The sun., 1892-10-23

piece OF biographical writing.
L.
There are several curious things about Da-
vid Glasgow Farragut One ia that on his
fathers side he was Of unmixed Spanish de-
scent. His father. George Farragut. was born
In the island OF Minorca, and 1t was In 1770.
while that island was in the hands OF Great
Britain. that he emigrated to North America
and settled In eastern Tennessee. Here he
married. and here. on July S. 1901. his second
son. tho future Admiral. was born. Soon
atterward George Farragut moved with his
family to Louisiana. and hero. in 1903. oc-
Cured an incident which brought into close
relations two families conspicuous In the an
nails OF tho navy. While the elder Farragut
was fishing ono day on Lake Ponchartrain he
fell In with boat in which was an old man
prostrated by the heat Of the sun. He took tho
sufferer to his own house. where no was cared
for and nureed till he died. The man thus
cared for was David Porter. tho father Of
tho Capt. David Porter who afterward COM
msnded the frigata Essex In her celebrated
cruise In the Pacific during the years 1894,
and grandfather OF the still more dis
tinguished Admiral. David d. Porter. who.
moro than half q century later. served with
David Farragut on tho Mississippi in the
SiNh Nhptulu OIs as ITO tnen WAS NjOnl-
mander Porter. was deeply grateful for the
kindness shown to his father by FarraRut, and
proposed to adopt one OF his children. The
offer was promptly accepted BY young David
Farragut dazzled by the Commanders uni |
form and by that Of his own elder brother. |
William who short time before had received |
q midshipman's warrant. The boy returned |
to New Orleans with his new protector. |
and few months later wns placed
at school. first In Washington and afterward |
in Chester. Pa He received q midship- |
years old. and in August, 1871. he joined at |
Norfolk the frigate Essex. which Commander
Porter had been ordered to commission. He |
accompanied Porter throughout his long and |
adventurous cruise. and 1t Is note worthy that, |
though only boy oftwelve he was selected to |
command tho party OF eeamen detailed to
manage the Barclay. IN American ship re-
captured by the Essex. Young Farrasut was
three months short OF being 13 years old
when the Essex was surrendered off VAL |
paraiso after fighting two hours and a half |
against an immense preponderance OF force
represented by tho British ships Phoebe and |
Cherub. During the action he was constantly
under the Captains eye. and conducted him.
self 40 calantly as to call forth particular men.
tion In the dispatches. After the capture an
amusing incident occurred on board tho
PhGbe. The boy Farragut was reused from
a state OF profound detection by seeing a pet
pig belonging to the Essex In the custody OF
one OF tho PhPbes midshipmen. He at once
set up a claim to the porker as being private
property. and. the claim being resisted. do
manded that the doubtful question should be
decided by trial OF battle. ring being formed |
around tho two midshipmen. Farragut. after
q short contest. succeeded in thrashing his
mi ant a nd ra0afniDD fha niv opJ ,pt<h L.
certain amount OF complacency in that one
Briton at least had felt the pangs Of defeat.
In 1920 Farragut passed the examination
required OF oil midshipmen before they can be
raised to the rank Of Lieutenant, and two
years after obtained orders to the Greyhound,
one OF the small vessels composing the mos
quito fleet fitting out under Commodore David
Porter. against tho pirates Of the Caribbean
Sea- Tho service which he underwent in this
feet was ono OF great exposure and privation.
- I never" he wrote afterward "owned bed
during my two and q half years In tho West In
dies" The cruise was. however. efYectual
both directly and indirectly. as regards the
suppression OF piracy. After tho termination
Of his service In tho mosquito feet. and up to
the beginning of the civil war. the story of
life for the most part Is only
the routine record OF naval officer
In times Of peace. When the Mexican
war broke out. Commander Farragut was ex.
ecutive officer OF tho receiving ship Mt Nor
folk. the Pennsylvania. He wrote to the Navy
Department asking for service In the Gull,
but although the Secretary Of the Navy at tho
timo was Mr.. Bancroft. the letter received no
reply. and a second. sent soon afte rward. was
barely acknowledged. It was not until Feb
rusry. 1S47. nearly year after the war began.
and then with much difficulty. that no OBJ
tained command OF tho sloop- Of war Saratoga;
but when no reached Vera Cruz tho castle had
already passed into tho hands OF the United
States having surrendered to the land forces
under Gen. Scott.
That this capture should have been made By
tho army rather than by the navy was q severe
dtsappointmentto to Fsrragut. Can't Mshan tells
US that In his modification he gave utterance
to conviction which. in the light Of his own
subsequent career. seems q prophecy. The
navy" he said. would stand on a different
footing to-day II our ships had made the at.
Jack Itwas all We could do and should have
been done at all hazards. Commodore Connor
knu oh NIL