Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1898-05-13
Gsssx County alrrald.
ISLAND PoND. May Is.
The War. and the Miraculous Advent
of It's First Famous Admiral.

Il NAl Au-C dNNllll fNldEts 1AnhNlliN
the hewildered vision Of the old
world was filled with a wonder
akin To that which would as
tonish the world now If some
daring adventurer should reach
another planet. These bold sea-
men sailed among the islands
with a little fleet composed OF
the Pinta, Nina and Santa Maria.
They had left the whole known
world behind them and sailed
into what in the eyes of the little
crews was an eternity of waters.
1t was a daring and bold adven-
ture even to the utmost bounds
OF imagination because OF the
most terrible uncertainties which
attended it. 1t was simply going
away into the great unknown.
There were, however, no dark,
huge. frowniug forts, no treach-
ernus foe trained by centuries of
cruelty and wrong by practising
on less wary victims to assaSsi-
nate them Individually, or to set
mines to blow the noble forms
of men into the air to tall IN
horrid fragments into the sea.
They had only to practise the
simple arts of navigation then
known to the world and had
no occasion to be great i'll
science or skill. Yet they were
demi-gods, and in their simple
WAYS became immortal. They
opened up to the eyes of Ferdl-
nand and Isabella the fairest isl
ands in all the seas, and which
today under generous and en-
iightened government with cul-
turc and the control OF just and
wise laws would have been album
rdant in comfort, luXuries and
wealth, and luminous with that
intelligence and brilliancy, the
growth and increase of which
would have been equaled only
BY that of their own eXoticS
but which by a long exhausting
system of oppression, extortion
and misrule, accompanied by a
reckless devastation, have been
robbed of their verdure and was
ted in proiane rioting in the
spells of the largest and most
cruel despotism the world ever
saw. Yet despite results that
little fleet sailed into a blaze O
glory.
But what is the finding of those
islands compared with resculns
them from barbarous condition:
which shocked all Christendom
A greater than Columbus, apeet
of Nelson Trafalgar and Far
ragut, took a small portion o
our navy which had been neglect
ed and suffered to fall into sucl
conditions of inefficiency as to be
come a subject for laughter ant
mirthful scorn; and with Sucl
equipments as the country CoulC
hastily prepare and spare iron
its other defences, he sailed no
into unknown seas but into un
known conditions. He saileC
away from the base of opera
tions, of supplies and from con
tact with sympathy, encourage
ment and all the sources of in
SEPARATION to him and his BRAY
men except the inexhaustible sup
ply of that patriotic fire whic1
was burning alike in the breast
ofthe file and their intrepid leader
He sailed over the mountain
and through the valleys of al
most boundless waters, any
where out of which might com
unexpected fleets to swoop dow
on his handful of ships. Hesaile,
to shores that might be line,
with treacherous mines. He saile,
thousands of miles away fror
.succor or support. He sailed t.
far off Australian isles; and a
most to the shores of an easter
hemisphere that for aught h
knew might be "a world in arms
against him. He sailed to NEE
what might be chagrin, disaster
defeat, death and worse, obli'
ion. To discover these island
one had need to brave neutr;
and uncertain hazards. To r,
deem them from barbarism an
restore them to civilization
was necessary to brave not al
prehensions merely but the ce
tainty of dangers from fierce col
test and the probabilities of d.
feat and death. And so the lit
armament bore brave heart
filled with all those conside
ations and a full knowledge I
their terrible responsibility eith'
to fearful doom or highest fam
If the voice of the people is II
voice of God then the voices
the cannon are the voices of II
Gods, and God was on tt
water just the same as on Il
land "The lannon's openir
roar" shook the world. 1t hear
their thunderous voice and sa
Manila fall. Then an awful su
pense followed with silent, pal
full anxiety. Had the gallai
commander gone down with h
brave men? Had they bee