of noisy street meetings
and other objectionable means that had been pro-
posed. (Cries of " When you were here last year you
told us to make a noise about it," " Turncoat," &c.)
Parliament was not to be intimidated, and the re-
form question must be considered in an amicable
spirit.
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the Well,
work-
ing classes might be proud of him. (Great uproar,
and cries of "Heis a recreant.") He was himself
in favour of a comprehensive reform bill, but did
not go the length of registered manhood suffrage.
(Cries of "We must and will have it.") Well, they
might get it some time, but it would be at least 20
years first. He would go as far as giving the fran-
chise to householders who paid taxes, and to lodgers
in certain cases, and should be glad to accept a good
bill whether from the Liberals or the Tories. He
quite believed that the Government would introduce
a reform bill during the next session. (Cries of
" They will go out of office," and great uproar.)
In reply to questions, Alderman Salomons said he
was in favour of the ballot, because it would lessen
the expense of elections. (Cries of " flow about
bribery?") He was opposed to bribery, and believed
that the ballot would tend to prevent it. He had al-
ways found the unavoidable expense of elections to
be rather heavy ; and if they would be kind enough
to return him free he sliould be very glad to build
them a school or an institution of some kind at a
cost of £2,000. A working man named Roberts ad-
dressed the meeting at some length in favour of
manhood suffrage, &c., and at the close of the pro-
ceedings, on the motion of Mr. Norfolk, seconded
by Mr. Marchant, a vote of continued confidence in
Alderman Salomons was adopted.

PROPOSED CONSERVATIVE DINNER AT FALMOUTH.
—Active stops aro being taken at Falmouth by the prin-
cipal supporters of the Conservative party to insure an
influential attendance at a dinner in connection with the
Conservative cause to bo held on the 24th instant, at the
Polytechnic Hall, Falmouth. It is probable about 300
persons will be present, including many of the leading
Conservatives of the county. It is probable that ono of
the Lords of the Admiralty will preside.