The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-01-13
THEHONOR OF THEELAG
By VI. CLARK RUSSELL.
Copyright, 1861

Gravescnd reach that is not as "conse-
Grated as that famous bit of soil which
DIR. Samuel johnson and Mr.. Richard
Savage knelt and kissed ON stepping
ashore at Greenwich. One of the his
toric interests, however, threatens to
perish out Of tho annals. 1t does not i'll
deed rise to such heroic proportions as
! you find in the story Of the Dutch inva-
/ sion Of the river CT in old Hackluyt's
! solemn narrative Of the sailing Of the
expedition organized by Bristol's noble
worthy, Sebastian Cabot, but it is alto
! gether too good and stirring to merit
erasure from tie Thames history books
by the neglect or ignorance of the his
i torian.
1t is absolutely true 1 pledge my
word for that On the authority CT the
records Of the Whitechapel county court.
! In the year 1861 there dwelt OH the
banks of tho river Thames u retired tai
lor, whom l will call John Sloper out
of regard to the feelings Of his posteri-
/ ty, if such there be. This man had for
many years carried on q flourishing
trade in the east end of London Hav-
ing got together as much money as he
might suppose would supply his daily
needs, he built himself villa near the
| pleasant little town of Firth. His house
overlooked the water. In front of it
sloped considerable piece Of garden
ground.
Mr.. Sloper showed good sense and
good taste in building himself little
home ON the banks of the Thames All
day long he was able, if he pleased, to
entertain himself with the sight Of as
stirring and striking marine picture
as is anywhere to be witnessed. He
could have built himself house above
bridges, where there is no lack of elc-
gance and river beauty Of many sorts,
but he chose to command v ew of the
Thames On its commercial side.
In his day there was moro life in the
river than there is now. In our age the
great steamer thrusts past and is quick
~ gene, the tug runs the sailing ship to
I the docks or to her mOoring buoys, and
there is no life in the fabric she draRs
In Sloper's time steamers We're few; the
water of the river teemed with sailing
craft of every description; they tackled
across from bank to bank as they stag.
gered to their destination against the
wind
Sloper, sitting at his open window
en- q fine day, would be able to count &c
different types of rigs in almost as
many minutes That he took IL keen in
terest in ships, however / do not assert.
That he could have told you the differ
h,.t,r ,,,1 .,,l, &c
barely imaginable. The board on which
Sloper had fourished was net ship
board-it had nothing to do with star
beard or larboard He was tailor. not
sailor, and the friends who ran down
to see him were of his own sort anC
condition.
Sleeper was u widower How many
years he had lived with his wife can
say. She died one Easter Monday, and
when Sloper took possession of his new
house near Firth he mounted some
small cannon ON his lawn, and these
pieces of artillery he regularly fired ev,
cry Easter Monday in celebration Of
what he called the joyfulest anniver
sary Of his life-from which it is to be
assumed that Sloper and his wife hat
not lived together very happily. But,
though the Whitechapel county cour,
records have been searched and inquiries
made in that part of London where Slo
per's shop was situated, it has not beer
discovered that Mrs. Sloper's end was
fastened by her husband cruelty-that
in short, more happened between then
than constant quarrels. Yet it must be
said that Sloper behaved as though, il
truth, as the old adage would put it.
his little figure contained no more than
the ninth part Of soul, when he mount
ed his guns and rudely and noisily tri
umphed over the dead whom perhaps ht
might have been afraid of i'll life, anC
coarsely emphasized with blasts of gun
powder his annual joy over his release
Now, in the east end Of London, no
above 90 minutes walk from Sloper'.
old shop, there lived a sailor named 10
seph Westlake This man had served
when boy under Collingwood; hat
smelled gunpowder at Navarino undel
Codrington; had been concerned IN sew
eral dashing cutting out jobs in th'
} West Indies, and was altogether a
hearty and worthy a specimen of an ole
English sailor of the vanished school as
you could ask to see
He had been shot in the leg He car
ried great scar over his brow. He wa.
as full of yarns as piece of ancien
ships biscuit of weevils. He swore with
more oaths than Dutchman, sneeret
prodigiously at steam and held thu
} meanest opinion Of the then existing
race of seamen, who he said never coult
, have won the old battles which haC
been the making of this kingdom
whether under Howe's or gallant Jer
Wis or the lion hearted Nelson's flag
The country had no further need G,
his services OH his being paid off out o.
} his last ship, and he was somewhat al
} loss until, happening to be in thu
neighborhood of Mapping and looking
in upon an old shipmate who kept i
public house, he learned that lawyer
had been making inquiries for him. HI