The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-26
DRAGONS FOR A GEORGIAN.
The Emperor Of China COnieTS a Decor
alton Upon Dir. AdamSOn.
He Was During the War Consul at
Pernambuco, and Later Consul at
Melbourne and Rio de Janeiro.
Slx.+cr ~ Ezis To,,blic rva,.ao,.

Pernambuco, and Later Consul at
Melbourne and Rio de Janeiro
Sketch of His Public Career.
From the New York Times.
Recently the press announced that
Thomas Adamson, Of Cedartown. Ca,
had received from the Emperor of China
the star and insignia of the Order of the
Double Dragon. Mr.. Adamson's life has
been a most interesting one Until re-
Gently he was consul general of the
United States at Panama, and perhaps
the most experienced officer in the ser
vice. He is a native of Chester county,
Pennsylvania. His ancestors on his
fathers side were of the religious society
er's side descendants of French Hugue-
nots who came to New York in 1915.
His official life began Nov. 25, 1861,
when, on the recommendation of Thad-
deus Stevens and other eminent Pennsyl-
vanians, he was appointed by President
Lincoln as consul at Pernam buco. Brazil
The accidents of war made that post one
of the most important of our consulates,
for it was in that vicinity that the cruis-
ers Alabama, Florida and Georgia made
their most serious depreda tions on our
commerce.
In May, 1868, MIR. Adamson hads under
his charge 294 OF the men taken prisoners
by the Alabama and Florida, for whom
| he had to provide. The United States
government had forbidden consuls to
draw Tor gold, and bankers in Brazil re-
fused to buy currency drafts, so that for
a time it seemed as if the consul might
not be able to feed the captured men.
The personal character of the consul en-
abled him to borrow of a British banker
the money he would not advance on the
credit of the United States, and the men
were cared for and sent home
In May, 1868, the Florida entered the
| port of Pernam buco, and Mr.. Adamson
| made vigorous protest against her being
| permitted tn coal there. In his discus
sion of the case he was pitted against the
president of the province, who was an
| eminent lawyer, afterward minister of for
eign affairs of the empire, and who was
| assisted by judge Of the supreme court,
who afterWard became the chief legal
adviser of the emperor. Consul Adam
sons management OF the difficult cases
he had to deal with secured for him the
warm cOmmendation of the United States
minister at Rio de Janeiro and the thanks
of the department of state at Washing
ton. His watchful care of the disburse-
ments for relief of Seamen secured for
him the favora Die notice of the treasury
| department. His services to vessels in
distress caused the boards of underwrit-
ers OF New York and Boston to petition
the department Of state to promote him
to still more important position.
| In Aptl, 1859, Consul Adamson re-
turned home on leave OF absence, and on
June /, 1859, he was appointed to the con-
| sulate at Honolulu. On reporting at the
department for instructions, Mr. Adam
| son was informed that he had been Sc
| lected for the post because that depart
ment wished certain things done there
which it had not been able to get any
consul TO do; that in carrying out his in
| structions the consul would make himself
| unpopular, but the duty must be per-
! formed, even if the consul had to be sac
| rificed Mr.. Adamson performed the
! duty assigned to him, and received the
thanks of the department of state for his
| faithful administration, which, as Hamil-
| ton Fish said, had resulted in turning
| consulate that had cost the government
| SIC, 900 year into source of large rev.
enue.
In February, 1871, at the instance of
! William d. Kelley, Mr.. Adamson was ap-
| pointed to the consulate at Melbourne,
Australia. Shortly after his arrival at
| Melbourne he received from a member of
| the Hawaiian cabinet an intimation that
!
have him accept the position of minister
| of foreign affairs of the Hawaiian king
| dom. Mr.. Adamsou highly appreciated
| the offer, but preferred to remain in the
service OF his own country. In Melbourne
| Mr. Adamson devoted himself to meas
ures for increasing the commerce of the
| United States, and the repeal of certain
laws that interfered with our shipping.
His usefulness was recognized by
! his promotion to the rank of consul
| general at Melbourne, dating frem
June, II, 1874, with supervision Of all the
consuates in Australia New Zealand,
and Tasmania. During his term of Office
there he succeeded in obtaining the evil
| dence necessary to complete the case of
the United States before the tribunal at
Geneva, in regard to the claim for dam
ages done to our commerce by the Anglo
| confederate steamer Shenandoah after
her departure from Melbourne, where she
had added to her crew and stores. This
evidence fixed upon the British govern
ment the responsibility for the destruction
| OF thirty American whale-ships for
which the United States were allowed
81, $50, 900.
In 1877 Mr.. Adamson obtained leave of
| absence to return home, and April TO-
| 1878, was commissioned as consul general
at Rio de Janeiro, where he served for
over four years to the satisfaction of the
/ hNpdA bLIlNhb VI obdSC. Az MO MT. AOdTn-
sons experience in consular duties and
his knowledge of Portuguese enabled him
to detect the populations of a subordinate,
which had for twenty years escaped the
notice Of his superiors. A part of the
stolen money was recovered and turned
into the United States treasury. From
Rio de Janeiro Consul General Adamsou
was transferred to Panama, Columbia,
because the commencement of work on
the Panama canal gave that post great
Importance. On his arrival at Panama,
in April, 1888, Mr.. Adamson was imme-
diately called to take action in case in
which the local authorities had ex-
ceeded their just powers, and VIC
lated the treaty rights of two Amer
can mariners by imprisoning them.
William l.. Scruggs, United States
minister at Bogota, referring to
Mr.. Adamson's discussion of the affair
with the president of Panama, said that
his arguments were unanswerable and
covered the whole ground thus making
his own side Of the case easy in his con
troversy with the government at Bopota.
During lSS4-S5, Columbia was convulsed
by civil war. In December, 1884, com
munlcation with Bogota was cut off, and
for five months our minister there could
not communicate with Washington. This
left Consul General Adamson as the only
4 representative of the United States in
Columbia with whom the United States