The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-05-06


Many remarkable instances we're cited
of the modus operandi, especially in
such cases as the. English barqus Hough-
ton and the French ship Nsvigateur.
There have been periods in the history
Of Chinese piracy when these red rovers
assembled in vast fleets, or sailed and
plundered and murdered in company.
Sometimes they mbered six or eight
hundred sail. The most famous name
was that of Kwoshing, better known by
his Portuguese Latinized name koshinga.
He and his father fourished in the mid
die of the 18th century. The father was
tempted to court by officers of rank and
wealth and was kept prisoner of state
the rest of his life. The wrath of the
son knew no bounds. He vowed eternal
vengeance against the whole Tartar
race, and kept his vow with Implying
ferooity. His bloody inoursions came to
be SO memorable that the government
adopted the extraordinary measure of
denuding the entire coast. The popula-
ton was Withdrawn and the cities and
ports and towns were left to decay. For
hundreds of miles up and down the coast
q strip of 10 miles broad stretched be-
tween the hungry pirates and their prey.
koshinga's death not long after put an
end to the piratical era of the 18th CEN
fury, and trade returned to its accus-
| toned channels.
Minor chiefs still pursued the same
bloody business, but no outbreak on SO
large scals never occurred again until
the first decade of our own century. In
1905 an English officer was taken prison.
or and held for ransom for several
months He found himself in fleet
numbering some 600 craft, all vel
armed and equipped. Three years later
another Englishman fell into their
hands. He found the feet had grown to
800 large vessels and thousand smaller
| crafts This immense force was dis
tributed In six divisions, the largest of
which was for some years led by a wom-
an. the widow of it's former commantler,
She proved to he as brutal and as skill
fulsas her bloody mate. Many adventures
of the feet were narrated. 1t was final
ly broken up by internal discussions and
surrender to the government.
The northern coast is not 80 well
adapted to this marine brigandage as
the southern. Yet some large fleets
have infested the northern seas and in
| 1ioted incaloulable loss upon the COM
merce of the empire.
The destruction of one of these fleets
by an English man-of-war in the
harbor of She-poo, was thrilling adj
venture and proved crushing blow to
the pirates of that neighborhood. Most
Of the work that has been done in the
suppression of these bloody depredations
has been accomplished by vessels of the
British navy. The Chinese navy has oil
occasion done some desperate fighting.
but very little of real or permanent pa
citioation has followed. The reader mar
rated some of the exploits of the British
tars in this exciting work, particularly
the encounter OF Major Shore, single
handed, with whole boat load of assas-
sins in the night, and his brave and sue
cessful defense.
The conditions have rapidly changed,
|
advent of steam and modern artillery,
the pirate is now quitu behind the times.
The sleepy junk cannot keep up with the
demands Of business, and now along the
vast water front OF. 1900 miles, most of
the carrying trade is handled by steam
ers. The old-fashioned corsair looks on
at all these modern improvements with
ony Cforn hf1o 10
and then entrap solitary victim, yet
as business, his occupation is gone.
| At the request Of the commander
Gen. Conner was called upon to give an
account of the Grant memorial exercises
In New York last week, which he did in
his usual happy manner. He described
at length the ceremonies attending the
dedication of the last resting place of
Grant, which showed as Cen. Conuor
said. that ''the memory of the great
leader is still warmly cherished by the
American people," One thin Gen.
Conner said, had impressed him greatly
on this great occasion, and that was
the absence Of the great leaders in the
late war who are still living. He said
that among them all. the only ones whom
he saw that were prominent in the
armies of the nation during those stir
ring times were Gen. Milas. Gen. Soho
field and Gen. Howard.
Judge Nathan Webb OF the United
States Circuit court, was called upon for
remarks and said that there was an old
saying that when men have arms in
their hands, the tongues of lawyers
should be stilled and on this occasion
how much more fitting it was fol lawy-
ers to remain silent in the presence of
warriors. This brief speech was crested
very warmly by applause.
| Major Melcher was called upon to re
| late an incident of Grants connection
with the army of the Potomac He
| said: "There is one scene of my life
that as long az reason Is on the throne
| shall never be effaced from memory. On
the morning of April 9th, 1865. and you
l. tb r3ur ~ r ho o1o