Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-09-12
Dinner Mt the Angler.

=. dinner which Taylor had prepared Mayor
sentor presided, and the members of the
Council were present. Gov. Donnison and
STAFF occupied honorable. positions at the
table. a..a. a.
Rev. Mr.. Bttinger invoked the blessing of
Heaven. T
After the dinner had been discussed, May
or senter called the assembly to order and
proposed the health of
. "Gov. sprague and staff and our guests
/ from Rhode Island"
. Governor sprague responded. He ex-
pressed his interest in the occasion and the
: attention which the representatives ofRhode
Island had received at the hands of thepeo-
, pie of Cleveland and the Mayor and
Council. They had not come merely for
themselves, but Rhode Island had sent them
to further bind US together in faternal
ties.
Gov. sprague then spoke of some histori-
cal notes which had been collected and ar
ranged by Hon. ]. R. Bartlett, Secretary of
State, which might be of interest, and which
he would read. He said:
As the present seems to be the occasion of
gloritying the State of Rhode Island and her
heroes. hope, Mr.. Mayor, that iu-reDlving
to your sentiment, l may be pardoned if I
add e little to this glorifcation, BY presenting
lew iacts IN relation 10 her naval and milf
tary history. -
Striking the first blow against British now
er in America, in the destruction of the Gas
pee, IN l772, Rhode Island NAV Justly claim
TO nave led the way in the revolutionary dra-
ma that followed. She was also among tbe
| hrst 70 protest against the oppressive acts of
] the King and Parliament seme wears earlier
l nave now to call your attention TO some
striking facts mot generally knOwn) relative I
70 the Colonial History of the State, for which /
l am indebted to its early records whichibave /
been arranged and edited by NV friend the |
Hon John R. Bartlett, Secretary of the State
OF Rhode Island whose deep research has Civ
en- the State and country one of the best gov
ernmental works of our Colonial History eT-
tant. Ny friend is among the Rhode Island
delegation here, to-day.
In examining the early records of Rhode
Island, twill be found that, during her whole
Colonial period, she was prominent for tba
extent of her shipping, at one time even sn--
passing, that OF the great city which is now
the commercial centre of the new world.
As early as 1858, when Great Britain was
at war with Holland, Rhode Island issued
commissions to privateers to cruise against
the Dutch, and during the same century sant
ner vessels to Europe, Africa and the West
LhdleS ior commercial purposes. From this
period 70 the breaking out of the Revolution.
and particularly during the wars between !
Great Britain, France and Spain. the sons
swarmed with her privateers The advsn-
tsges OF the tine harbors OF Narrapansett Rav
induced vessels from other places, not only
ts ht out, but to resort there with ther careoes
Inc success which attended these expeditiops
awakened spirit Of adventure and daring !
among our own people, which burst out in !
Iull force IN the destruction of the British
Eessei, the Gaspee, IN l772, and in the crea-
ton OF navy IN the war of the Revolution 7
winch followed. The facilities with which !
letters OF marque were obtained from the gov
ernment OF Rhode Island during the wars 1
alluded to, made 1t the resort of adventurers s
from all parts Of the country as well as from o
Europe -'-'
ruI I96S J3 50 fd1hefUus were tjrTvaUegrs rom our
little colony, that Holland, France and Spain Q
demonstrated with our mother country to /
put a stop to them. The notorious Captain Il
Kidd even sought shelter in our beautiful d
Bay, and narrowly escaped capture. Some D
OF his men were arrested there; and so nu- !
merous were the complaints against the colo
ny for the facilities with which letters of
marque were procured and for an alleged
protection to these early flGbusters, that G
commission was sent out from England to il
inquire into and put a stop to them. The Il
most stringent laws were then passed by the 4
Colony for the suppression of privateers. But
these transactions were the means of making
US a maritime people, and giving usa rank as c
such, which was maintained to the close of S
the last century.
From l745 to I76O, during which period f
England kept large fleet in the American
waters, she recruited her seamen chiefly from
Rhode Island. In our records are preserved
the letters of the British Admirals at Hali- /
fax, New York, and even in the West Indies, B
pressing our government to furnish seamen t
for the feet. Many letters are also preserved q
from William Pitt, asking also for seamen.-
These calls were promptly responded to, as
our records show. -
In the memorable war between Great Brit
ain and France, which ended with the taking t
of Quebec, and the fall of the French Empire S
in North America, Governor Hopkins wrote ,
to William Pitt that the war had changed ,
the course of trade into that Of privateering,
and that fifty prIUatesrs had been fitted out
in the Colony @ ---
% In the reduction of Cape Breton and Lon '
and the British officers acknowledged the
part she took in the memorable reduction of I
Havana in the year 1852. 1t may seem
singular that SO small Colony as Rhode |
Island should be able to contribute any ma
terial aid to so great power as Great Brit
ain. in the war in which she was engaged !
but simple statement from the records OF
the Custom House at Newport in I763 will
show of what we were capable. The books
there show that Rhode Island then had 1874
vessels bound on foreign voyages and 80
employed in the coasting trade, which, with
her fishing vessels, were manned with 2,200
seamen Imention these facts to show the
growth of our marine, but have now to
mention one which has more direct bear
ing upon the great event which we have met
I to commemorate.
Fort Oswego, it viii be remembered, was
built by the French and fell into the hands
ofthe English, to be retaken by the
French in I756. While the English possess
| ed it,a number of ship carpenters and seamen
were sent there from Rhode Island, probably
for a similar object to that which Commo-
dore Perry had in view, when ifty-four years
after, he brought a party of shipwrights and
seamen TO Lake Erie, with such magnificent
results. When the French re-took 0swego
| in 1855, they took our Rhode Islanders prison
ers, and sent them to France, where they re-
manned till the close of the war. Fourteen
of these men whose names we have, return
/ ed ---'--
In 1775, the first squadron sent out by the
/ revelted Colonies was fitted out in, and sail
ed from Rhode Island under command of
Commodore Hopkins, in which Paul Jones
was Lieutenant. They took two forts in New |
/ Providence, in the Bahama Islands, with q
| large quantity Of cannon, stores and amuni-
tion, and captured two armed ships on their 1
return. Rhode Island furnished two other 4
Commodores, Whipple and Talbot, who also |
di. itlnguished themselves in the war Of the |
Revolution. .-. Il .g--. ID.
/ have thus presented this brief sketch Of |
the n avail history Of Rhode Island, to show 1
that tue Hero Of the Battle of Lake Erie had |
before him examples of bravery in his native