The Sun. — 1853-04-01 (London, England)

PRESERVATION 01' LIFE FROM SHIPWRECK.  Yesterday a meeting of the General Committee of the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of. Life from Shipwreck was held at the offices, John-street, Adelphi ; Admiral Sir. Thomas Herbert, M.P., in the chair.  The minutes of the previous meeting haling been read, and the election of Mr. Ald 'rman Thompson, M.P., as chairman of the institution having been confirmed, the committee proceeded to grant the following rewards for saving life :—The silver medal of the society to Mr. William Tegg, master mariner, and 21. to his boat's crew of two men, in consideration of their gallant conduct to the crew of the schooner Comet, of Bristol, which was wrecked during a gale of wind at the entrance of the Gunnel, on the coast of Cornwall, on the 26th ult. The schooner at the time was lying broadside to the breakers, and the sea making a clean breach over her, and the risk of life incurred by the above three must have been considerable, as it rarely happens that a vessel is wrecked under the circumstances in which the Comet was placed without the loss of life. Much credit was also due to Mr. Greet, R.N., chief officer of Coast Guard, for his promptitude in bringing the rocket apparatus into operation, by means of which the boat, attached to a hawser, was hauled off alongside the wreck. The silver medal was also voted to John Redforfl, coxswain of the new life-boat stationed at Cullercoats, in admiration of his intrepid conduct in rushing into the surf to the rescue of a poor fishing boy who had had his boat dashed to pieces in attempting to enter the haven during a heavy gale on the 26th of February. The boy's father and brother-in-law were unhappily drowned on the occasion. A reward of 3/. 10s. was also granted to several other persons who had very creditably exerted themselves with their boats in attempting to render assistance to the boy, but which was unavailable, on account of the proximity of the rocks. Mr. Robert Anderson, a magistrate of South Shields, transmitted an account of a most lamentable shipwreck recently on the Herd Sand. During a heavy gale and sea, a schooner was observed from the Larve with signals of distress flying coming round Tynemouth point, and making for the harbour. A heavy snowstorm having come on, the vessel was lost sight of. The Shields pilots immediately launched two life-boats, and proceeded to the scene of the disaster, but by the time the snow had cleared off, nothing was seen of the ship, and it was supposed that she had either sunk or gone off to sea. After remaining some time there, the wreck was discovered on her broadside some distance off. Without loss of time the pilots rowed off to her with all exertion, and (cold and severe as it was) being stripped to their shirts, they succeeded in 15 minutes, when they found her lying on her broadside with her masts in the water, and nobody on board. The crew, it appeared (from the wheel being lashed), had taken to the rigging, and when she turned over had been washed away and drowned. The life-boats lay•close to the vessel's stern, and the crew shouted as loud as they could, but there was no answer. Being convinced that there was nobody left on board, they with great exertion pulled back to the harbour. There were 37 men in the two life-boats, and they were paid 191. 12s. for their service. Other rewards having been made and grants sanctioned, in aid of the several life-boats, the proceedings closed.  SUlClDE.—Yesterday morning, about half-past nine, the neighbourhood of Southwell-road, Nottingham, was a scene of 'great excitement, in consequence of a report that Mr. John Bee, a respectable master butcher, had committed suicide by hanging himself in his own residence. The case is of a peculiarly melancholy character. About seven months ago Mr. Bee was left a widower, with four young children. Since his bereavement the unfortunate man bad become very desponding, and put an end to his existence in the manner above described, leaving four orphan children.