The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-01

patton that is now so prevalent in Washington be controlled, we may eX- pect to hear of proposals to send a committee of Congress to sea in com - mand of squadron. We sincerely hope that the first experiment may be made on the coast of Africa"
 Evidently unconstitutional usurpa- tion was a shoe that pinched the other foot when he wrote his novel.
 Rarely has a writer more calmly abandoned a lusty and promising young plot than Cooper does in this novel. He began with one story and ended with another; but it is decidedly fortunate change. for it has given us one of Cooper's very best descriptions sf a sea battle.
 IN June just previous to the French
 and Indian wars in America, the \ little village of Wych ecombe, lying behind a high headland on the coast of Devonshire, enjoyed an extravagant ex- citement. Eleven two-deckers. three frigates, sloop and a cutter sailed into the roadstead under the great cliff and anchored with the flag of vice admiral of the red flying from one vessel, while another carried the square bunting of a rear admiral.
 It was the fleet of Sir Gervaise Oakes, fresh from chasing the French shipping in the Bay of Biscay. No English of that day needed to be told who the rear admiral was, once he knew that the vice admiral was Cakes; for wherever Oakes raised his broad pennant the square bunting of Rear Admiral BlueWater was sure to flutter in company. Oakes would as soon have thought of going to sea without guns as without his old messmate Blue water.
 They had sailed together from the time they entered the navy as reefers. The vice admiral never led the van of a fleet that the rear admiral did not lead the rear division.
 Sir Gervaise and Bluewater were both memb CTS of old and good families, Sir Gervaise Oakes being a baronet by inheritance, while Bluewater's family had furnished admirals to England for generations. Though they were such friends that their attachment was pro- verbal, they were as different as men could well be.
 Sir Gervaise, middle-sized, red-faced, blue-eyed, was the type of the simple minded, headstrong sailor, content to- let politicians do what they pleased on land so long as he could fight England's wars on the sea. Bluewater was exceedingly tall and exceedingly thin. Like most sea- men who have that characteristic, he stopped. While this deprived his figure in 4fal oi, riage a striking dignity Had he not been attired in uniform, no one would have taken him to be a rear admiral, for he would have passed as a quiet, refined gentleman of diffident and retiring habits. Yet. though that thoughtful, hand some courtly face did not look like a sailors, Dick Bluewater knew more about ships than any man in England and his mode of manoeuvering fleets had come to be standard in the service.
 The difference between the two admirals extended even to their political opinions. Sir Gervaise was a most decided Whig, without bothering himself to reason very much about it. His mind was satisfied with the simple principle that the King, whoever he was, had been chosen by Par lament and that this title was good enough to rule a sailor, whose business was to obey orders and not to philoso- phze.
 Bluewater, on the other hand, was not only Tory, but a Jacobite-a fact known to nobody, except Sir Gervaise. It was, of course, not dreamed by George II. that one of his greatest admirals questioned his 4stIo in, lf allegiance to the Pretender. Sir Gervaise oakes had always been able to persuade his friend that a sailor. he was not called on to do aught except render ser vices that were of benefit to England, be her ruler who would. Being on foreign stations, his services could not possibly affect any contest over the throne. There fore Bluewater, while remaining a stead fact adherent of the Stuarts, had never found it incompatible with his opinions to fight England's wars under the George. Even the analytical spirit had remained undisturbed, but with the assembling of the fleet at Wychecombe, this situation was changed dramatically.
 Sir Gervaise had brought his ships hur- redly back to England because he had received secret information that Prince Charley was about to set out from Bor- aeaux. Hardly had he landed, however, before he learned that the Prince had ar rived in Scotland and that the news was known in London.
 Oakes had refrained from telling Blue- water the report that led him to sail homeward; but when they landed and found Prince Charleys arrival known everywhere. the two admirals spoke open ly as became two such friends.
 Without circumlocution Oakes begged his friend not to do anything hastily. You know my sentiments" replied Blue- water, land there is little use in dwelling on them. So long as the quarrel wa sbe- tween my own country and a foreign land l have been content to serve; but when my lawful prince, his son and heir, comes in this gallant and chivalrous man. ner, throwing himself in the arms of his subjects without Frenchmen at his back to help him, it appeals to every noble feeling. I do not see how 1 can well re- frain from joining his standard
 While they were speaking messages ar rived from the Admiralty. They had been dispatched before Oake's annouDfcement of his arrival had reached London, and were on their way to the Bay of Bscay