New-York tribune., 1903-04-04
IN FLTZ4BETH4N NIGHT.
The Golden Era of English History
Celebrated.
London. March p.


Of water and the limestone bluffs of Torquay.
restored the terrible pageant Of the Spanish
Armada with the Devon captains IN its wake.
and their kinsmen and friends watching and
praying on the cliffs, spectators Of Britain's
Salar1is': and IN the darkest hours of the
Crineaa War he went TO Bideford. as he him
self said. Ito make men fight" by erlbalmlng
in q wondrous story Of Eliza bethan adventure
the memories Of the virtuous rovers and cor
sairs OF the Reformation. the defenders Of a ma
tion's liberties and the founders Of a maritime
empire Il have been living" he wrote to
Frederick Maurice after the carnage Of Alma
Heights. 'in those EIizabethan books, among
such grand. beautiful. silent men. that I am
learning TO be sure Of what I all along suspect
ed that poor, Queasy. hysterscal, half
baked sort OF a fellow. and inclined TO
sing small This he considered q more suita-
be occupation than sitting down 10 make blum
de-ed rhyme with hundred like Alfred Tenny
son" The racy virtues and unconQuerable spirit
Of early English Professionalism among the cap
tzfns edventurers and mackereI catchers of
Devonshire never failed TO set the inaginations
even Of degenerate descendants on fire, and 10
bring 8 fine glow Of enthusiasm TO the hstless
faces OF women Of fashion. So II has been a.
the theatre il Burlington Gardens. where the
three hundredth anniversary Of the death of
Queen Bess has been commemorated this week.
graphical Society and their guests assembled
with the snug feeling OF contentnent and re
spectabiIity which evening dress and patronage
Of g learned institution impaired, they speedily
caught the inspiration Of the nOblest traditions
and achievements Of English history
Sir Clements Markham. old Westminster
boy who had served in Arctic expeditions, ex-
plored Peru and Abyssinia. and devoted his life
to geographical science and the Hakluyt me
MORALS was the first speaker Of this Elizabeth
an evening. He began with a tribute the
personality Of the sovereign who inspired af-
fectionate devotion among the captains, expIor-
ers, merchant princes inventors chart makers
and chroniclers OF the memorable reign; and as
he called the roll Of honor in the darkened thea
ire the faces and quaint costumes Of the Eliza
bethan period flashed into view on the broad
screen behind him. Sir Francis Drake, Sir Wal
ter Raleigh, Sir John Hawkins and his son
Richard, Burroughs, Frobisher. Lancaster and
other types Of British maritime adventure
passed IN rapid march; and after them came
rnUnifcent merchants such as William Sander
son OF the Ffshmongers Company, who had
equipped John Davis for his campaign OF ex-
pIoraton. and paid for the famous MoIEneux
globes; Richard Hakluyt- the historian of the
Principal Navigations OF the English People"
and the associate Of Sir Walter Raleigh as the
promoter Of North American colonization; Will
e pioneer in the study Of terrestrial magnetism;
Edmund Gunter, mathematician and inventor.
end Briggs. who did so much 10 render naviga-
ton an exact science AS Westminster boy.
the chairman took pardonable pride in referring
TO Gunter's connection with the ole school; and
there longer digression when he described
Queen Bess's visit 10 the school 4 famous
night when Richard EakIuyr acted in Latin
play: but otherwise he was closely concerned IN
his address with the results Of exploration and
discovery in the memorable reign, the extension
Of British commerce in ell directions by land
and sea the promotion Of geographical research,
the Improvement Of methods and appliances OF
navigation, and the creation Of an enthusiastic
feeling OF patriotism, which no difficulties or
ha-dships could daunt and no disaster could
ouench-'
Nr- Edmund Gosse followed Sir Clements
Markham in an admirably delivered address on
str Walter Raleigh, whom he contTasted with
Robert Cecil that cold and crafty statesman.
VINO sCorned and disrrusted the exercise Of the
imagination wherever he met with il" While
there was n the EIzabethan period the prosa!c
and realistic tendency which expressed itself in
practical forms Of usefulness and was so op-
posed 70 the picturesque that il averred
there was nothing II the world more worth see
ing than could be met with between Westrnin-
ster and Staines there was also z class OF mind
which clothed the unknown in z robe Of purple
exalting, rransfguring. exaggerating all distant
znd inexperienced facts in e magnificent sun
Sc. light and sunset glory; and the prototype
y this class Of temperament was that pala-
din OF geographical romance, Sir Walter Raleigh.
M Gosse described him eIoquenJIy as Eice-Ad-
ruiraI Of the Southwest, sitting for hours on
some prornoutory Of Cornwall and gazing across
The Ehrouded ocean That was his dream; il was
for that he fretted against the cOldness, jeal-
ousy and nearsightedness Of English statesmen;
and not otherwise does posterity see him, with
Etralniag eyes and beating heart, leaning for
ward toward the sunset The opportunity came
when the man who had been forbidden to 60
over 70 Virginia stole away 10 q still more ro-
mantle region-to the dim and magnetic wilder
ness of Guiana-and took with him an intellect
which vas one Of the most powerful and highly
trained ot the rich Eliza bethaR age. He was
poet. historian chemist. soldier, philosopher
oourrier: he carried with him the prestige. the
skin. the basis Of ripe thought which com
rre-ce with the world Of men and books
had given 70 him. and ne has remained for all
time the most splendid example Of the geog-
rapher and patron Of literature who approaches
his science IN the pure light OF imagination
After this brilliant address Nj. Julian Corbett
offered an elaborate argument in demonstration
ot sir Francis Brakes claims the first dis
coveTer OF Cape Horn, TO which he gave the
name OF Cape Elizabeth. He described It as
suppressed discovery. since il was kept as q
state secret in view Of impending war with
Spain; and he enlarged upon the political i'm
po-tznce Of the free passage by the open sea
when the Spaniards considered the Strait OF
Magellan the only approach 70 Peru and the
west coast Of South America The argument
vas pressed with unnecessary detail since Sir