Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-04-25


| prompt and startling on the night air. al has,
| not yet begun TO fight And then iashine
himself fast 20 his antagonist, with oespsra,s
| can fought on until each ship was charne
| house, ard the gallant Englfshmau at lasl
pulled down his flag. The Richard went TO the
] bottom soon Afterwards from the injuries re,
| ceived In this terrible engagement with vessAl
| one-thtrd superior In effective armament. We
| need not wonder therefore when we read 10 the
histories or mat period that great interest was
| excited throughout Europe when the victor ar
rived In Holland with bis remarkable prize,
ana the circumstances OF her capture became
known. Ii appears that the British govern
ment was deeply mortified and bitterly In
| ceDsed. A demand was at once made upon the
Dutch government for the release OF all the
| English prisoners, and for the delivery OF the
| great American sea captain as pirate. British
pride was hurt, and thirsted for an ignoble re-
yepge. This foul scheme was trwarted, and In
FEBRUARY, ISL, after an absence of more than
three years. the commander OF the Bon Homue
Richard landed In Philadelphia covered with
iWperishaoie honor. | love this great heroic
character, and have dwelJ upon it here be-
cause the fsct Is too often forgotten that under
MS con maId battle was fought on the ocean
Ia support OF American liberty. which I'M
pressed the mind or the world as strongly as
The battle or Bunker Ill., or or Saratoga. |
nave dWelt upon IL also in order TO remind the
American people that the American navy, how
ever diminished It's resources has In every crisis
Oh our history, from the very beginning, not
oh!y met every DUTY. but aStODiShed the world
with It's bril- liant aud bloody exploits. The on
Gers OF Tie navy by whom am surrounded TO-
Gay, can ieok proudly back through the achieve
,ehIS or lneir profession TO the very first lind
~ notniEs Tor shame, nothing for watl nor
Illumination. Those who have sealed their de-
Eotoh 70 their country with their blood, " no
nave passed away In smoke and flame under
the lag at sea, had their eyes fixed unon cyan
les or heroic duty as illustrious as any in the
blslory OF The ages. The spirit OF the navy WAS
high and fearless rom the hour OF it Creation
AID IL has ever since remained a consnIcuons
!heater for the development OF all manly vir-
tues.
Admiral Farragut was born on the sth day or
July, 1901, Within twenty years or the close OF
the revolution, and within twelve years after
The formation or the government. He was
born amidst the associations OF the great strug-
gle for liberty, and he listened IN his Infancy TO
the then recent glories OF the war for American
independence His father was a soldier OF ITs6.
and he heard frem him, IN childish wonder the
thfiiifDg deeds OF our ancestors by lana and
sea. 1t is true that the lazy OF the revolution
nad ceased TO exist, but its memory was still
fIesh IL Is strange fact that during a period
OF more than fifteen years after the close OF the
revolutionary war this government possessed
no navy at ell careful historian On this sub
ject says:
while Washington and his ministers an
Feared TO be fuly sensible OF The importance OF
a navy, tie poverty OF the treasury alone would
have been deemed an insuperable objection to
eDcountering It's expense"
It would seem, therefore that the policy of
abandoning the navy on all occasions and 10
preference to any other branch OF the public
seryice, as a sacriiice TO the spirit of economy,
has an early and high origin; and yet yen-
ture 10 protest, in the Light OF American his
tory, that ii is policy far more honored In the
breach than In the observance Without navy
our national character abroad speedily sunk
into contempt and deriSion. With what a hit
ter pang We now read that the miserable pirates
OF Algters and other African barparians for a
number or years and without any attempt at
concealment, captured American vessels OF COM
merce and sold American citizens as slaves TO
tie Turks, cooper, In his History OF the Navy
OF the United states, " makes the following pain
ful and bumiliating statement:
sin the meantime, the Dey OF Algiers. dlscov-
eriDg that new country had started into exist.
