The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1897-08-28

glow illumined the armament with a
light that startled the inhabitants of
Baltimore, more than forty miles away.
Amid the crash Of walls and the fierce
roar OF the flames. bursting shells hurled
their deathdealing fragments in every
direction, while igniting powder mag.l-
zines rent the air with explosions, shat
city to Its foundation.
The scene that met the gaze of the
citizens as they turned in their flight to
look back upon the doom that had over
to the terrible drama Of that moment
Gus day. Great waves of flame rolled
and surged over the city. heaving and
tossing in tempestuous fury. and tapping
the black vault Of heaven as though
the very air were afire To this sub
lime horror of the earth were added the
thunders and lightnings of the heav-
ems, that broke forth in a storm Of I'M
usual violence. AS though infected with
the evil spirit OF destruction. the elc-
ments ragged with increasing fierceness
until the next day. when terrific hurri
cane completed the ruin that the flames
had left unfinished.
Overawed at the terrible devastation
wrought by their hands and the forces
of nature, the British stole silently forth
from the city on the night Of Aug. %
and beat hasty retreat to their Ships
Slowly and mournfully the hopeless in
habitants returned to their desolate
homes. The value of the entire amount
OF property destroyed at Washington
was estimated at over S2.O0O.OOO.
The government and parliament If
England warmly approved Of Cockburn's
act. When the news reached England
guns were fired from the Tower of Lon
don in joyful celebration Of the barbar-
ity. Parliament unanimously voted
thanks to Cockburn and to Gen. r os.s,
his colleague in the work of destruction,
Parliament also decreed that at his
death monument should be erected to
Gen. Ross in Westminster Abbey. the
burial place Of men to whom England
desires to pay extraordinary honor. and
the title ROSS of Bladensburg" WAS
decreed to the general and his heirs
forevcr-Bladensbur a few miles out
side of Washington. being the place
where the battle was fought previous
tG the raid of Ross upon the capital
and the burning Of the public buildings
and public records there of inestimable
value.
Tho London Times cxulted over the
burning of Washington. '''rho London
Times" says Losing in his "!'icld
Book" then as now. the exponent of
tho principles OF the ruling classes In
England and the bitter foe of the
American people, gloried over the de-
struction of the public buildings and
the expulsion of tho president and cab
met from the capital, and INDUCED IN
rXulting prophecies of the speedy dis
appearance of the great Republic in the
West. That il-OrganiZcd ;ssuriat ion
uhc American Union.' said the Times.
world is speedily to be delivered OF the
miSrhevoils example of the existence
of IL government founded on demo-
chatic rebellion
"In long after years lin 1859 when
Corkburn died, the Times lalldcd him
chiefly for his marauding exploits in this
country and his splendid achievement
in firing our national capital
When the news of this victory"
reached England, the guns on the
Tower of London We're fired in honor
of this achievements; the actor was
thanked through parliament and mon
umnnt was decrerd to Cockblm in
Westminster Abbey at his death.
"Admiral Cockburn."" says the Eng
lsth Encyclopedia Britannica, for his
prominent part in the cnptur" of Wash
inStun, on his return to England in
1915. "rcceivcd the Order of tho Bath:
three years later he received the Grand
Cross OF his order and was made a
lord of the admiralty. and in 1878 was
returned to parliament for Portsmouth.
In 1919 he was made vicc-admiral, and
admiral in 1897 in lS4l became senior
naval lord" Thus was tho destroyer
OF our national capital loaded with hon
OTIS, instead of obliQuy for his crime
against civilization.
This is what President Madison said
about the act of vandalism: They
(the BritisM wantonly destroyed the
public cdilicrs, having no relation in
their structure to operation of war. nor
used at the time for military annOyance:
some of these edifces being also costly
monuments of taste and of the arts. and
others repositories of the public ar
chives. not only precious to the nation
as the memorials Of its origin and its
early transactions. but interesting to all
nations as contributions to the general
stock of historical instruction and pub
lie science"
There is more ratarrh in this section
of tho country than all other diseases
put together. and until the last few