Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1898-06-24


got the best of it
In the long run and always fought splen
did battles. They go in to win as be-
comes men who have sworn to keep
bright the laurels won by Paul Jones
and Perry, by Hull and Stewart by
Gushing and Farragut.
When our saucy ships of war ant
their jolly crews went roaming the far
away oceans of the orient in search c,
Confederate privateers, people at frs
looked for word by every packet Of somt
startling encounter in an odd quarter
the globe, maybe another Shannon an.
Chesapeake OF BOnhomme RiCharr
affair. After wait that made Is .
skeptic as to the prowess of orr crri.',
the good tidings came. Tho Aj.1ar:
went to the bottom under the guns {
the Kearsarge. But our roaming shiu
had not been idle meanwhile. a con.
panion ship to the Kearsargc, the Wv
oming, sailed for Asiatic seas ia 1856,
to take care of any commerce des,rOyc c:
that might worry our merchantmen il
those waters.
The Wyoming didn't get a shot at u
privateer during four years cruise.
but made up for it by emptying great
guns into nest of yellow pirates. The
first news of the battle here described
appeared in the American papers Just
when half Of cur divided people werl
hurrahing over Vickshurg aud Gettys.
burg and mourning over Chiukamuuga.
with the other half reverselv doing the
same thing. So il is 10 he doubted
whether any number Of Americans
whose memory goes back to war days
remembers at all how the gallant tars
of the Wyoming upheld the flag in the
waters of Japan July IG, 1868.
In 1862 the treaty between the Liber-
ais of Japan and foreign nations OPEN
ing the ports of the island TO the world
was abrogated by the national party
and the emperor. All foreigners except
the American minister, Mr.. Pruyn, had
left Tokyo by the spring Of 1868. In
May the American legation building in
Tokyo was burned by incendiaries, and
when our minister, Mr.. Pruyn, asked
the council of Tokyo to protect him he
was curtly advised to get out of the
country. He went to Yokohama, the
sole refuge then for foreigners. June "a
was the day fixed for closing the ports.
The Wyoming was ordered to protect
the Americans, and many were quarter
ed in her cabins.
On the 25th Of June the American
merchantmen Pembroke was fred upon
in the straits of Sim onoseki by two
japanese vessels, bark and a brig, that
had been put afloat expressly to make
war on the barbarians, as all foreign
ers were called. The attacking vessels
belonged to Prince Choisou, q jingo
leader Of the Japs, who didn't relish
outside interference with his corrupt
sway. When the news Of the insult to
our flag reached Yokohama OH July 10,
Captain Macdougal Of the Wyoming
was ordered to enter the bailiwick of
the naughty Choisou, flying the United
States colors, and read the prince and
his vassals lesson from the mouths OF
American cannon.
The cruiser sailed at once and on
rounding point in the strait at day.
light on the 10th sighted a row OF
frowning batteries, with brig and
bark lying under their guns. An irol
steamer mounting four guns commanded
the channel. The Wyoming carried fouI
thirty-twos and two ! ! inch Dahlgrens
On the japanese vessels were 20 guns,
all told, chiefly twenty-fours. AS the
Wyoming sailed past the shore batteries
opened heavily. The answer was several
rousing American broadsides When