Evening star., 1936-04-05
history and one Of the most daring ex-

history and one Of the most daring ex-
ploits.
In an effort to rid the seas and our
merchant vessels Of the menace of the
Barbary pirates, our ship Philadelphia
was captured and held In the harbor
Of Tripoli, Stephen Decatur, with 80
men, dashed into the harbor, isolated
the Philadelphia, manned by five times
his force, and. surrounded by a hostile
feet, fired it and eScaped-an act
which Lord Nelson characterized as
the most daring of the age" The
prints referred to represent the loss of
the Philadelphia in 1903 and an attack
made by our United States squadron,
under Commodore Preble, on Tripoli
August 8, 1904.
Much more than Is realized today,
pirates roved the seas in the early
days of our Republic, increasing the
hazards which the forces of Nature
imposed. But the name pirate was
some times loosely and boldly used
or misused. BY our English cousins.
John Paul Jones. the father of our
American Navy and one of the most
intrepid as well as gallant seamen of
all history, was so designated after
his capture of the Drake and the
Scraps, and in this exhibition there is
a print-a lithograph by Currier and
Ives. picturing the destruction Of the
Alabama by the Kearsarge, which
bears the following title: THE United
States Sloop of War Kearsarge Sink
ing the Pirate Alabama on the Coast
of Cherbourg, France, 1854"
Be that as it may, there was, after
all. perhaps, but a fine distinction
between privateer and pirate, and the
activities Of both gave exercise for
courage and colorful romance to these
pages of history. Reminiscent of one
Of the chapters, sometimes forgotten,
is lithograph Of an American Mer-
chant Ship Beating Of a French
Privateer in 1899" when many of the
latter preyed upon our commerce.
causing heavy loss first to the mer-
chant owners and more lately TO
France, which, be it said to her credit,
made settlement at the time and
through the medium of the Louisiana
purchase, thereby giving rise to the
French spoilation claims" many OF
which are still unsettled.
Civil War Theme Stressed.
A considerable section of this ex-
hibition Is given over to pictures of
naval engagements during the Civil
War, the majority of which are Cur
rier and Ives prints, published at
small cost, but now rare and much
valued. In two instances the original
oil paintings from which the prints
were reproduced are shown with the
prints, greatly enhancing interest.
Commemorative of the opening Of
the door of Japan to commerce
through Commodore Perry's per-
suasion are three japanese prints
one picturing his visit, with consid-
cradle elaboration: one of Missis-
sippi River steamboat, which must to
a great extent have been, on the part
of the artist, largely imaginary, and
one Of an American steam frigate-
an object undoubtedly inspiring ven-
Grafton. Although artistically in
ferior, these prints give indication of
the news element dominant in all
print making of that day.
1t should not be thought that all
of this collection. now on exhibition,
is made up of prints and paintings
recording naval exploits or disasters.
Far from 1t. The clipper ship has
large and important place. There
are models shown of two of the most
famous clippers-the Rainbow. which.
alas, was eventually lost in the China
Seas, and the Flying Cloud. whose
sailing records of 374 miles in "a hours
and SO days between New York and
San Francisco in 1851 were unbroken.
There are prints published by N. Cur
rier of Sweepstakes, built by Wester-
welt in SO, and Of Dreadnought.
which in '54 made a voyage from
New York to Liverpool in 13 days and
II hours. incredible swiftness. These
two were small vessels as compared
10 Three Brothers, which. in a Cur
rier and Ives lithograph of 1875, is
described as ''the largest sailing ship
n the world: tonnage, 2,972.
Clipper Ships in Trouble.
Unique but very attractive are pic
lures shown Of clipper ships in un-
usual media. The Red Jacket in
The Ice Of Cape Horn" is a work in
high relief, carved in wood and coll
ored very effectively. The American
clipper Young America is most skill
FULLY done in silk. The Nightingale.