The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-07-23

guns, sighted the English Hussar. twenty
eight guns. The SybIle had shortly be-
fore been injured in night and was I'M
der jury masts, as she could not give
chase, but she was eager 20 entice the
Hussar within range. For the purpose
the French captain ordered the French
ensign hoisted under the English, as
though the frigate was an English prize
That was quite legitimate, but as the
Hussar did not bite quickly, the French
hoisted the English ensign reversed and
tied in welt or loop-the well-known sig
nal of distress which no English officer
could disregard
The Hussar closed at once, but luckily
her crew were at quarters. The Sybille
hoisted the French flag and tried to run
the English ship down, but on account
of insufficient sails she rolled so that the
English were able to send a shot crash
ing through her. The English ship Cen
turion came up, to aid, and the French
man surrendered, but an honorable sur
render was not granted, and the last ruse
was universally condemned
The famous English admiral Lord
Cochrane, also resorted on one occasion
to the use of false colors. He was cruls-
ing in the Mediterranean in the brig
Speedy during the war with Spain and
by reason of It's many captures, the little
brig had become such a nuisance that the
Spanish fleet fitted out a heavily armed
AAlSeilS anu SStlC HGT, ulSS ulSeQ as a fner-
chantman, out after the brig. Cochrane
sighted the prize and in order to get near
the supposed merchantmen, raised the
coiors of Danish merchant brig. He
did not discover his mistake until the
Spanish ship, opening her ports, showed
her teeth, and then lowered a small boat
in order to investigate the Danish stran-
ser. The situation looked a trif1e awkward
for the Englishman, but Lord Cochraue
promptly ordered the yellow flag hoisted
and reported as hailing from Agiers
where cholera was raging. The Spaniards
sheered off, and the Speedy proved that
she was well named by getting out of
reach in marvelously quick time The
Spaniards were, of course, wrathy when
they found how they had been fooled but
their wrath didn't appear to worry Eng
land.
In many countries, and particularly In
England, the presentation of flags 10
regiment is most impressive ceremony,
and even more solemn is the installation
of worn battle flags in some sanctuary
where they may be preserved to the glory
of the nation. The old colors of the Scot
fish regiments were placed with national
honors in the Edinburgh Cathedral of St.
Giles. Canterbury Cathedral holds a host
of worn banners worked with the names
of England's victories, and in France the
victorious flags were kept in the Hotel oes
Invaiides until the French burned more
than 1900 in the court yard of the Inval-
ides rather than allow them TO fail into
the hands of the enemy.
1t is a rare thing for a victorious army
to treat conquered colors with marked
disrespect, but the Highlanders, whose
ancestors fought for Prince Charlie. still
grow white with wrath when they tell
how, after the battle of Culloden, the
flags of the Jacobite leaders were, carried
to the Edinburgh market place by Chin
ney sweeps and there burned, one at a
time, by the public hangman, while her
aid proclaimed the names of the chiefs
who had borne the flags. The insult 10
the colors seems thing harder to forgive
than the death of the men who bore tSem,
for mans man, but a flag Is a cause.