A CONTRAST. [From the Times, Nov.]

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume II, Issue 84, 16 May 1846, Page 4

A CONTRAST. [From the Times, Nov.]

Not many weeks since the Eclair steamer anchored in Funchal Roads. The dread yellow flag drooped from her masthead. A strange and deadly sickness had swept off two-thirds of her officers and men. Her captain and both her surgeons had perished. The wan, worn survivors sought relief from the inhabitants of Madeira. The Governor of the island deemed it his painful dut) to forbid any intercourse bptween the plagneship and the shore. He sternly commanded them fo weigh their anchor and depart. The scanty crew of the steamer, already insufficient to carry on the duty of the vessel, were daily becoming scantier under the attacks of the fever. The equinox was at hand. In this pitiable plight, without medical aid, they were on the point of being compelled to put to pea, and cross the Bay of Biscay. There chanced, however, to be at Madeira Sidney Briinmid, an English suigeon. This man and seven seamen, volunteers from English merchantmen, came forward and offered their services in taking "the Eclair home. Tt is needless to waste words in praising their noble conduct — a more signal act of cool disinterested devotion is not on record. The Eclair reached the Motherbank; the fever still raged between her decks. Many had died on the passage from Madeira; the pilot ■who boarded her in the Channel died, and the heroic Sidney Bernard, having accomplished the humane task he had assigned himself, died also.

A merchant at York speculated boldly and successfully in railroads. He bought in as low as he could, be sold -out as high as he could, and when he made a permanent investment he took the best care he could that the concern in which he had placed his capital should be well managed. He was a clear-headed, energetic man. His gains were enormous. He is now an M .P., a large landed proprietor, and as tor hit possessions in railway shares, he and the income-tax commissioners can alone guess at their amount. His name is George Hudson. — Many people have closely watched his operations in the sharemarket, and have imitated them. Many people have sought his advice and followed it, and many people by so doing have made much money, and hope to make more by the same means. So in order to evince their gratitude for past and future favours, the British public have got up a nubscription to offer a testimonial to the most successful speculator of the day. In the list are to be seen the names of the noblest, the wisest, the fairest in the land— all, all unblushing worshippers of Mammon. £20,000 have already been collected for the Hudcon testimonial, and money still pours in. Alas for Sidney Bernard and the gallant volunteers of the Eclair ' Alas for their widows -and orphans ! No testimonial is proposed to record their daring humanity; no subscription is raised to provide for the families of the dead, and to reward the unselfish courage of the survivors. Our nobility and gentry crowd forward in hunxtreds to do homage m purse and person to the Kailway King, but not a single individual has appeared desirous -of rewarding, or even noticiug, the high deserts and melancholy fate of Sidney Bernard and his companions in > danger and death. Verily, we are a nation of Shopkeeper* I