Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1895-06-14
DISC0uRTEOCS BRITONS.
The Result OF Breach Of Eth
quette by English Officers.
an International Episode which Na'
:ome to Light Notwithstanding
the Jealous Guard on
state Secrets.

Diplomats are generally supposed 70 he
close-mouthed and my stcriou,. and our
own state department is welded more
or less to the canons of the raft ant
possesses the virtues II silence, re
marks the New York Times. Still in
some unknown way state secrets Will
crop out at times, and thus the story OF
an international episode has come &c
light which is worth the telling.
Some time since, perhaps eighteen
months ago, her Britanic majcsty's sltit
Pylades. attached to the British norti
Atlantic squadron. q vessel about thc
same size as our own kearsarEe. came
into New York harbor and cast anchor
After the regulation official calls hac
been made by her commanding 't.iccr
on the United States military and naval
authorities, a delegation of army Off
GERS, gayly appareled. went off to the
Pylades to call upon her captain and
officers. They were courteouslv re-
ceived, and, with hi2', opinions - the
politeness of their H. fish cousin. re.
turned to their post at Governors
island.
The next day passed, and the next,
and Still another, and there Was no sign
OF the appearance of a British delega.
ton to return the call. Finally the fy'
ladies' sailed away. and the call was un'
returned.
1t should be understood that calls OF
this character are official. and it is con-
sidered a part of the duty OF every
United States naval officer to do his
share toward returning them.
Viewed in this light, the action OF the
Britishers was discourteous and rude in
the extreme, and the Americans deter
mined to resent it. A report of the cir
cumstances was drawn up and duly
signed by the officers concerned. 1t was
presented to the general then in COM
mand at Governors island, and was by
him sent to the war department. Thence
it went with accumulated evidence at
fixed to the secretary Of state, and was
by him forwarded to the British minis.
ter here and then to the admiralty at
London.
The naval lords were astonished, and
they arose and sat down very hard upon
the captain Of the Pylades, and all the
way back through the lines Of the tape
that is red to the British minister ut
Washington, to the departments Of state
and war, and SO on to the indignant
officers at Governors island they sent a
message of apology for the rudeness of
their officers and promise Of repara-
tion.
The Pylades was by this time far
away and not available; SO down the
coast from Halifax came another of her
majesty's ships, the Tourmaline. She
entered New York and without delay o
delegation of her officers appeared at
Governors island. apologized for the
rndeness Of their comrades, and re.
turned the cali. What made the dis
courtesy of the Pylades' officers more
marked is fact not generally known
that confidential instructions were is
ssued by the admiralty somewhere
about 1884 enjoining upon all British
naval officers that they should be par
ticularly careful in all their relations
with Americans, and especially polite to
United States naval officers.