The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-05-03

made up I'm their greater opportunity for
daring mud exciting personal adventure.
Jean Bart. the frcnchman who organ
lied the first "gucrrillas Of the sea,
and Paul Jones, the idol Of the American
navy, were unique iu their way and their
careers such as modern tars sigh for in
vain. and the ships Of their common enc
my, Great Britain. carried men equally
bold and versatile. equally renowned ia
the annals of their race One of these was
Admiral Sidney Smith Smith figured in
the comhats between England and the
young republic Of France. His highest
laurcls were won at st. jean Acre, where
he defeated Napoloen's plans Of conquest,
/ Long before that the French held him
/ prisoner and would have done well had
they never let him go, but bolts and bars
were ms letters of straw before his match
less ingenuity and daring. Strange and
thrilling in the highest degree were his
experiences in his capture, in imprison-
ment and in the escape
When the British evacuated ToulOn in
1898, Smith was lieutenant of marines.
BY a most daring feat he accomplished the
destruction Of the French men-of-war i'm
the harbor, the powder vessels, arsenal
and storehouscs. Il was done by the use
the loss Of a man. Asa reward he WAS
placed in command of the Diamond frig
ate i'm the English channel. During the
two years following he made his name Il
terror on the French coast and well nigh
obliteratcd the French cruisers and priva-
tecrs from the channel In one of his in
cursions, however, he risked too much I'M
der the guns of shore batteries and was
compelled for the first and only time to
strike his flag. He chased piratiCal lug
ger, noted for her Expectations upon Brit
ish commerce and for great speed as well,
into the port of Havre. She anchored I'M
der 10 gun battery, but nothing daunted
Smith manned his boats, and leading in
person Cut her out. A strong food tide
carried tine English boats and their prize
up the Seine above Havre, and the Dia-
mond lying outside, was becalmed and
unable to give assistance. The French inn
mediately sent out "A mixed fleet to inter
cept the captured lugger and her foreign
crew. She was surrounded, and the French
prepared to board her, at the same time
, shouting, No quarter" Smith harangued
his men, and they fought until the enemy,
| compelled to admire the hopeless valor of
/ the little band, offered honorable terms if
| they would strike colors. Resistance being
/ useless and WantOn waste OF noble lives,
Smith did so.
On learning of Smiths capture the Brit
ish proposed to the French to exchange
him for some prisoner of equal rank, but
France had found that their prisoner was
worth more TO England than score of the
men of equal rank then in British captiv-
ity would be to their country and declined
the exchange. Not only that but Smith,
who had risen to the rank of admiral, was
incarceratcd in the Temple at Paris, an
ancient fortress built by Knights Templars
and used for the most important political
prisoners-depused royalty and mobiles con.
demnCd for treason.
Sir Sidney bore his humiiating confne
ment gallautly until he became convinced
that France was prosecuting him. Then
his wits were turned upon means of es-
cape. Friends outside conspired with him,
and tunnel was eXcavated from the Gel
lar of a house adjoining the prison as far
as the wall of the Temple garden. UnlI ck-