The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-11-06 00:00:00

A BRAVE CAREER.

Our naval service., as every one known, teems with
recerde of heroism and self-sacrifice. But it is not in
the Iteyal Nave alone that such instances of gallantry
are to be fent d. as the following record wall show :
The late Mr. Cherlee C. 11,,,1gn0n, chief officer of the
Royal Mail screw steamer Nervy, began his career
as midshipman of the Queen, East Inuiamln. He
then entered the service of the West India Mail
Company, and was fourth officer of the Area during
the Russian War. In the tremendous hurricane
of November, 1654, in which the Avon ear.
rawly escaped destruction, Mr. diode:son, after seeing
his own ship eafe in harbour, called for volunteers,
ant in one of the A c.e's boats went outside, in the
teeth of the storm, to render assistance to the perish-
ing crews of other vessels. In isfil, wden second
officer of the same ship at Colon, he was wrecked in
the hurricane of November 22, when, after barely
escaping with his life, he volunteered with a boat's
crew to board the U sited Stat.,' corvette Bainbridge,
which had parted from her anchors in the ease gale.
For this service he was presented by President Lincoln
with a magnificent gold chronometer, suitably inscribed,
and received a silver medal from the Suipwreckea
Mariners' Society. In 1867, while in temporary com-
mand of the Wye, in the absence of its captain, he enceen-
tered the fearful hurricane which devastated St.
Thomas, and the neichbouring islands. In this emer-
gency Mr. llod;sen had nothing left for it but to slip
his cable, and steam full speed for an offing. While
performing tl,is difficult task Mr. Hodgson bad his arm
broken by a spar, the ship'e compasses were destroyed
by lightning, and she went ashore on Buck Islaod.
Mr. Hodgson's life was again preserved, and after
severe wiffering he returned to England. In Septems
her, 180, he nailed on his last voyage in the A trots,
, and became chief officer of the Menu. At Barhadoen
' he was atta, krd by yellow fever, which cut short his
promising career at the age of 33.

THE GREAT AUSTRALIAN DIAMOND.
When the August mail left Australia there was some
excitement as to the eutiposed discovery of a monster
diamond in the New Elieland district, New Seuth
Wales, by a Mr. Townstinil (gays the )11,14ourne Argus
of Sept. 11.) The weight of the stone was civin as over
7oz. It had been safely deposited in the Sydney Mint.
The excitement about the discovery WAR prolonged for
some days in consequence of certain eiffic,,itirs
prevented the stone from being ex:imbued awl te to eil
after its arrival at the Mint. When these diffistub ire
were removed. however, and the stonehar ded ove r Vale
Rev. W. B. Clarke, the eminent geologist, for examine.
tine, it turned out to be merely a piece of rock crystal.
The " monster diamond " was moth talked of from
the time its discovery was made known at Tamworth,
New England district, until all doubts respecting its
quality were set at rest. Several persona conceived
the idea of formirg a company for hying the stone
while SR yet it was lying unexamined at the Mint,
being detained on account of a claim made by the Ana-
tralian Steam Navigation Company for freight at the
rate of onweighth per ceut, for carrying it, in the gold
escort box, from Newcastle to Sydney. It was bought
for £560 on behalf of ten persons. Seven of the ten pro-
prietors agreed to divide their tenth interest into scrip
of ten each, and to Pell five of each interest at 21.0 each.
There was a great run upon the shares, which soon went
up to a premium. The fot mation of this company and the
delay in the examination of the stone naturally tended
i increase the excitement very much. Te or three
days after the purchase of the stone the shareholders
got delivery of it from the Mint by eatisfying the
claims of the company (4.5), and giving the inlet
authorities an indemnity against all risk. The next
stage was the application of tests, which proved the
diamond to be a piece of crystal. The stone is now in
Melbourne. It might have been supposed that the
excitement and consequent disappointment which
arose in connexion with the " monster diamond"
would have had an injurious effect upon the enterprise
of which we are now seeing the beginning, but the
result has simply been to render people less
inclined to believe in the finding of big diamonds, the
confidence in small ones being as strong as ever.