The Florida agriculturist., 1889-05-29


commission, appointed by the two pow
ers, and if war should be considered
necessary, it should be prosecuted and
conducted by the Anglo-American war
syndicate, within limitations prescribed
by the high commission.
The contract made with the new syndi-
cate was of the most stringent order, and
contained every provision that ingenuity
or foresight of man could invent or sug-
gest to make it impossible for the syndi-
cate to transfer to any other nation the
use of the instantaneous motor.
Throughout all classes in sympathy
with the administrative parties of Great
Britain and the United States there was
feeling of jubilant elation on account
of the alliance and the adoption by the
two nations of the means OF prohibitive
warfare. The public sentiment acted
even upon the opposition; and the ma
jority of army and navy officers in the
two countries felt bound to admit that
the arts of war in which they had been
educated were things of the past. Of
course there were members of the army
and navy in both countries who depre-
Gated the new state Of things. But there
were also men still living who deprecated
the abolition of the old wooden seventy
four gun ship.
A British artillery officer, conversing
with a member of the American syndi-
cate at London club, said to him:
''Do you know that you made a great
mistake in the beginning of your opera
tiOns with the motor guns? If you had
contrived an attachment to the motor
which should have made an Internal
thunderclap and a storm of smoke at the
moment of discharge, it would have
saved you lot of money and time and
trouble. The work of the motor on the
Canadian coast was terrible enough, but
people could see no connection between
that and the guns on your vessel. Ii you
could have sooner shown that connection
you might have saved yourselves the
trouble of crossing the Atlantic. And,
to prove this, one of the most satisfac-
tory points connected with your work
on the Welsh coast was the jet of smoke
which came from the repeller every time
she discharged motor. If it had not
been for those jets believe there would
be people now in the opposition who
would swear that Caerdaff had been
mined, and that the ministry were a
party to it..
''Your point is well taken," said the
sary to discharge any more bombs
which l hope it may not be-we shall
take care to show a visible and audible
connection between cause and effect.
''The devil take it, sir!' cried an old
captain of an English ship of the line,
who was sitting near by. ''What you
are talking about is not war! We might
as well send out Goldfish trust to settle
national disputes. In the next sea fight
we'll save ourselves the trouble of gnaw-
ing and crunching at the sterns of the
enemy. Well simply send a note aboard
requesting the foreigner to be so good as
to send us his rudder by bearer, which,
if properly marked and numbered, will
be returned to him on the conclusion of
peace. This would do just as well as
twisting it off, and save expense. No,
sir, will not join you. in a julep. l
have made no alliance over new tangled
inventions! Waiter, fetch me some rum
and hot waterv'
In the midst Of the profound satisfac-
tion with which the members of the
American wGr syndicate regarded the
success of their labors = labors alike
profitable to themselves and to the re-
Gently contending nations-and in the
gratiied pride with which they received
the popular and official congratulations
which were showered upon them, there
was but one little cloud. one regret.
In the course of the great syndicate
war a life had been lost. Thomas
Hutchins, while assisting in the loading
of coal on one of the repellers, was acci-
dentally killed by the falling of derrick.
The syndicate gave generous sum to
the family of the unfortunate man, and