The age-herald., 1898-09-23

l iscences called forth by the war with Spain 1 and the talk of annexation, l have seen
 no mention made of the seizure by the
 United States of the Marquesas islands in
 the Pacific, where our flag was hoisted in l due form by a brave naval officer and pos | session taken in the name of the United States. This may be because, interest,".
 as the event is, there is nothing about it in l the shorter American histories, and even
 Henry Adams five volumes devoted to Madison's administration has but few lines of reference.
 The officer who undertook this annexa-
 tion enterprise was Captain David Porter.
 The cruise of the Essex, his ship, was one of the most remarkable in American naval history. There have been no more daring exploits performed than those of this
 American, who swept the Pacific ocean
 during the war of 1872 Porter left Phila-
 dephla October 27, 1872, to join Banbricge,
 saiing south but missed him, so that when
 Bainbridge reached Boston, February 27
 1S13, Porter had rounded Cape Horn on his
 way north in the Pacific Ocean In those
 days naval officers were independent.
 There were no cable lines to tie them to
 
 known. So Porter undertook his Pacific
 expedition on his own responsibility, the
 funds being supplied by the capture of
 $55 QUO from British packet he met on his
 way to the Horn.
 In the Pacific Porter had everything his
 own way. The Galapagos islands were the
 seat of the British whaling fisheries, and
 going there, he captured twelve well-arm-
 ed whalers, every one in the region, and
 indeed there was, so far as he knew. not
 British vessel left in the South Pachc.
 
 The best of these vessels he kept, and he
 had nine vessels in his fleet fairly well
 armed, each in charge of an officer from
 his own ship. Provisions were obtained by
 capture from British ships, but it became
 necessary to make repairs to his squadron.
 Calling at Valparaiso, he found that the
 Chieans sympathzed with the British, al though they did not dare to oppose him.
 He also learned that the British, alarmed
 at his victories, had determined to send the
 frigate Phoebe and another ship after him.
 British commerce in the Pacific had been
 destroyed, the prestige of British arms had been diminished, and Peru and Chile were rapidly beginning to believe that Great Britain was inferior to the great republic Believing that Valparaiso was not a safe harbor in which to refit his ships, he de- termined to seek port in the southern Pacific, where he could make repairs. On his way there up the northern coast he learned that Peruvian privateers were preying on American commerce. He over hauled a Peruvian with two American prizes, took from her all the captured Americans, cast her armament overheard and sent her into Callao with letter to the viceroy warning him to behave better in future.
 Porter then set out for the Marquesas, 5000 miles away, where he arrived October 23 1S13, having gathered in couple of Eng fish prizes en route. The Marquesas is- lands belonged to no one then except the natives. They were discovered by Mendana in 1895, and again by Captain Cook in 1774, but the craze for land-grabbng did not then exist, and the natives were left to their own devices.
 When Porter arrived at these islands, which he described in his journal a per- feet paradise, he found that a war was | raging between the native tribes. Where upon he decided that the best thing to do was to annex the islands. This he did in | a proclamation which is too long to quote | here, but which begins:
 Tt is hereby made known to the world | that I, David Porter, a captain in the navy of the United States, and now in command of the Essex, have on the part of the said United States taken possession of the is- | land called by the natives Nukahiva, gen. orally known by the name of Sir Henry Martins island, but now called Madison island"
 Not content with changing the name of | the principal island in the group to Madi- | son, Porter also chose village as capital, l fort which he called Fort Madison. The annexation was not made peaceably. The rightful king was willing to be an- nexed but the rival faction objected. and | 4,000 of the savages made an attack on Porter Their stones and javelins were without effect when matched against the cannon that Porter unloaded from his ships. The hostile tribes sued for peace and thereafter there was no trouble, as they regarded the captain and his men as demigods whom 1t would be useless to op pose, and brought presents to the ships. For six weeks Porter and his men re- mained at the islands. leading an ideal ex- istence. The natives were hospitable and had a real affection for the white men. When the time came for parting the na- tives wept. and most of the sailors were reluctant to leave. Indeed they were al- most mutinous. But Porter himself, though he enjoyed the rest, was anxious to return to a more frequented part of the Pacific ocean to fight the British. Before leaving, however he told the natives that they must never haul down the American flag, and he left four or five sailors, who were especially anxious to remain. as a garrison.
 The Marquesas islands remained in the possession of the United States for on- lY a few weeks after Porter's departura