The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-10-04
"UNACCUST0MED As WE ARE"
A Little Naval History for the Benefit of q
Non-Representative English Writer.


To THE EDITOR OF THE suN-Sir: The 81.
Jdness Gazette, which is rot noted for its regard
for anything American. was quoted the other
day as saying. apropos OF the reception to Adj
miral Dewey. that we were totally unaccus-
toned to naval victories over alien race"
and naturally magnifed any that We happened
to enjoy; aud in this thought 1t found the
reason for our exuberant greeting to the
Admiral.
Not all American will accept this suggestion:
some may even think 1t based on a msconcep-
ton Of facts. and object to 1t az a wrong con-
ciuson drawn from erroneous premises. II
will be just as we'll to look into the matter. that
the reason for our reception to Dewey may DO
learned.
To consider only the British naval victories
OF this century: Copenhagen was bonn arded
and the Danish feet destroyed by Sir Hyde
Parker and Lord Nelson in 1901 and again by
Admiral Gambler in 1907. The first OF these
bonn bardments occurred without any deelara-
tion OF war between Great Britain and Dem
mark; the former country feared that the lat
ter might take some action detrimental to her.
and bonn barded Copenhagen and DESTROYED the
Danish fleet to prevent such action on the part
OF the Danish Government.
In October. 1905. the British feet defeated
the French and Spanish fleets off Trafalgar
many individual victories OF British vessels
over French vessels In 1915 Great Britain de-
clared war on the Dey OF Alglsrs. and bonn
barded Algiers: and its fleets have also bonn
barded Chinese ports to compel tho Chinese to
buy the opium which their law forbade them
to buy but which British India had to sell. On
June l. 1913. the British frigate Shannon cap
trred the American frigate Chesapeake; on
March %. 1914. in the neutral harbor OF VAL
paraiso the British ships Phoebe and Cherub
captured the American ship Essex; and during
that war the American privateer General Arm
strong was captured in neutral waters by three
British n-of-war. and forty British barges
defeated five American gunb on Lake
Borgne La. Since then the British navy has
not distinguished itself over alien races; 1t
took part with the French and Russian fleets
in the battle OF Navarino In 1927. and in 1882
bonn barded Alexandria. Egypt.
| Since this century began. our Navy has been
| as actively engaged as the British. The Amer
lean ship Constitution defeated the British
| Guerrero. the Wasp took his Majesty Frolic,
| the United States the British Macedonian, the
Constitution captured the Java. the Hornet the
Peacock. On Lake Erie nine American vessels
| defeated SIX British vessels carrying more
guns; and on Lake Champl fourteen vessels
with eighty-six guns made way with seventeen
up the second war with Great Britain. the
aforementioned Constitution captured the
British ships Cyane and Levant. Earlier In the
century there were battles between our vessels
and the Tripolitans. in which the latter did not
| win all the Victories.
Since then. the victories OF our Navy. like
those OF the British Navy. have been mainly
those OF peace, In 1871 we had dispute with
Corea. which involved an attack on Corean
forts by our Navy-not so big an affair the
| bombardment OF Alexandria. and We need
not become enthusiastic over 1t. Thus since
| 1915 we had not had any alien naval VIC
| tories over which to grow enthusiastio.
To that extent. the remark Of the English
writer Is justified. But the British Navy for
ninety-four years. since Trafalgar. has had no
such victory to rejoice over as Dewey won for
us in Manila Bay on May l. 1898. and as Samp-
son won for us off Santiago on July 3, 1893.
| NEW YORK. Oct. 3. B.