The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-05-29
WHAT OUR NAVY HAS DONE.
Minor Exploits Recalled by Recent


the sea have set Americans talking about
their national record In naval war
fare In connection with these reminis-
censes 1t may be recalled that the present
war is not the first in which Porto Rico
has figured in hostile way Seventy-fve
years ago 1t was nestSor Spanish pirates
who preyed upon our commerce. Commo-
dore Porter accordingly sent a written
protest to the authorities of the island;
and Lieut.. w. II. Cooke, commanding the
brig Fox, attempted to enter the port of
st. Johns to receive their answer. was
fired upon and killed. Porter threatened
TO lombard the town, but was dlssuaded
by an abject apology from the authorities.
Later IN the same year Lieut. Plat.
learning that an American merchant of
st. Thomas had been robbed by these Por-
to Rico pirates, who had stored their
booty al little port called Foxado. sailed
thither on his brig, the Beagle and, In
company with another lieutenant named
Richie, demanded the return of the prop
erty. Both officers were arrested and
kept in Imprisonment for twenty-four
hours. AS soon as Porter heard of Ii he
started straight for Foxado and demanded
redress. News reaching him on the way
that the Spanish authorities were prepar-
ing to attack him on his arrival he put
large force of blueiackets and marines
ashore at a convenient point, stormed the
Spanish batteries on the land side, and
whipped the enemy into submission.
Most OF our troubles In those days were
in the other hemisphere. Commodore
Downes, In February, 1892 was informed
that the Malays had captured an Ameri-
can ship. the Friendship, hailing from
Salem, Mass, ana maltreated the ships
company. The commodore organized an
expedition from his own staff on the flag
ship Potomac, headed by Lieuts. Shubrlck,
Hoff, Ingersoll. Totten and Edison. AL
though the Malays made a desperate re-
sistance they were defeated and some of
their forts destroyed
In 1854 the Chinese at Shanghai attack
ed the British residents, obviously with
the cognlzance and support of the author
tiles. Commander Kelly happened 20 be-
at hand with his sloop Plymouth. and he
Joined forces with the British command
ant at the port and made a combined at
tack upon the Chinese, Furnishing them
fearfully. Both the President and the
navy department commended and thank
ed him for this exploit.
In was In the same year that Lieut..
Strain, while engaged In exploring a route
across the Isthmus of Panama, was ha-
raised by the natives, who committed ev-
cry possible outrage upon the Americans
connected with the survey and on their
property. Capt. I1olins, in his sloop
Cayne, fastened to the spot. and battered
the town of San Juan de Nicaragua to
pieces, 10y way of teaching the offenders
lesson.
About the same time Capt. Theodorus
Bailey had his little brush" at Valpa-
raise. OF the Chncha Islands lay 200
American vessels which had gone there to
be loaded with guano, but had been kept
III. O..
while vessels Of other nations were TAX
ing loads aboard and clearing without
hindrance. The captain made a rapid in
vestigaton and convinced himself that the
Yankee shippers were not at fault but
that Gov Lopez had put them to all this
discomfort for a purpose. He sent mes
senger ashore to say that he would like 10
have the governor visit his ship. The gov
ernor sent the messenger back with the re-
mark:
TELL your captain that I will see him
with pleasure al my palace"
Bailey fairly boiled over with rage when
he heard this whats that" he exclaim-
ed. Did he have the impudence to send
such message to me? Go back and say
that l want him here on this deck, In one
hour. If he is not on time, I'll send a
guard to fetch him"
The governor came Bailey pulled out
the papers which showed just how long
each American ship had been waiting for
her cargo. Al the close Of this demonstra-
ton he said: II am now going up the coast
for thirty days. When / call here again
l want to find every one of those ships
loaded. If not, ! shall take your island
from you and load the ships myself" The
ships were not only loaded before his re-
turn, but already on their way home
Somewhat similar In spirit to this Incl
dent was that of April 1853 when Lieut.
~ VII mir nh
demanded the release of six American YES
sells which had been seized and held by
the Mexican authorities. The Mexlcans
demurred to giving them up at once, but
suggested that the whole matter be turned
over to the diplomatic branches of the two
governments to settle by correspondence.
NO" was Almys response. I'VE may
leave the final settlement of the matter to
the diplomats, If you please. But first I
will trouble you to release those boats. ="
And this was done.
In November OF the same year Capt. La
vaette, with his frigate Wabash, visited
Beyrut Syria, to investigate outrages said
TO have been committed upon American
citizens there, including one particularly
atrocious murder The captain took the
law into his own hands, and the persons
implicated In the wrong-doing- "'th one
exception, were arrested, tried, and
promptly punished by him.
scrlbed so many times in print that there
IS no need Of rehearsiug 1t here. Another
incident Of which little has been made
by American writer's, and which is usually
dismissed with a paragraph in the books
OF travel or history that have occasion
to mention it at all, receives a fresh dress
At the hands Of an old naval officer IN
Washington who knew the service in the
days before s.. II Is the story of the
raising Of the British flag over the Ia-
waiian Islands by Lord George Paulet in
1913 The American influence which has
dominated the politics Of the islands for
three-parters Of century this officer
says, was distasteful to Paulet, and fur
nished the motive spring of his action
this, by the way, combats Edward Ever
etts opinion, expressed in his correspond
ence with Daniel Webster, that Paulet
was simply fearful OF French aggres sion.
The Hawaiians. according to the later
narrative, had adopted flag of their own,
which bore so offensive a resemblance to
the American flag that Paulet warned
them not to raise IT, or he would strike
1t down and open fire upon Honolulu.
Lying in the harbor was little Yam zee
sloop commanded by Capt. Lawrence
Kearney The King sent word to Kearney