THIRD PRIZE AWARD.

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 692, 18 November 1933, Page 8

THIRD PRIZE AWARD.

"LORD NELSON."

(Roxane, 13 years, Tarewa Road.) Sweet in manner, fair in favour, Mild in tmper, fierce in fight, Warrior noblei-, gentler, hraver, Never shall behold the light. Nelson has always appealed to me, as at home we have such lovely pictures of him and the one I love the best is "The Death of Nelson." Father spent his young days at Greenwich, where he was surrounded by the all the relics, paintings and traditions of England's "Inimortal Hero." He has told the history of Nelson so often that I hardly med the aid of a textbook. iNelson's mother died when he was nine, at that time his mother's hrothcr, Captain Suckling, came for a visit and while staying at the vicarage (his father being a clergyman), told so many stories of sea life that he determined to hecome a sailor. His father consented to his pleas on condition that Captain Suckling should take him, which his uncle willingly , did. In 1773, at Horatio's pleading, Captain Suckling got him appointed to an expedition to discover the North-W'est passage, although orders were given that no hoys were to go, but the commander was so taken by the boy's zeal that he consented to take him. They sailed; and in trying to explore this passage were constantly being blocked by ice and floes. The novelty of the scene dclighted young. Nelson, and he gained mtueh praise for his courage from Captain Lutwidge. One night a large white bear was prowling on the ice. Arming himself with a musket and joined hy a companion, he went in pursuit of the animal. A fog come on, and his absence was discovered. A gun was fired. He was ohliged to return. His captain reprimanded him for leaving the ship and asked him what he meant. "I missed fire, sir," replied the boy, "and followed the bear to kill him with the butt of my musket; but the gun fired and frightened him off." "Well. And why should you endanger your life!" "Sir," replied Nelson, "I wanted the skin for my father." He was then thirteen. Rise in Profession. He returned home, to be appointed to the- Seahorse, on board of which he endeared himself to all, working with the seanien, so that he would learn his profession thoroughly, although the other aristocratic gentlemcn sneered at an officer doing snch work, but his enthusiasm soon gained ; their respect. I Nelson was only twenty when ap1 pointed commander of the Bktdg-er sloop to hunt American privateers. He performed this duty so wcdl that , the next year he was promoted again. Nelson's greatest victories were: 1 Teneriffe, 1774, where he lost an arai. • Cors'ica, 1794, lost an eye; The Nile, 1 1798, wounded in the head; Copenhagen, 1801. It was here that he ignored the signal to discontinue the action, by putting his telescope to his blind eye and exclaiming "I cannot ; see it; nadl my flag to the mast!" . Trafalgar, 1805, Nelson's greatest and j last victory- It was at Trafalgar he ! made his famous signal, "England ex- | pects every man to do his duty," and ; also, alas, he received his fatal wound • on board the Victory, the 21st Octoj her, 1805. The character of Lord j Nelson, who fought in over one hun- | dred and twenty actions, and wh'o on | breathing his last said "Thank God i for having blessed the arms of Eng- ' land with success," is the greatest in j history. I He was huried at St. Paul's Cathe- ' dral and also a monument was erected i in Trafalgar Square, London. His j flag ship, the Victory, is at Portsmouth, where she laid in the harbour till a few years ago, but now is in dry dock. I