ence, which possessed merchant vessels and no
cruisers, as matter OF course. began 10 prey
on It's commerce. on the 18th OF July, 1855 the
schooner Maria, belonging to Boston, was
seized outside or the Straits OF Gibraltar by a
corsair, and her crew were carried into slavery
This unproVoked piracy.-though committed
under the forms or G legal government, the act
deserves this reproach,-was followed, on the
3eth OF the same month, by the capture OF the
snip Dolphin, OF Philadelphia Captain O'Brlen
who, with all his people. was made to share
the same fate. On the 9Th OF July, $780, or
twelvemoDth after the organic alton of the
federal government, there still remained IN
captivity fourteen OF the unfortunate persons
bitter years had passed In slavery, be-
cause at the period named the tinted
States OF America, the country TO which
t laa, bell, belonged, dld not possess suflicient
head OF the Algerine government to do Justice I!
In looking back at events like these we feel II
difficult to persuade ourselves that the nation
was really so powerless, and cannot but sus-
pect that Ia the strife OF parties, the struggles
OF opinion and the pursuit or gain the suffer
lhgs OF the aist ant captive were overlooked or
forgotten. Alg1ers and Portugal had
long bt en- at war, and though The latter gov
ernment se!dom resorted to active measures
against the town OF its enemy, &c Was very USE
ful to the rest OF the Christian world by main
tanning strong force ia the Straits OF Gioral-
tar, rendering IL difficult for any rover TO dad
her way out or the Mediterranean. Contrary
10 all expectations this war was suddenly termi-
Gated In 1898 through the agency OF the British
consul az Algiers, and. as it was said, without
the knowledge OF the Portuguese government.
This peace, or Truce, allowed the Algerine
conseque noes to The American commerce were
soon apparent. squadron consisting OF four
ships. three xetecks and brig Immediately
passed the straits, and By the 9Th OF October
1898, four more American vessels had fallen
into the hands OF these lawleSs barbarlans. AT
the same time the Dey OF Algter5, who had
commenced this quarrel without any other
pretense than demand for tribute. refused all
accommodation, even menaclng the person OF
the minister appointed by the American gov
eminent should he venture to appear within
his dOmini0nS! During the first cruise OF the
vessels mentioned they captured ten Amerl-
cans and made one hundred and i've additional
prisoners"
Shortly after these disgraceful humiliatfons
came On also general maritime war In Europe,
In which American merchantmen, as beutrais
were buffeted and captured by the belligerent
powers, and especially by France, with scarcely
pretenSe OF respect for our nat1onal character
Then at last the young Republic awakened to
the TACT that In order TO command respect as
member OF the family OF nations she must be
prepared 10 enforce her rights, and to punish
iawless aggression in distant parts of the world
eS well as at home. These considerations OF
national necessity launched the old United
States, the Constitution, and the Constellation
IN 1891; the first three ships OF war ever atioat
under the present organization OF the navy.
They carried In all one hundred and twenty
six guns, ard were speedily followed by twelve
ad0lttonal 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 21th, 1885, and from that time
forward the arrogance OF civilized nations was
at least to some extent, rebuked and chaStise-
ment instead OF tribute was paid to pirates
Early in the dawn OF this revival Of the navy,
when It's glorles were poisoning afresh. Far
ragut imblbsd his first lessons OF patriotism
and 1nvtnc1ble courage. IL required no aStrol-
OgtSt TO cast the stars or his nativity, or
to divine their influence upon his career.
he entered the world and received bis first
impressions OF its hOnors and its duties,
when our successes In an actual,
though not declared war against
France, were the pride OF the navy, when the
punishment inflicted by our ships on the Bar
barry powers was ringing through the world
and when the names OF Decatur, Porter, Preble
cambridge, SOmerS, TruXtun. Lawrence, Stew
art, HUI, GcDonough, Rodgers and Perry were
rapidly ascending. like blazing constellation,