CRUISE OF H.M.S. DIAMOND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6570, 7 December 1882, Page 4

CRUISE OF H.M.S. DIAMOND.

The following is a very interesting account of the L.oeut c.-uise of H.M. s. Diamond amongst th* l I la-ids, from the pen of one of her otiUera : —O-i the 27ch of September last the Diamond Jelc .-iy ncy. As she steamed out of harbour io::ie le-v sorrowers had time to answer the dis ta:-.t 11 :rte:iug of hm J kerchiefs, and a swift sfv.-iu i iuucU ffjveil s checrin;; goodbye, and th .. we were left to ourselves, with the Heads usteiu. and two months before us. Sail was m-'.l'j the same evening, the screw raised, nnd the u-«»! sea routine commenced. This is u-jt o! jectionaMo, although night watches are undoubtedly a decided nuisance. Poi-ci'-'y there are romantic people who de-lia-.t to talk, about the beautiful solitii- e, th-a wave-crested spread of dart water, of th silence that is on tho starry sky, and about white sails bellying out so bravely iu the clear in onli^ht; but I should rather compare nty iiLas on the subject to what a respectable bu'jtewi would think if rousod up ia the oii i,ie of the night, and told to wrap up. and walk about for four hours betwoer. his front door iim! the next lamppost. The Diamond, with ,15,000 Bquare feet of canv;ia set, made steady progress close-hauled to a northerly wind, the best performance being 05 knots in eijihs hjurs. Tho pissage to Suva was rem uknbiy un.'ventful. That port was reached on October 12tb, the ship bein;; delayed outside by a thick mist and bucket* of rain, which latter continued at frequent intervals during the whole suy ; indeed, it sometimes stopped rainiii.:, and Came down anyhow. Suva is a town which looks as it it. had got there by mistake, aud could not help itself; but doubtless it will yet over that, U-.ving a vigorous growth and no small idea of itself. Two cricket matchos wore played -iu th- against n united team, the Sllvites and Levukires, who proved themselves very much Ui'.'.ites, as tho navy came oil second best; in th • second, against a scratch Suva team, the D itn >nd was to tho foio. Early on the murnin, of tho 18th His Excelluucy tho Governor o«me on board, and was received with m-.'ixvl yards and a salute of 17 guns. M .niii-yards is a very pretty .-volution in u mm of-war, wheie the men are sized aud the <1m: !iee botweon each acciiriloly kept ; <i:iierw;e it becoineH a miserable faiUne. Tho a'l.'-.mr was weighed immediately after the G v, "mtr'suriivftl, and the Diinmnil iiriived at ~pi., .Samoa, ou the U-Itu, and found there the I.up-ii it tjonirin corvotto (Juola, nnd « great deal of saluting tn-ik place. Hem was beautiful wo-.thcr anil plenteous enjoyment of ci ioket, Imm tennis, nnd bathing, and withal uo necess't'y to imitate tho regulation British .In si in an utterly different olinnto. October 125 was the anoiversary of the ship'" commisaionin,;, and si..co le .ving England ou Dec-ember 5, ISSI, she Ins been 221 days at sea, and 101 at anchor. Dmi'i;; those 221 days she has traversed .1010 miles under steam, -1330 under steam :ind sail, mil It 917 under sail alone, making a total of 21 ?.9'.? nautical milos. On the 30th Hit M jesty of S-inua visited tho Bhip, and was minted with 21 guns. Tho 3rd of November .saw her back at Suva, and tho Governor landed under another 17-gun salute, which make* a total of 7Colbs. powder expended in these old-fashioned and honouied couitesios. The Diamond lay five days at Suv o , leaving on the Bth for Norfolk Island, ariivittg at C "scade Bay on tho 10th. The shoregoers m j t with a most oordial welcomo from the it'anders and Melanosian mission, and the iunio-B had a noble galop over the lovely l-laud on their kind friends' horses. At 5 p.m. the ship sailed, Bishop Selwyn taking passage with us, and with light fair winds pxssbd Lord Howe Island on the 10th ; the next day a tine fiech breeze sent the ship 135 knots in 12 hours. This g'udually increased to a N.W. gale, followed by a southerly buster. _ On the 23rd target practice was carried out in the forenoon, aud ia the afternoon, 10, the Sydney Heads are inoosd astern, but the Diamond ia this time within the ooast line.