The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1920-04-28
HAS BOOKS OF
( WILLIAM ".
Navy Lists, With Comments on
a Superior Officers, in New
9Aa~.. York Library. eIsrF.
WASHINGTON GREATEST MAN
King of England So Termed Him in a
Speech Long After His Visit to
=, New York-Eighteenth Cen.
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New York.-Under the title ga
Kings Books" attention is invited
by the New York Public library to the
very human personal comments and
titles bestowed on his superior officers
by a British prince, in annotations
made by his own hand, during his serv.
ice afioat in one of his majestys ships.
In the Bulletin, recently published,
! are described some old volumes of
British navy lists, once the property Of
William ~, "the sailor king" A num-
Der of the volumes have his autograph
signature, civilian Henry" on the
title page. with his naval rank at that
date, and the name of his ship. Such
is the case with the list of 1856, when,
in addition to his name, he has signed
himself Lieutenant of the "Hebe."
'The young prince had amused him.
self" according to the Bulletins edi-
tor, by annoting certain volumes Of
the set. (which he seems to have had
in his cabin and, if the COM
ment opposite the name of his grace
the duke of Bolton, admiral of the
White, looks suspiciously like the word
mad it may be that the prince, even
as lieutenant, was in a position to
know whereof he wrote. 1t was
by no means the only comment at his
disposal. The Right Hon. George Lord
Viscount Mount Edgecumbe, admiral
of the White, is tersely described as
damned miser.' This is in the list
for 1885,"
Eighteenth Century Slang.
Reference is made to other express
sions mysterious today to every one
excepting those familiar with sailors
slang of the eighteenth century; 9TH
ers whose significance has no shade of
doubt-the blunt language of the quar-
ter-deck or the barracks" And there
is at least one, which some discreet
hand" possibly his own, when he had
succeeded to the throne, chad seen fit
to cut out with sharp penknife."
"All are in keeping with the charac
ter of the man who, when he became
king, over forty years later, was
known for his good humor-but also
for his seafaring manners" says the
writer. In stressing his bluff and
hearty nature" the library publication
cites the fact that, Eat the most solemn
moment in his life as he acceded to
the throne, and spoke of his late SOY.
ereign and brother, George ", with
~ evIn11a n q
trained actor could put into his voice
for that monarch" he INSTANTLY added
in his usual easy-going gruffness, as
he affixed his first signature as king to
some papers Of state: "This Is
damned bad pen you have given me-"
Of more vital interest to New York.
ers is the princes connection with
their own city of Manhattan. "As
Prince William Henry the king stayed
for some time in New York, with the
British military and naval forces then
(17S2) occupying the city, contrary to
the wishes of General Washington and
the American army, encamped in New
Jersey. The prince had his quarters
in Hanover square. and skated, &C.
cording to tradition, on the Collect
pond. Colonel Ogden of the First Jer.
sey regiment formed an elaborate and
well-matured plan to capture the
prince and his admiral and take them
into Washingtons camp. General
Washington approved the plan.
Thought Washington Greatest Man.
Something seems to have affected
the prince favorably toward this coun.
try and it's first president. He had,
throughout life, an extraordinary
i weakness for making speeches, some
of which were not remarkable for their
tact. A happier example of his
oratory was afforded when he was
king and happened to he entertaining
a group of gentlemen which included
the American minister. He was seized
with his fatal habit of making
speech and said that it had always
been with him a matter of serious re-
greet that he had not been born a free,
Z Independent American, so great was
his respect for that nation. He said
that he considered Washington the
greatest man that ever lived. /
Coming as this did from the king
Of England, compliment could 60 no
further"
The acquiring by the library of set
of British Army LISTS" beginning
with the year 1855 and ended with
1912, dates back to the Aston library
and the time when Doctor Cogswell,
it's first librarian, was in Europe with
his princely endowment in his pocket"
'"These books" says the Bulletin,
"had been the property of William w,
king of Great Britain and Ireland, and
of one or another of his sons, and they
bear the bookplates of one or more of
these personages."