The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-06-01

cate was in London, making arrange
ments under the favorable auspices Of
the British government for the Formation
of an Auglo-American syndicate OF war
The Atlantic ocean now sprang into
new life. IL seemed impossible to mag
inc whence had come the multitude OF
vessels which now steamed and saileG
upon its surface. Among these, goina
westward, were six crabs, and the spring
arruored vessel, once the Tallapoosa
going home to triumphant reception
such as had never before been accorded
to any vessel, whether Of war or pace.
The blockade Of the Canadl port
which had been effectively maintained
without incident, was now raised, and the
syndicates vessels proceeded to an Amer
can port.
The British ironclad Adamant at the
conclusion of peace was still in tow OF
Grab G, and off the coast Of Florida. A
vessel was sent down the coast by the
syndicate to notify Crab G Of what had
occurred, and to order it to tow the Ada.
mant to the Bermudas, and there deliver
her TO the British authorities. The YES
sci sent by the syndicate, which was a
fast coast steamer, had scarcely hove in
sight of the objects Of her search when
she was saluted by u ten inch shell from
the Adamaut, followed almost iESnedi-
ately by two others. The commander Of
the Adamant had no idea that the war
was at an end, and had never failed,
during his involuntary cruise, to fire at
anything which bore the American flag,
or looked like an American craft.
struck, and ut the top Of her speed re-
tired to greater distance, whence the
syndicate officer on board communicated
with the crab by smoke signals.
During the time in which Crab c had
had charge OF the Adamant no commu-
nication had taken place between the
two vessels. Whenever an air pipe had
been elevated for the purpose Of using
therein u speaking tube, volley from 4
machine gun on tho Adamant was
poured upon it, and after several pipes
had been shot away the director of the
crab ceased his efforts to confer with
those on the ironclad. 1t had been
necessary to place the outlets of the ven
tilating apparatus Of the crab under the
forward ends Of some Of the upper roof
plates.
When Crab G had received her orders
she put about the Prov of the great war
ship, and proceeded to tow her north
eastward, the commander OF the Ada
maintaining a parting crack with his
heaviest stern gun at the vessel which
had brought the order for his release.
All the way from the American coast to
the Bermuda islands, the great Adamant
blazed Numbered and reared, not only
because her commander saw, or fancied
he saw, an American vessel, but to no
tify all crabs, repellers and any other
vile invention of the enemy that may
have been recently put forth to blemish
the sacred surface Of the sea, that the
Adamant still iloated, with the heaviest
coat of mail and the finest and most
complete armament in the world, ready
to sink anything hostile which came
near enough-but not too near.
When the commander found that he
was bound for the Bermudas he did not
it, unless, indeed, those isl
ands had been captured by the enemy.
But he did not stop firing Indeed,
should he find the Bermudas under the
American flag, he would fire ut that flag
and whatever carried it, as long as shot
or a shell or a charge of powder re-
manned TO him.
But when he reached British waters,
and slowly entering st. Georges harbor,
saw around him the British flag floating
as proudly as it loated above his own
great ship, he confessed himself utterly
bewiIdered; but he ordered the men at
every gun to stand by their piece until
he was boarded by boat from the fort
and informed of the true state of affairs.
But even then, when weary Crab &
raised herself from her fighting depth
and steamed to dock, the commander
of the Adamant could scarcely refrain
from sending n couple of tons of iron
into the beastly sea devil which had the
impertnence to tow him about against
his will.
No time was lost by the respective
governments of Great Britain and the
United States il ratifying the peace
made through the syndicate, and in con-
Guiding a military and naval alliance,
the basis of which should be the use by
these two nations, and by no other ma
tons, of the instantaneous motor. The
treaty was made and adopted with much
more dispatch than generally accompa-
MES such agreements between nations,
for both governments felt the importance
of placing themselves without delay in
that position from which, by means of
their united control of paramount meth
dds of warfare, they might become the
of peace.
The desire to evolve that power which
should render opposition useless had
long led men from one warlike invention
to another Every one who had con-
structed a new kind of gun, a new kind
of armor or a new explosive thought
that he had solved the problem or was
on his way to do so. The inventor of the
motor mad done it.
The treaty provides that all subjects
hostilities between either or
both of the contracting powers and other
nations should be referred to joint high
appointed by the two pow
ers, and if war should be considered
it should be prosecuted and
conducted by the Anglo-American war
syndicate, within limitations prescribed
by the high commission.
Tho contract made with the new syndi-
cate was of the most stringent order, and
-. 1 = II.