New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-08-28
MUSICAL COMMENT.


OUR WEEKLY WAR BONQ-A QUALIFIED
SPANISH VIEW OF THE STATUS AT
eANTIAoO-A TUNE FROM THE
ISLE OF MAN--ANOTHER
SONG TO THE TUNE
OF DERRY
DOWN"
So long the span.ards in the far-away Philip
pine Islands being rega.ed with Official ao-
counts Of Cerveras destruction Of the American
fleet al Santiago. the hurried approach OF Camara
and his vessels to give battle to Dewey. the upr!s
ing Of the Cherokees and negroes in the United
States and similar fairy tales. will blame
The Tribune's War Poet for his effort TO extract
little amusement from the situation in Eastern
Cuba. The musician has tried TO help the fun
along by fitting an old Manx tune 70 the words
filling the accompaniment with drums and big
guns to keep company with the Spanish soldiers
resoundlng cquivocations and limiting at the truth
in the interlude between the verses. The tune is
that Of a song entitled In the ancient language OF
the Isle Of Man ''Marinys yn Tiger"-that is
THE Cruise Of the TiRer"-and there is special
propfety In Its use which shall appear when the
contents Of the Manx song stated. Tho Cruise
Of the Tiger" tells Of the adventures OF certain
patriot Of Mona. who, to aid IN whipping
i'oHapdrte thnu lnclOcntaHy the 1dnkeeS), bOuRnt
and fitted out ancient batte-shp called tho
Tiger. After a cruise OF three days the gallant
Manxmen fell In with merchant an and prompt
ly made her prize They carried her home to
Ramsey. only find that they had seized a Dutch
vessel instead OF a FIR nchman-the blunder having
occurred because neither could understand
the language Of the other So the Tigers ferocious
sons found that they had engaged In piracy. and
Instead OF enjoying the prize money which they
had revelled In In anticipation their ship sold
to indemnify the Duchman. Like tho Spaniari
In song the Manxmen had caught a Tartar.
The repetition of tie music OF line for line
three and OF line for line four is character
istic feature Of Manx national music the preserva-
tion Of which has but recently been undertaken in
England.
The tune Of Derry Down." to which CORVALLIS
evacuated Yorktown. was used more thnn once by
the balladists Of 1872 one OF the ballads sung to
II. THE Yankee Tars." printed in The Tribune
OF August a. Another is given to-day which be-
trays the period Of ts origin by the fact that 1t
enumerates the American victories OF 1912 stops
short after the fourth-that OF the Constitution
over the Java. This battle took place on December
20. 1872. The NTH greet victory was that OF the
Hornet the Peacock. which took place on Feb.
ruary g. 1873. Since this IS not mentioned IN the
suhjoined ballad. Il IS an Obvious inference that
the poet OF "Our Naval Heroes" wrote between De-
cember u. 1872. and tho time when the news q the
hornets victory was reported. The stories or the
battles referred TO ought be recalled
The second American victory Of the that
Of the United States sloop Of war Wasp. eighteen
guns Captain Jacob Jones. His British Maj
esiys sloop ~ war Frolic twenty-five guns. Cap
tain Nhinyates. The battle was fought or Ber-
muda on September ls. 1872 The FroIc
voynE six large merchantmen from Honduras She
ordered tho feet 70 disperso and the action began
NJ l32 n m. Both vessels were running before the
wind from fifty to sixty yards apart. which distance
was era iualy lessonea TN they ran on board 81
each other. The battle lasted foriy-three minute.
when the Americans boarded and the enemy sur
rendered Lieutenant Blldle 81 the Wasp pulled
down tho Fro.Ics colors. soon after which her two
masts fel on deck. The Wasp too was crippled
her maintopmast heirg shot away. her gan and
mi zzentopCallant came down. and every brace nni
most ~ her standing rigging were shot away. g.
two hours after her victory she fcl' prey 10 HIS
Majosiy's ship Poicters. seventy four guns that
carried her and her prize 10 Rormuda The Wasp
had five killed and i've wounded. the Frollr twenty
six killed and forty eight wounded.
The third victory that OF the United States
frigate United States. Commodore stephen Decatur
over HIS British Malcsty's frigate Macedonian.
Captain John Garden October g. 1872 near the
Western Islands lattute - north longitude -.
30 west After an hours distant aring tho enemy
having lcst her mizzentopmas' bore down 'cr
close acton. ana. Cputrf upo"ary account.
in aeyentoen minutes afte- struck hor colors to
the United state- So vivid was the fro from the
latter during tho action hat the crow - tho
Macedonian. supIosng hor on nfe. gave three
cheers. When the Macedonian struck shc had
nothing standing but fore ana main mnsts and
foreyard; the United States 50 little impaired
that In FIVE minutes after she MRS ready FOR an
other action. The Macedonian was commanded hy
Captain John Garden. and was justly esteemed
the flower Of the British Navy. Besides the oss
OF her mizzenmast. fore and main topmasts and
main yard. she received nearly one hundred shots
In her hull. several Of them between wind and
water. on board the United States there were
five killed and seven wounded, II the latter Lieu
tenant Fund and another died Of their wounds Thu
Macedonian had thirty-six Killed and sixty-~ight
wounded; among the former were the hoatswain
one masters mate and the schoOmastcr and
among the latter the first lieutenant. one masters
mate and two mdshlpmen On December the
United States arrived with her prize of Montauk
Point. and January J. 1873 moored her sa fe mt
the Navy Yard. New~York"
The Constitution. which had opened the series q,
victories 20 brilliantly In her battle with .he
Guerriere. added to her laurels little over four
months later by defeating the Java. She sti!l had
her old crew some members Of which afterward
fought with Perry on Lake Erie: but family ar
fairs kept Captain Hun on Shore and she was com
manded By Commodore william cambridge SAYS
d contemporary account:
After rehttng at Boston, the Constitution sailed
on cruise, and, after traverslug wide extent Of
ocean, fell IN with His British Majesty's frgatc
Java. mounting forty nine guns. commanded by
Captain Lambert. on December %. 1872 at 2 D. m !
latitude l3' g. SOUTH longitude 20 west about ten
leagues from the coast Of Brazil. The action be- I
gan at 10 p m. AZ good grape and canister dis
tdnC". AT 2C3 (2:30D the wheel Of the Constl-
tuition was shot away, az $50 the en.Iny's boom
got foul OF the mizZ@n rigging: AT . the enemy's
lowsprit and Jbboom were shot away; at 1905 par;
OF the enemy foremost was shot away by thc board
At 3:l5 his mainiopmast WAS shot away. at $40 his
gaft ana spankerboom were shot away; at 800
his mZZcnmdst was shot away nearly by the board:
"A he cuemVs fire WA siI.uc.d. uff..u min