The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-25 00:00:00

A CONTRAST.

The following " contrast," which we copy from the
Times, is so just, so eloquent in its facts, and so beauti-
ful in its simple expression of them, that it does not
need a word of introduction:—

" Not many weeks since the Eclair steamer anchored
in Funchal-roads. _ _ .

The dread yellow flag drooped from her mast-head.
A strange and deadly sickness had swept off two-thirds
of her officers and men. Her captain and both her sur-
geons had perished. The wan, worn survivors sought
relief from the inhabitants of Madeira.
" The Governor of the island deemed it his painful
duty to forbid any intercourse between the plague-ship
and tho shore. Ile sternly commanded them to 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
sea, and cross the Bay of Biscay.
" There chanced, however, to be at Madeira, Sidney
Bernard, an English surgeon. This man and seven
seamen, volunteers from English merchantmen, came
forward and offered their services in takiag the Eclair
home.
" It is needless to waste words in praising their noble
conduct--a more signal act of cool disinterested devo-
tion 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, hav-
ing accomplished the humane task he had assigned him-
self, died also.

" A merchant at York speculated. boldly and success-
fully in railroads. He bought in as low as he could, he
uloodk, athned
hwehsteneerheehme
eaoduelad
72101.idneonutt.ainsvheisgtinh
eansthehecot
ptheari
the datmerri .:n which he had placed his capital should
be well mtifint....
‘, He was a c3,,,:-headed, energetic man. His gains
now an M.P., a large landed
were enormous. lie
pfcrprietor, and as for h/...,),,qssessions in railway shares,
oners can alone guess at
he and the income-tax comiuke,:
Hudson.
their amount. His name is Georp.
his,orations in
" Many people have closely watches:. 'pe Man
the share-market, and have imitated tL. em• y
people have sought his advice and followed it, .and many
hope to
people by so doing have made much money, anti .
make more by the same means. d
" So, in order to -evince their gratitude for past 84.-
future favours, the British public have got up a subocrip-
don to offer a testimonial to the most successful spee',l.Za-
tor of the day. In the list are to be seen the names
df
the noblest, the wisest, the fairest in the land. 20,000/.
have already been collected for the Hudson testimonial,
and money still pours in.
" Alai for Sidney Bernard and the gallant volunteers
of the Eclair Alas for their widows and orphans!
" No testimonial is proposed td 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 hundreds
to do homage in purse and person to the railway king,
but not a single individual has appeared desirous of re-
warding, or even noticing, the high deserts and melan-
choly fate of Sidney Bernard and his companions in
" M. L
danger and death.
" 105, Piccadilly."

•••••••••••••••••••........- -
Tun QUEEN OF DENMARK.—The new Hiltorical
Novel, Edited by Mrs. Gore, is to appear immediately. For
the English public it possesse:s, we
nd understand, a twofo
interest; as presenting a pleasing. a extenuating charac-
ld
ter of the unfortunate Queen Caroline Matilda, the fair sister
of George 111. ; whose indiffere.nee to her arrest and impri-
sonment, though usually imputed to a fnrther insight into
the justice of her sentence than was allowed to meet the
public eye, was, perhaps, owing to the singular .xample of
the irresponsible rights of royal husbands, exhibited by his
two predecessors on the English throne, and all but iructated
by his successor.