The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-21 00:00:00

LAUNCH OF THE LLAN.DET.DSO LIFEBOAT.

Seldom has any town in North Wales witnessed
such an inspiring pageant as that which delighted
the inhabitants of the modern ",Queen of the Sea"
on Tuesday last, in honour of the launch of the
splendid lifeboat, presented on behalf of two philan-
thropic ladies, by the Royal National Lifeboat In-
stitution.

The munificent gift arrived at the railway station
on the previous day, when immediate steps were
taken for launching her with befitting eclat to the
noble mission on which she came.
At noon on Tuesday the town wore quite a holi-
day aspect. The shops were closed, business being
suspended for the day; and from windows and
turrets floated a liberal display of flags and banners,
while the inhabitants, in festive attire, thronged
the station esplanade, the place chosen for marshal-
ling the procession. There, mounted oa her car-
riage, was the lifeboat, gaily decked in a fal: suit of
bunting, with the British ensign at the main, hav-
ing her gallant crew on board. The 7th Carnarvon-
shire Volunteer Rifles, under the command of Capt.
Edwards and Lieut. Farrant, were present as a
guard of honour. The guard comprised, with the
others,EnsignDarbishire's division from Pendyffren.
A team of caparisoned waggon horses:were yoked to
the carriage, and the procession, amid high and
hearty acclaim, began to move, followed by a train
of many carriages, the postilion leading on foot, and
arcer them an immenEe concourse of spectators. The
procession made a detour through the leading
thoroughfares, and arriving at a central point of
the beach in front of the Crescent, the earring° WW3
baukell down to the water's edge. Prior to the
boat being launched the assemblage joined in the
service for the occasion, conducted by the rev. in-
cumbent. An appropriate hymn was first kairg,
after which the rev. incumbent proceeded with
part of the 124th Psalm and a suitable prayer.
Lady Augusta Mostyn was then presented with
the bottle of wine, which was suspended to the
stern, and naming the boat the Sisters' Memorial,
her ladyship gave the signal:for launching. At the
tiller stood a gallant sailor, who had lost his arm,
and as the vessel left the shore her rudder un-
shipped, but the accident served only to show how
speedily such mishaps may ba remedied ; the one-
armed coxswain threw himself along the quarter-
tank, and in a trice shipped the helm. The sea
came into the bay in a heavy roll, with a strong
north-west blowing, which gave the spectators
some idea of the boat's seaworthiness, and the abi-
lity of her gallant crew, as they speedily righted
her on mounting to the top from the trough
,of the
wave.

The Rev. the Vicar of CONWAY, by the invita-
tion of his brother clergyman, then addressed the
assembled concourse. The eloquent clergyman
observed :—We are engaged in a blessed work.
The very name of it—a lifeboat—warms our hearts.
We hear every day of inventions for the destruction
of life, here are means for the preservation of life.
Look at the ocean before U 3 ; even now it wears
a sullen frown, and a little more would lash it
into: fury. You have seen ere now, its waves
ascending mountain high, and dashing against
your very doors—you have seen whatever vessels
chanced to be within your view, driven on
those jagged rocks or engulfed in the treacher-
ous sand. You have heard cries from the riggings
of these ill-fated vessels which have pierced your
very. hearts. At such a moment, what would you
not have given for the means of rescuing your fel-
low beings from a watery grave ? But no lifeboat
was at hand. The whole coast from Penmaenmawr
to Llandudno was one blank, offering no friendly
response to the cry of distress. But that God, who
brings good out of evil, did even by the awful catas-
trophe, which happened on the coast of Anglesey
by the loss of the Royal Charter, awake us to a
sense of duty. Probably no lifeboat there would
have proved of any avail, but we were led to think,
what it might effect under other circumstances.
Accordingly steps were instantly taken to secure
what had been so long required—a lifeboat for this
coast. That noble institution in London—the Na-
tional Lifeboat Institution—promptly furnished
every requisite information and aid to the com-
mittee which was here formed; and two sisters of
mercy, in the truest sense of the word, deter-
mined that the memory of a departed sister should
not be only perpetuated by stone or marble, but by
living monuments—by the grateful hearts not only
of rescued seamen, but by fathers, mothers,brothers
and sisters like themselves ; and if the spirit of the
departed sister be allowed to look down on earthly
seelies, we fondly trust that it sympathises with us
in the work of this day; And in regard to the ex-
cellent lady, who is beloved and esteemed by all
who know her, and who has this day kindly con-
sented to name the boat as " The Sisters' Memo-
rial," must we not feel that she will derive a double
satisfaction from the good work she has performed
when she reflects that this precious gift is the tri-
bute of sisterly affection. And now you gallant
crew, how, we envy the work you have taken
on yourselves—arduous and perilous as it is—can
there he a more glorious one ? Can there be one
requiring more hardy courage ? When launched
will
thebe tempest
fixed no
r
see upon
on the foaming ocean amidst the roaring artillery
of heaven,
you will neither hear
see the lightning, for your
70011,
whence the cry of
vi,
distress
rsems
sa small
rdoacreke
dis.
)iarlntdju 'beforeo will strain every nerve
to reach it. And when you have received into your
ark of safety those who have long been between
life and death, and are now well nigh exhausted
with anguish and despair, with buoyant hearts you
will retrace your course to the desired shore, and
when you have deposited there your precious charge
in safety, and hear from them the heartfelt excla-
mation, " Thank God we are saved," you will then
have your reward.
After rowing some time in the surf, the crew re-
turned, and the boat was speedily brought ashore.
The Sisters' Memorial is one of the R.N. Institution's
best double-banked lifeboats.

" God save the Queen" having been sung with
much animation, the interesting proceedings of the
day were brought to a close.
The cost (£200), as has been said, is defrayed by
two ladies resident in Liverpool, in memory of a
departed sister. A commodious and substantial
house, has been built for the reception of the life-
boat,
iher stores, and carriages. In fact, there is
probably not a more complete lifeboat's establish-
ment on the whole coast than that now at Llan-
dudno.