The morning call., 1894-08-03
A TITLE WON 1T.
An Honor Conferred Upon
an AnglO-AmeriCan.
ASSIGNED TO ACTIVE DUTY.
AS a Commander in the Navy
of Japan.
ASSIGNED TO ACTIVE DUTY
CITIZENSHIP WAS CAST ASIDE.
For Only Those With Blue Blood in
Their Veins Will Be Looked
Upon Favorably.

The nobility of England proposes to
take hand in the China-Japan war. The
aristOcracy which js always closely allied
with the nobility is also interested and
will follow suit
San Francisco has been called upon to
furnish her fraction of the latter, and that
is why the barkentine S. G. Wilder. that
sailed for Honolulu the. day before yes er-
day. took with her Sir Herbert Il. By
grave, A. B. c., or something like that, a
ponderOus and emblazCned commissioner,
and one express wagon full OF war ma
terial in the shape of trunks, cane cases
and plughat boxes.
Herbert III. Bygrave is closely related to
one William BeadelI, senior member of
Parliament from Essex, England. and to
Sir Colby II. Scotland of London. He is a
graduate of the British training ship
W0rster, has been around the Horn twice
IN the ship Berttemere and has kn0wl-
edge of marine matters that will no doubt
prove serviceable to him when in action.
The gentleman, who will soon be rear
admiral or commodore, came to San
francisco eight years ago. and so far for
got his duty to his ancestry that he became
naturalized.
lie has since resided among US. though
his presence has not been made manifest
by any ostentatious display of his ability
to train gun or handle sword.
Mister Bygrave-he resumed his title of
Sir only when outside of the marine
league-is the first one of our local talent
to receive recognition from the Mikado
and, having been a person of distinction
ri IN ho f0r
ordinary citizenship, he was chosen as a
proper man to shape the destinies of the
squadron over which he is destined to
rule.
The good fortune that befell Mister
Bygrave has caused every heroic heart to
futter and every fiery nature to burn with
a desire to serve in the Chinese or Japan
ese service.
Of course nobility and aristocracy are in
the fore, and no man who is not able to
read his family record clear to blue
blooded ancestry is considered eligible as
an applicant for position.
Mob Hill has started TO digging up coats
of-arms, and the Western Addition is
raking over old files to find out whether
any of the members of families in that
locality were related TO ancient parties
with interests in castles, manor-houses or
the like.
1t is positively stated that the Japanese
Government desires 10 secure a mum ber
of foreign officers, but as gentleman who
processes to know something about the de-
mand for men says: "They do not want
any plebeians in Japan. The aspirants
must come well provided with credentials
as to their social standing"
Mr.. Bygrave naturally enough has a
profound respect for his adopted country,
but the temptation of winning glory in
Oriental waters acted upon him like an
electric shock and he discarded his citizen
ship with an alacrity that foretold of the
activity be would display if confronted by
a Chinese cruiser while treading the quar-
ter-deck of a warship manned by the
Mikado's followers. He got the job.
Captain McNei!l is personal friend of
the first gentleman to be selected by the
War Department of Japan from the city
of San Francisco for commission in its
navy, therefore he permitted Citizen By
grave to take passage on the Wilder as far
as Honolulu. where he will take the
steamer for Japan.
A great many applications for officer
ships in the Japanese navy have been for
warded from this city by mail and by
telegraph. but Citizen Rygrave was the
first to hear directly from his request.
He signed himself "Sir Herbert Fl. By
grave. and that settled it," The transfer
company sooD afterward got his order for
removal OF baggage. and it was publicly
announced among friends that the United
States had lost a valuable and distin-
guished resident.