The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-04-05

| mission with a three-shiling pamphlet.
This ofcer's journal first introduces us
TO scene In the harbor OF Halifax In
the early part OF May. 1895, to which
| port his gunboat has Just come from the
| MEDITERRANEAN. War has not yet been
declared. but 1t has been known that IL
will be. and he finds In that port fleet
OF forty-hve men-of-war. big and little.
ten of them battle ships. with dozen
| nrst-class cruisers. besides no end OF smaii
| fry like his gunboat, and liners armed
as war-ships. and tramps too numerous
| TO count The Journal gives this account
| OF what the English officers knew or
| the business they were there for. 1t
| says:
OF course we have heard no explana-
| lions. nothing but orders. Dut 1t is pretty
| clear now what it is all about. We must
| ba here TO serve against the Yankees.
| IT seems that there has been diplomatic
row going on for years between US and
| one of the little Dago republics in South
| America about matter OF boundaries,
| and last winter the American President
| sent word that we must leave out the
dispute 10 arbitration or else night the
| States. Isn't that like their cheek? we
| talked IL over at Gibraltar. but we all
agreed that the thing would blow over.
| and that II wac all a piece OF bounce,
| what they call ''buncombe," for the yam
KEGS to pretend that they were going to
| fight the British Empire, about what was
no business of theirs, when they have
| no army and no navy. The fleet IN this
| harbor IS about twice as strong. l sup
| pose, as reie whole American navy. But
| they actually appointed a commission OF
| their own to inquire into our row with
| the DagOs. This commission Is 10 report
| I'm a few days, and for some reason every
| body believes that the report VIII take
| the Dagos side. That is why we are
| here.
The Journal next tells us that his gun
boat, along with fourteen others OF the
same class, was stripped OF all superfuous
cargo and their armament, so as 20 draw
as little water as possible. The officers
conclude that this is to put them into con-
dtion to pass through the canals between
| the ocean and our cities on the great
lakes. and sure enough that turns out TO
| be the purpose. War is not declared, and
| England has no right. under her treaty
with this Government. to have armed
steamers I'm the lakes, but war is about
| TO be declared, and she will send her gun
| boats there without ornaments on sort
OF holiday cruise, the ornaments 10 be
| picked up when war Is declared. The
feet steams 10 a point on Lake Huron,
where the ships find their ornaments on
a wharf with abundance Of coal. They
take on both when a tug arrives bearing
a civilian, who delivers dispatches to the
admiral, and the officers and crew learn
that war has been declared between the
| United States and Great Britain. Business
now commences. Six OF the ships are
| left at Port Colborne 10 take care of the
cities on Lake Erie. They are Buffalo,
! Cleveland. Toledo and Detroit. and not
one Of them has a fort or gun TO de-
| fend II. Three Of the vessels had been
! detached at Toronto to look after the
| American cities on Lake Ontario. They
are Oswego and Rochester, which, though
! five miles inland, can yet be easily de-
stroyed from the water. On the way TO
| Chicago one ship is detached TO attend to
| Milwaukee's care. The rest of the feet,
under command of the admiral, arrive in
| front OF Chicago ON the 10th of June. The
first thing our narrator discovers from
| Chicago newspapers is that the people Of
| that city have not the slightest idea
British fleet is in the lakes. and they
| think the Atlantic sea-coast cities are the
| only ones in danger. The narrative says:
They do not seem TO mind at all what
| happens on the sea-coast, and one OF
| the papers seems really 10 rejoice in the
| prospect. IF the British feet destroys
| New York" it says. lit will merely break
| up a nest Of Anglomaniacs and gold
| bugs that the country would be better
| off without" | don't know what a gold
| bug is, but II is plain enough that these
| Americans do not love one another. There
| j. no real information in the papers, even
about the fleet they know Of. They all
| print the whole British navy list, and let
the readers take their choice.
! When the ships had come to anchor be-
fore Chicago the admiral sends two Off
GERS ashore with communication to the
| mayor. This proves TO be notice TO him
that all non-conbatants must leave the
/
end of twenty-four hours. Meantime, the
! British fleet is surrounded 10y crowds of
excursion steamers bearing sight-seers
and to such an extent that they have
difficulty in keeping them at safe dis
lance without hurting them. Our MARIA
tor was officer of the deck on his ship,
and this is the account he gives us of
his experience with our excursion steam
! er:
| The Bacillus had gone down to scatter
| them, when a tug inshore OF us shOt
out straight for us. and came alongside.
| | ordered her off. but she PAID no at
| tention, and / had the hose coupled to
the steam pump. There were about a
| dozen lean, Yankee-looking chaps on the
| bit Of deck forward. with cameras and
| pencils and note books, and one or them
said he represented" something or other
| and demanded to see the commanding
| officer. l told him 70 sheer on or he
would be hurt. but he began to make a
! speech. You never saw sCch ridiculous
show. He sang out that this was mat
ter OF public interest. and demanded his
rights IN the interest of the public. At
| last / lost my temper. and l am afraid
| said, "rhe public be- damned" At TINS
there was a great yell OF vanderbilt"
| from all the chaps. whatever that meant
and one fellow called out. How DO you
like Chicago% upon which they all yelled
| again. Bat the lank orator began again
about the rights of the pubic and the
freedom OF the press. and 1 sgnalled the
| quarteTmaster. who turned the hose on
! them In "A miuute thew were The most