m, and 5 pounds, to Rodgers, in
acknowledgment of his noble conduct.

All round the kingdom the men are, as a rule, eager to man our
lifeboats. Usually there is a _rush_ to the work; and as the men get
only ten shillings per man in the daytime, and twenty shillings at
night, on each occasion of going off, it can scarcely be supposed that
they do it only for the sake of the pay! True, those payments are
increased on occasions of unusual risk or exposure; nevertheless, I
believe that a worthier motive animates our men of the coast. I do not
say, or think, that religious feeling is the cause of their heroism.
With some, doubtless, it is; with others it probably is not; but I
sincerely believe that the _Word of God_--permeating as it does our
whole community, and influencing these men either directly or
indirectly--is the cause of their self-sacrificing courage, as it is
unquestionably the cause of our national prosperity.

CHAPTER SIX.

SUPPLIES A FEW POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION.

I have now somewhat to say about the Royal National Lifeboat
Institution, which has the entire management and control of our fleet of
273 lifeboats. That Institution has had a glorious history. It was
founded by Sir William Hillary, Baronet--a man who deserves a monument
in Westminster Abbey, I think; for, besides originating the Lifeboat
Institution, he saved, and assisted in saving, 305 lives, with his own
hands!

Born in 1824, the Institution has been the means of saving no fewer than
29,608 lives up to the end of 1882.

At its birth the Archbishop of Canterbury presided; the great
Wilberforce, Lord John Russell, and other magnates were present; the
Dukes of Kent, Sussex, and other members of the Royal family, became
vice-patrons, the Earl of Liverpool its president, and George the Fourth
its patron. In 1850 good Prince Albert became its vice-patron, and her
Majesty the Queen became, and still continues, a warm supporter and
annual contributor. This is a splendid array of names and titles, but
let me urge the reader never to forget that this noble Institution
depends on the public for the adequate discharge of its grand work, for
it is supported almost entirely by voluntary contributions.

The sole object of the Institution is to provide and maintain boats that
shall save the lives of shipwrecked persons, and to reward those who
save lives, whether by means of its own or other boats. The grandeur of
its aim and singleness of