After this, one might have reasonably thought that life-boats had become a recognised institution and a national necessity. Not so. For years afterwards there was hardly an advance made, and there was no organised society to work them. The Government was apathetic. In 1810, one of Greathead’s life-boats, carried overland to Hartley on the coast of Northumberland, rescued the crews of several fishing-boats. On returning toward the shore, the boat got too near a fatal rock-reef, and was split in halves; thirty-four poor fellows—a moment before the savers and the saved—were drowned. The authority before cited says that even now several of Greathead’s boats—exclusively rowing boats—are to be found on the coast; the oldest one is that in the possession of the boatmen at Redcar, it having been built in 1802. On seeing this fine old life-boat, which had saved some scores of lives, Viscount Stratford de Redcliffe composed some years ago the following verses, which were set to music:— “The Life-boat! Oh, the Life-boat! We all have known so long, A refuge for the feeble, The glory of the strong. Twice thirty years have vanished, Since first upon the wave She housed the drowning mariner, And snatched him from the grave. * * * * The voices of the rescued, Their numbers may be read, The tears of speechless feeling Our wives and children shed; The memories of mercy In man’s extremest need, All for the dear old Life-boat Uniting seem to plead.”