The Sun.
London, England, 1861-04-05 00:00:00

IcL 4D, STAMPED, SD.

ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTI-

TUTION.

Yesterday a meeting of the Royal National Life-
boat Institution was held at its house, John-street,
Adelphi, Thos. Chapman, Esq., F.R.S., V.P., in the
chair. There were also present Admiral Cator,
Capt. Sir Edward Peivatt, Bart. ; Admiral Sir Thos.
Herbert, K.C.8., V.P. ; Capt. De St. Croix, Alex.
Bodefeur, Esq., Admiral Bullock, Colonel Palmer,
and Admiral Bethune, C.B.

Mr. LEWIS, the Secretary, read the minutes of
the previous meeting.
A reward of £l4 was voted to the crew of the
Institution's lifeboat stationed at Portmadoc, for
putting off on the night of the 6th ultimo, during a
heavy of wind, and rescuing, after toiling hard all
night, seventeen of the crew of the ship Danube, of
Belfast, from New Orleans to Liverpool with
cotton. The ship's masts had been eut away dur-
ing the awful night, and eight of her crew had
abandoned her, and, with one exception, they all
fortunately succeeded in reaching the shore. The
poor man who lost his life was drowned in the surf
while attempting to land from the boat.
A reward of £l2 was also voted to the crew of
the Boulmer, Northumberland, lifeboat, belonging
to the institution, for putting off and saving four
out of five of the crew of the Hanoverian schooner
Hortensia, which, during stormy weather, thick
with rain, was wrecked on Boulmer Rocks, on the
night of the 27th ult. In consequence of the very
heavy surf on the shore, it being low water at the
time, and the night being very dark, much difficulty
was experienced in getting the lifeboat afloat.
Three times she was filled with heavy seas, but at
last her launching Was successfully accomplished.
After reaching the wreck, the master positiply
refused to leave it. Shortly afterwards the vessel
was driven to pieces on the rocks, and the master,
who was drunk, perished, entirely through his
obstinacy, not tOwever before the lifeboats crew
had made two most daring and determined 4-tempts
to save his life.

A reward of .£l3 was likewise given to the crew
of the lifeboat of the institution at Holyhead, for
putting off during the night of the 6th ult. and
rescuing during a strong gale of wind the crew of
four men of the schooner Elizabeth, of Bridgwater,
from their boat. The vessel had driven close to the
rocks, on which the heavy sea was breaking in
tremendous force. Her crew had tried to escape
by their own boat, but had failed from the violence
of the wind and sea. They were taken on board
the lifeboat and safely landed at Holyhead. Early
the next morning the schooner's crew with five of
the lifeboat men were put again on board the vessel,
which had held on, and which was afterwards
brought safely into harbour.
Payments amounting to £66 were also made to
the crews of the institution's lifeboats at Aberdo-
vay, Arklow, Ayr (in Scotland), Barmouth, Pad-
stow, Rhoscolyn, Whitburn, and Yarmouth, either
for putting off to ships in replies to signals of
distress, or for assembling during stormy weather,
so as to be ready for any emergency that might
arise.

The silver medal of the institution was presented
to Mr. James Cox,- coxswain of the Appledore,
Devon, lifeboat belonging to the institution, for his
general gallant services in aiding to save a number
of lives from eleven different wrecks on Bideford
bar. The society's silver medal was likewise given
to Henry Preetnan, in testimony of his gallant
services in the Whitby lifeboat, which did not
belong to the National Lifeboat Institution, on
the 9th February last, when he had gone off in her
five times to rescue five shipwrecked crews. The
silver medal of the institution was also voted to
Captain A. Dower, R. N. Barron, Esq., and £4 to
four other men for putting off in a fishing boat
during a heavy gale of wind, and saving, at great
risk of life, two out of six of the crew of the brig
Susan, of Cork, which was wrecked off Bal-
linacoerty, on the 19th February last. The crew
were seen early in the morning holding' on to the
rigging while the seas broke fearfully over the
vessel. The nearest lifeboat of the institution was

ten miles off, and while she was being sent for by
express the vessel was seen to break up, and the
heartrending cries of the unfortunate sufferers in
the rigging were distressing in the extreme. At
this juncture a boat manned by six daring men
was launched, and succeeded in rescuing two men,
four others having been unhappily washed off the
wreck and drowned.

