The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-04-06

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gun, though it was two years before
the declaration of independence.
In 1912 the United States declared
war against Great Britain on June Is
by an act Of Congress: but before that
in April there had been an act of hos
tility in laying an embargo on all ship
ping IN American ports. 1t was not
until July % that Great Britain
learned what the actual state of affairs
was, and then it was by independent
advices.
WAR OF 1872.
The United States was poorly pre-
pared for that war on land and suffered
severely for awhile. On the ocean
our navy was one of the best and our
coast defences were good for that day.
The result was that no impression
was made on our coast and our sailors
were uniformly victorious. After a
few years, when our land forces we're
at last put in good shape and General
jackson took charge, the enemy was
driven from our shores.
Many persons will be able to recall
the reading of the British declaration
Of war against Russia from the steps
of the Royal exchange in London.
That was declaration of war, no
| doubt, but it came long after war had
actually broken out: and it was not
made at St. Petersburg, but in Lon
don.
A EUROPEAN WAR.
The events preceding it were briefly
these. To begin with: Russia had the
dispute with Turkey about the "ho]y
| palace" in Palestine and seized the
Danubian principalities. May 81,
1853, Russia issued the order to cross
the river Pruth; June I'd the English
and French admirals were ordered to
Besika Bay as a counter-move; then
some English and French war ships
were sent to Constantinople; October
22d the English and French fleets, in
spite Of the treaty Of 1841, entered
the Dardanelles; October 23d Turkey
declared war against Russia; next
Russia destroyed the Turkish fleet at
Sinope; chen January 4, 1854, the
English and French fleets entered the
Black sea and ordered the Russian
ships to retire to Sebastopo]; the Rus
sian ambassador was next withdrawn
from London; after that the French
and English ambassadors left St.
Petersburg, and it was not until
March 18th that the sergeant-at-arms
mounted the Royal exchange steps
and formally declared war. France,
declared war. France, by the way,
! did it day sooner. Of course this
declaration was-what declarations al
ways are nova notice not to the
enemy, but to the people, justifying
the progressing war and asking ap-
| proval and help.
Some years before this England
made war on very small scale, as alb
ruptly as the flash Of meteor. Some
time in 1850 thirteen British war yes
sells sailed into the bay Of Salamis.
|! No doubt the British had been press
ing Greece to pay certain moneys due,
but SO ignorant was the country of the
intentions Of the Salamis feet that the
king and queen asked for list of the
officers in order to invite them to an
entertainment, and the admiral ac-
tua!ly paid friendly visit. But the
next day he disclosed the fact that he
had come to enforce the immediate
settlement of Great Britain's claim,
and gave the Greek government twen-
ty-four hours in which to reply. Af
ter that he proceeded to hostilities,
laid an embargo on the Greek mer-
chant vessels in the port, and seized
many others on the high seas. Greece
of course did not fight, but it was a
much closer thing with France, for
that country recalled her ambassador
from London and the French people
were eager to give battle.
HOW BRITISH LION ACTS.
On another occasion, 1904, Great
Britain was hotly fighting France and
negotiating with Spain in the most
friendly manner. In fact, British
vessels were being provisioned in the
latter country ports when, without a
word of warning. they captured four
Of her frigatcs, seized all the merchant
vessels of morethan 100 tons burden
and sank all smaller craft that came in
their way. Another instance in which
the British swooped down like wolf
woe ~ 1907 rboO ia tho ,,or1e &c y