The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1894-07-31
WHAT FLAGS SIGNIFY.
The COlOrs of a Regiment or Ship
Are More Than Mere Silk.

Flags are not merely so many
yards of silk. They represent to a
soldier what is noblest in this coun-
try's history and institutions. Their
loss, under circumstances short of
heroic, is an eternal disgrace to the
regiment losing them. Only death
can excuse the color guard from de-
Tending them, and when the guard
has been shot or cut down others
should be ready to stand by the flag.
In the navy vessel never strikes her
colors except to acknowledge defeat.
For this reason when in that great
sea duel between Paul Jones Bon
hommie Richard and the English
Scraps, which lasted far into the
night, the ensign was shot away from
the halyards, Lieut.. Stafford plunged
into the sea after it, and Drawing a
double death-he was in fact wound
ed while swimming-saved it and set
it again, and it was the Scraps
which finally struck. The Cumber-
land went down in Hampton Roads
with colors flying, and when recently
the old Kearsarge, which sent the
Alabama to the bottom, struck on
Rancador reef, in the Caribbean sea,
and her crew were obliged to take to
the boats the ensign was left hutter
ing in the breeze.
Next to our own flag, that of Great
Britain interests US most. 1t is call
ed the union" flag because it is
three flags in one. The flag of Eng
land is red cross on white field /;
that of Scotland, a white st.
Andrews cross on a blue field.
These flags were combined when
England and Scotland united in
1868: and on the union with Ireland,
the Irish flag, a red st. Andrews
cross on a white field, was added.
The union of the three countries is
thus indicated on the ''union." The
st. Georges cross of England re-
mains as before and is the central
feature of the flag, dividing it into
four quarters, occupied by the st.
Andrews crosses, the white of Scot
land and the red of Ireland, which
are placed side by side.
Aboard a British warship the
union" is hoisted only when the
queen or an admiral is aboard. Eng
lsh ships under sail under the
British ensign, of which there are
three kinds-white, blue and red
each with the union in a square in
the upper part of the hoist, that
portion of the flag along the staff.
The navy, and, by special permits
sion, the Royal Yacht Club, sail
under the white ensign, which has, be-
sides the union. the red cross of st.
George over the whole. The blue
ensign is privilege allowed to those
merchant ships which are Differed
by members of the naval reserve and
one-third of whose crews belong to
the reserve. 1t is also flown by a
few yacht clubs. The red is the
merchantman's ensign. Until 1864
the British naval feet was divided
into three squadrons, each in COM
mand of an admiral. who was known
by the color of his flag, as the "ad-
miral OF the blue" the admiral of
the red" and the admiral of the
white" This distinction was ahol-
ished because it was found puzzling
in action and was often eliminated.
Trafalgar, for instance, was fought
under the white ensign. The French
and Spanish ships went into action
without setting their colors, but were
later obliged to hoist them so as to
be able to strike them.-The Outlook.