The Sun. — 1861-01-10 (London, England)

ROYAL RUJIANE SOCIETY.  ... -11' .-,r,  The annual meeting of the members of this society was held yesterday, at the offices, Trafalgarsquare; Mr. Benjamin Bond Cabbell in the chair. In the course of the proceedings it was mentioned that the annual subscriptions were not enough to pay the iceman's wages for one month of frosty weather, so that were it not for the bounty of a past age, the society would have to come to a standstill for want of funds, and that the last anniversary festival, instead of increasing the finances of the institution, involved a loss of more than £BO. The following are the facts stated in the report :—The total number of cases of drowning brought under the notice of the society during the past year was 156, in which 187 persons were concerned. Of these 137 were successfully treated by the medical officers of the society, while 15 proved beyond recovery; 27 were cases of attempted suicide, and in 22 cases the gallant rescuers were rewarded by the society. The general court granted 24 silver medals, 65 bronze medals, 14 testimonials on vellum, 16 testimonials on parchment, and 72 pecuniary rewards during the past year. The number of bathers in the Serpentine last summer was 68,792, and the number of casualties 27, including 5 attempts at suicide, 2 of which proved fatal. Up to Tuesday night 112 had been rescued from drowning in the parks during the present frost, the number of skaters having been 396,850. The total income of the society for the past year, including a balance of £4lO 2s. sd. brought forward from the accounts of the preceding year, was £1,897 12s. 7d., and the expenditure £1,689 12s. 2d., of which $604195. 11d. was paid in wages to icemen, &c., leaving id hand a balance of £2OB Os. sd. This report having been adopted, silver medals were voted to the following for their gallant intrepidity in saving the lives of others :—Mr. J. Pilbrow, 3d officer Peninsular and Oriental Company's ship Hindostan, saved the life of Major Ormsby, who fell off the gangway into the Hoogley, at Calcutta ; James Gant, A. 8., on board H.M.S. Termagant, leaped into the sea and saved Jas. Harrington, a boy who, in a fit of insanity, attempted suicide ; Mr. Laurence Cluny, midshipman on board H.M.S. Fawn, rescued an A.B. seaman, Alfred Dray, who had fallen overboard at sea off the Cape of Good Hope; William Anderson, master's assistant on board the Nile, saved on three occasions four lives under perilous circumstances. Had the funds of the society admitted of it Mr. Anderson would have been awarded a gold medal, Mr. J. Hawkins, acting mate, her Majesty's ship Curacea, at Monte Video, saved William Dowsell, who, in falling from the rigging, fractured his leg in two places and was perfectly helpless. Anastacio Romaldo, at Para, in Brazil, saved John Brown, who, in a state of intoxication, had fallen into the river, which abounds with underrcUrrents and is exceedingly mephitic. The particulars of this case were forwarded from the Foreign-office by Lord John Russell, a t the request of the British residents. Mr. Austin Cooper, of theAgincourt,saved Mr.W. Gardder, midshipman, of the same vessel, who fell over: board in Hobson's-bay. DonaldUrquhart,atDornock, N. 8., saved five persons who had been in a boat capsized while crossing the Forth. Ensign Chute and Private Quigley, Bth Regiment, at Spithead, saved J. Maennys, a private belonging to the same regiment. Rev. Dr. Dill, at Portsteward, county Derry, saved a lunatic named Hammill, who had leaped off the rocks into the sea. Lieut. Kennedy, R.M., her Majesty's ship Wasp, at sea between the Cape and the Mauritius, saved John Sier, A. 8., who had fallen overboard. Captain E. Hardinge, her Majesty's ship Persian, at sea, saved a boy who had fallen overboard. Mr..W. J. Hagen, medical student, saved, at Banagher, Miss Matilda Broadbent, who had flung herself of the bridge into the Shannon ; and Joseph at nunslett, near Leeds, at a great risk to his own Killgbeck: who, in  life, saved Joseph Sheldon, a boy, who had fallen down 18 yards into a draw-well. Mr. Baker having been elected treasurer in the room of the late Mr. 13. llawes, the proceedings were closed with a vote of thanks to the chairman.