National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-04-26

in captivity fourteen of the unfortunate person:
who had been thus seized. Ofcourse five bitter years
had passed in slavery, because at the period named
the United States of America the country to which
they belonged did not possess sufficient naval force &c
compel the petty tyrant the head of the Agerine
government to do justice, In looking back at events
like these We feel it difficult to persuade ourselves
that the Nation was really powerless. and cannot
but suspect that in the strife of parties the struggles
Of opinion, and the pursuit of gain the suferings o
the distant captive overlooked or forgotten
Algiers and Portugal had long been at war
and though the latter seldom resored to
active measures against the town of its enemy, II was
very useful rest of the Christian world by main
! tanning strong force in the
| STRAITS OF GIBRALTAR,
rendering it difficult for any to find her way out
of the Mediterranean Contrary to all expectations,
this war was suddenly terminated in 1873 through the
agency of the British consul Algers and as it was
said without the knowledge of the Portuguese gov
ernment This peace or truce, allowed the Algerlne
rovers to come again into the Atlantic and its conse
quences TO the American commerce were soon
apparent. squadron consisting of four ships three
Xebecks and brig Immediately passed the straits
and by the 9Th of October 193, four more American
vessels had fallen into the hands OF these lawes BAR
barians. AT the time the Dey of Algiers, wao
| had commenced this quarrel, without any other
pretense than a demand for tribute refused all &C
commodation, even menacing the person OF the MIN
ister appointed by the American Government should
he venture TO appear within his doninions! During
!
| ten Americans and made 105 additional prisoners.
Shortly after these disgraceful humiilations
| came on also a general maritime war in Europe,
| in which
AMERICAN MERCHANTMEN,
as neutrals, were buffeted and captured by the
bellgerent powers, and especially by France, with
| scarcely pretense of respect for our national
| character. Then at last the young Republic
awakened to the fact that in order to command
Of tIaF 1.-Two fT1at hn
must be prepared to enforce her rights, and to
punish lawless aggression in distant parts of the
world as well as at home. These considerations OF
national necessity launched the old United States,
the Constitution, and the Constellation in 1877,
the first three ships-of-waf ever ahoat under
| the present organization of the navy. They car
ried in all 126 guns and were speedily followed by
twelve additional vessels, which were entitled to
carry twenty-five guns each. The creation of the
Navy Department took place under an act of
! Congress of April q, 179S, and from that time
forward the arrogance of civilized nations was, at
| least to some extent, rebuked, and chastisement,
| instead of tribute, paid to pirates. Early in
the dawn of this revival of the navy, when its
| glores were blosSoming afresh, Farragut imbibed
his first lessons of patriotism and invincibe cour
age 1t required astrologist to cast the stars of
his nativity, or to divine their influence upon his
career. He entered the world, and received his
our successes in an actual, though not declared
war against France, were the pride of the navy,
when the punishment inflicted by ourships on the
Barbary powers was ringing through the world,
and when the names of Decatur Porter, Preble,
cambridge Somers, Truxton, Lawrence, Stewart,
Hull, McDonough, Rodgers and Perry were rap
idly ascending, like blazing constellation to the
zenith of fame. The omens which presided over
the birth and
BOYHOoD OF FARRAGUT
would have .rejoiced more rational soothsayers
than the Greeks, and, indeed, they presaged life
in many respects more romance than an ordinary
reality. 1t reads like fiction, and yet it is fact,
that at nine years of age he received the warrant
of midshipmans appointment from the Secretary
of the Navy. Commodore Porter took Farragut
aboard ship, and made him literally child of the
sea at an age when boys are usually wearing short
clothes in their first forms at school. The of
1872 was near at hand. British aggression
and insolence had become unbearable, when,
in August, 1911, Porter took command of the
Essex, and Farragut, boy of ten, accompanied
his friend and guardian, destined to become the
head of the American navy, and to wear higher
rank than was ever before known in the naval
service of his country. 1t is easily perceived
from the start that this aspiring boy of tender
years
Undoubtedly
Was fashioned to much honor from his cradle"
His first experience in the naval service of his
country was such as to awaken in youthful breast
all those. high resolves and lofty conceptions of
duty which marked his life to its close. In Oc
tober 1872 the Essex stood out alone from the Del
aware and started on that immortal cruise which
gave an imperishable page of glory to American
history. She rounded the Horn, and in less than
year was mistress of the Pacific Ocean. picture
of her. as she lay at the Marquesas Islands, in Oc
tober, 1S13 has been drawn by the pen of Cooper,
and cannot resist its reproduction on this occa
sion. He says
The situation of the Essex was sufficiently remark
able at this moment to merit brief notice. She had
been the first American to carry the pennant of
man-of-war round the Cope of Good Hope, and now
she had been the first to bring it into this distant
ocean. More than ten thousand miles from home,
without colonies stations, really friendly
port to repair to; short of stores without cOnsort
and otherwise in possession of of the required
means of subsistence and efficiency, she had boldly
steeredinto this distant region, where she found all
that she required through her own activity; and hav
ing swept the of her enemies she had now retired
to these efrequented islands to ret with the Sc
curity of ship at home It is due to the officer who
promptly adopted and successfully executed this
plan to add that his enterprise selreliance and skill
indicated man of bold and masculine conception of
great resources, and of high degree of moral
that are indispensable in forming |
naval captain In the way of service to the public
perhaps the greatest performed by the Essex was
in protecting the American ships of the Pacific, |
nearly all of which would probably have fallen into
the hands of the enemy but for her appearance in that
ocean. But the positive injury done the English COM
merce far from tFifing. The Essex had now cap
tured about four thousand tons of its shipping made
near four hundred prisoners, and, for the moment,
had literally destroyed its fisheries in this part Ofthe
world. In October, 1872, she had sailed from America
alone with six months provisions and the usual stores
in her. and in October 1913, she lying in perfect
security, at island of the Pacific, with respect
able consor surrounded by prizes and in possession
Of all the that necessary render rgate
Of her class efficient
But THIS PICTURE OF TRIUMPH,
repose, and security was not to last. That great
power whose fleets eneircle the earth, and whose
ships of war the bulwarks of her existence and
honor, was speedily on the track of the Essex in
force. Her brief but brilliant
career was destined to close in desperate and
;anguinary contest with the odds of two to one
against her, On the 2Sth of March, 1914 in a
disabled condition, the Essex encountered the
Phoebe and the Cherub, one vessel of heavier
ate than herself, and the two together carry
ng 500 men as against 255 on board the American
Captain Porter had repeatedly challenged the
Phoebe, his superior in guns and men, to single
combat, and no higher compliment was ever paid
o American Valor than the refusal ofthe English |
eaptain to engage except with two ships against |
,ne. FarTagut young as he was, had mis- opinion |
If the conduct of the captain the Phoebe and it
8 found recorded in his journal. "He was
lealing with a far inferior force" says Farragut,
and it was ignoble in the extreme, on |
lis part, not to meet his foe, when he had the
host of an excuse for doing SO ship to ship" |
'orter. however, had taught even British courage
he value of discretion, and the chivalry of the t
cean was, for once at least dsregarded by British
ficers in their anxiety to destroy a formidable s
ntagonist. The action which ensued was sublime t
or its courage and horrible in its details on the
'art of the American. We read in history that i
ometimes youthful warriors have been carried to f
elds of battle in order to receive the baptism of