The institution's silver medal was likewise pre-
sented to Mr. H. Cooper, Chief Officer of the Coast
Guard, and £3 to three other men for putting off
in a small boat, and rescuing at great risk of life
two men from a piece of the wrecked bark Florence
Graham, of Liverpool, which, during, a heavy
gale of wind, had been wrecked in Dingle
Bay. Twelve of the crew had previously unhap-
pily perished by the capsizing of the ship's longboat
in attempting to land.
A reward of £6, in addition to £lO received

locally, was also given to six men for putting off in
a boat and rescuing at great risk of life, four out of
five of the crew of brig Sir Allan I‘l‘l\Tab, of Mary-
port, which during a terrific gale of wind was
wrecked near Courtown, on the coast of Wexford,
on the 10th ult. After pulling three miles, and
after a most severe and determined struggle, they
succeeded in reaching the wreck and taking off the
crew in a most exhausted state. One poor fellow
died soon after he reached the land.
A. reward of £l3 10s. was also voted to the Crew
of two fishing cobles, for putting off and saving the
crews, consisting of 15 men of the brigs. Gr Ices, of
Seaham, and Juno, of North Shields, which were
wrecked in Robin Hood's Bay during a strong gale
of wind on Feb. 9.
Various other pecuniary rewards were also voted
for saving life from different wrecks.
It was reported that the institution had lifeboats

ready to be sent to Whitby, in Yorkshire, and
Irvine, in Scotland, and that a benevolent gentle-
man had presented £315 to the institution to en-
able it to plant an additional lifeboat on some ex-
posed part of the coast.

- The committee decided to form a lifeboat estab-
lishment at Aberystwith, in Wales.
An additional lifeboat contribution to the insti•
tution of £3O was announced from the Royal
Thames Yacht Club.

Payments amounting to £726 having been made
on various lifeboat establishments the proceedings
closed.

THE EXHIBITION OF 1862.

In anticipation of a speedy adjustment of the
present strike, the labourers of Messrs. Lucas and
Kelk have been actively engaged on the site of the
proposed building, getting the first foundations
ready. The ground, therefore, has not only been
broken, but a greater part of the outline of the
foundations excavated, and the concrete is now
being laid beneath the bed of gravel. Owing to
the enormous weights of some parts of the super-
structure the first foundations have to be made
with unusual care and solidity. In some parts the
concrete is laid to a depth of 15 feet, and over the
whole area of the building the average depth will
be more than three feet., If, at the meeting of the
trades' union to be held this day, the strike should
terminate by the men's acceptance of the proffered
half-holiday, the work of laying the brick founda-
tion will be at once proceeded with, and probably
within another month some 3,000 men will be in
full employ upon the building. The cast iron por-
tion of the edifice will all be made at the Staveley
Works, near Stafford. The order for the wrought
iron has not yet been given out, but it is probable
it will be executed in or near London. In the
meantime the Royal Commissioners have frequent
meetings, and are rapidly organising in every de-
tail the whole of the plan, the outlines of which as
to classes have already been laid before the public.
Two days ago, through Lord Cowley, they received
an official letter from M. Thouvenel, stating to the
commission that the Government of his Imperial
Majesty had heard with sincere pleasure of the in-
tended international display, and that the commis-
sioners might feel assured that the proposal would
meet with most hearty concurrence and support
from all classes of manufacturers in France. Yes-
terday the commission met to consider as to the
choice of a principal manager. This will be a most
important post, since the qualifications required are
that the gentleman should be of consummate ability
—a good linguist, of imperturbable good temper,
capable of working perpetually without any relaxa-
tion whatever, and, above all, accustomed to con-
trol an army of paid and unpaid assistants, the latter
being, of course, the most difficult of the whol°
team. There are only two candidates for this re-
sponsible post on the list at present, and the com-
missioners would not be sorry to have a
choice. The applications for space are now coming
in from all parts of the kingdom, but in a dilatory
whole and incomplete manner. As the larger
arrange-
ments for the display must be based entirely on
these applications, it is necessary
that the various
traders and manufacturers should send them in as
rapidly as possible, and aboveaaclirtehgautirl
they
and
eyshoufoldr
state clearly the amount Of 1313 e
what objects.