The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-16

RvieS Revisus OF Impertant and Interest-
tag New PusIieations.

cry schuyler nuDllhntu y muniNoNN bVOTl ub-
ncribing the bombardment and demolition Of
Chicago by n feet OF British gunboats. The
Western newspapers reprehended the story,
finding IN II, we believe, another evidence Of
that malice, well understood by the objects Of
II, which tho East Is accustomed TO expend
upon things situated west Of the Allegheny
Mountains. Personally, we do not believe for
q moment that malice was In the least an ele-
ment OF Mr.. schuyier's story. lie has, II our
memory serves us, dlsported himself and per-
mitted the exercise Of his humor and ability Of
satire under the opportunity and provocation
afforded BY certain Chicago architecture. and
we can well believe that his opinion is.
In regard TO certain architectural monuments
In Chicago, that n well.directed cannonade. so
far as more good taste Is concerned, would DO
tho most fortunate thing that could happen to
them. tbs, however, Is solely a matter of the
artistic conscience, and Is not to be construed MS
Eastern malice DESTROYS OF tho injury Of the
great community by the great lakeside. The
point to be criticised In Mr.. Schuyler's story. as
1t seems to us. Is not the point that the demoll-
ton or Chicago Is artistically desirable and Of
course not the mistaken point that Mr.. Schuy-
Ter has expressed an Eastern jealousy Of the
great success OF the Chicago canning industry
but the unexpressed assumption that the Amer
lean people. while the British gunboats were
making their way to Chicago through
the st. Lawrence River and tho Canadian
canals, would not be doing anything. There
lies before us q book. The Post Onlce Packet
Service" by Arthur ii. Norway Macmillan &
Coz, which seems to us to be instructive upon
this point. A consid cradle part Of this volume
is devoted to an account of what happened to
the great and profitable flotilla of British pack
cts, at the hands of more or less energetic
Americans. during the war OF 1912. II is true
that In tha HnuFgp pf that ,rar m nrIttab faat
assembled tho Potomac and demolished the city
of Washington, which, according to more than
one unprejudicCd account, was far more repre-
hensible, intellectually than Chicago Is at pres
ent; but the glory of burning the American capt
tai, and of compelling the flight OF Congress and
of President Madison's amiable and celebrated
wife, Dolly, was bitterly atoned by the
enemy in many another part Of the
world. About this memorable time, ac-
cording to Mr.. Norway, tho Falmouth packets
were put to q hcrcer test than anv which the
French privateers had been able to apply. There
were still old men at Falmouth who could re-
member how the packets Jared in the first
American war. and who knew we'll that the
privateers of Boston or Newport were ten times
more formidable than those Of Nantes or Bor-
deaux. To be sure, Mr.. Norway ascribes tho
great success of the American privateers In 1912
in large part to the circumstance that they were
able to avail themselve, Of British skill and
valor. THE national belief in the superiority
of Brit sh pluck TO that Of any other country
would scarcely hold against sailors of our own
race" he says; and as a matter of fact 1t is
well known that the American cruisers, both
national and private, were largely manned with
picked mon from the British navy, driven
by the somewhat harsh and inconsiderate treat
ment which was too prevalent in our ships to
take service with n power which at least fed
and paid them well and treated them with rea-
sonable consideration Presumably in similar
circumstances We might be lucky enough to
secure the same valuable assistance another
time: and, any way, we know that 1t was an
American crew to u man that. half n century
later, .hung the sides OF the wooden kearsarge
with anchor chains and sent the Confederate
Alabama. largely British manned, to the bot
tom of the impartial sea. The idea is that, by
hook or crook, for some reason or other. tho
Americans. for n hundred years. have been In
the habit of doing effective work ut sea. This
has been the case, too, in the face of repeated
prophecies to the contrary. AS we remember
the accounts OF history. there was considerable
and assurance on the part OF some OF
the british before the facts in the trouble of 1912
had been demonstrated. They were not all like
the old men at Falmouth who remembered
how the packets Jared in the first American
war. Seldom, we think, has history repeated
itself mnre explicitly than it has in regard to
American proves upon the sea. stout are
the hearts that man the fishing smacks of Mar
blehead. the sea boats of Cape Ann observed
Mr.. Whittier on another occasion an occasion
when the opinion was proclaimed by one part
of the American people that another part was
too supine TO be able to take care of Itself. The
event proved that MIR. Whittier was right
enough; and still to-day. as we Imagine. there
Is no warrant for gaite all the assumption in
Mr.. Schuyier's Chicago story. AS for Mr..
account of the sufferings OF
the Falmouth packet service. II Is In
teresting as well as instructive. The official
records of this experience are not as full
as Mr.. Norway wishes they were, but
they seem to be full enough to satisfy any
reasonable curiosity. The war broke out in
June. 1912. and the packets began 80 be aware
OF 1t In the September following. On the 10Th
OF that month the packet Princess Amelia,
three days out from ST. Thomas on her home
ward voyage. was brought TO action by the
Rosie of Baltimore. The first ten
minutes. Mr.. Norway records. proves that the
Americans were masters OF their weapons.
Within half an hour four or five OF the packets
crew were hit. The fight began at q p. NJ. At
half past q the master. Mr.. MAXWELL, was shot
through the head. Twenty minutes later Capt.
visa "'fNe ~ ''pNshDe ~
pierced his breast, and when half the crew Ind
been disabled the mail was sunk and the packet
hauled down her colOrs. This. Mr.. Norway OBJ
serves, was "a rough forecast OF what was TO
come, justifyinR anxiety about the immediate fu-
ture. For Capt. Moorsom was one of the ablcst OF
the Post Once commanders. His shin and crew
were In high condition., and yet the accounts Of
his last fight showed that the event was never
Detailed accounts OF a number of
follow. the packets striking their
rolors, after hard fighting. In nearly every case.
In Mr.. Schuylers story II is recorded that the
English Admiral, presumably Sir John Hopkins,
the most generous sympathy for the
bombarded Chicagoans, characterizing them at
once AS good fellows and great fools. In tho
o: generous sympathy Mr.. Norway
seems 20 have discovered n prototype OF Sir
John in Commodore Rodgers OF the United
states friGate President. The President fell in
with the packet Duke Of Montrose in mid-At-
lantic, and took It without resistance.
!" Commodore RodEers," says Mr.. Norway, |
. treated his prisoners with very honorable