The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1899-12-05
Some Chapters Of Current Gossip
From the Capital.
vENEzUElA'S ENVOY Ar ISSUE
The Subjugation of the Sultan o.
Su!u An International Wed
ding GullbIe Visitors.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 22-If the
present war continues there will be
no lack of material for opera bouffe
plots for years to come When that
magnificent old grandee, the Governor
Of Guam, after the firing upon his lit
tie domain by the American cruisers,
sent his compliments and regrets
through much-uniformed subaltern
that he was unable to return the very
courteous salute owing to the fact that
he was out of powder it was seized up
on by libretto writer's as good stuff y
While not as subtle in it's humor, the
conquest of the Sultan of Sulu is equal
ly available for literary purposes. Six
months ago this Oriental potentate had
never been heard of by the majority of
people in this country; now his name
appears in big type in the newspapers,
he is a subject of gossip at fashionable
tea tables, and ambitious students at
the high school select him as a theme.
The story of his subjugation, as told
in a letter from an officer in General
Bates command, is interesting enough,
but the story as it might be recounted
by the Sultan of Sulu himself would
furnish another entertaining chapter
to the tales of Scheherazade, and would
be set down by the uninitiated as quite
as unbelievable as the other marvels
recounted by that hypothetical person.
The Charleston, it seems. was sent
n tl 20 ion Of 10
but the commander Of that ship. pre-
ferring peaceable means to warlike
measures, sent a cordial invitation to
the ruler of the group asking him to
come aboard for tiffin. The royal per-
sonage readily accepted. and on his ar
rival alongside the ship was saluted
with seventeen guns, which so f1attered
his self-esteem that he stepped on deck
swelling with pride and puffed up with
Importance. With much empressement
the distinguished guest was conducted
to the captains cabin and seated where
the breeze Of an electric fan fell full
upon him. WOnderingly he peered
around to see where the mysterious
breeze came from, and finally his in
terpreter asked the cause for the re-
freShing wind when the air was quite
still outside. The fan was brought and
placed in front of the Sultan. Delight
ed beyond measure, he watched it's re-
vOlving and questioned the officers
about this wonderful machine which
could create breezes that should come
only from heaven. Would it stop
sometime, or would it go on forever?"
BLOW On it," he was instructed, 1.-The
machine is entirely under your control
and will do your bidding"
The Sultan blew his royal breath,
when 10! the fan stopped. Aghast at
his power, he asked the officers eager
ly what should be done to start it
again. BLOW once more" he was told,
and at his breath it's whirring began.
Carried away by this new experience
His Royal Highness played with the
toy until the engineer, concealed from
view, must have become weary with
turning the current on and off at the
whim of the astOnished padishah.
Before he had tired Of the fan the
electric lights were shown to him, and
he was permitted to turn them on and
off by blowing against the glass bulbs.
Already, it is said, he began to think
it would be a good idea to swear allie
glance to the Government of cOun-
try whence such things emanated, but
his subjugation was completed by the
phonograph and the chink and sight of
more Mexican dollars than he had ever
seen before. The box containing the
human soul was brought
out. 1t spoke to him, it sang for him,
but it was a trick, a joke; it was in a
strange language; he would see. His
was instructed to talk TO
it. Here was a wonder indeed: the
thing talked back. 1t repeated the eX-
act words of his secretary, in the same
tone of voice even. Would they give
this wonderful box and some of the
Mexican dollars, of which they seemed
to have so many, if he would sign the
treaty? The conquest was complete, If
bloodless, and when the seventeen
guns doomed over the water as he left |
the ship his chest could hardly con-
tain his swelling heart.
SURVEY OF ALASKA.
News has been received at the Geo
Survey of the safe arrival at |
Seattle of F. c. SchTader, geologist, and |
T. c. Peters, topographer. from the in |
terror of Alaska, where they have been |
making surveys since the early sum-