Year: 1870

Wn0u UuCI0 ulu0Ou AtIt tu0 Navy OopoIC
ment 1t was supposed by many persons that he
would retire to Hartford and quietly sleep
away the remainder Of his life. During the
las. four years of his official term he had
been gradually falling into dozy state, and
the ships and dockyards of the navy were
somewhat in the condition of Rip Van Wrinkles
gun after the twenty years sleep of that
individual among the Catskills. The old
Sinbad Of the navy had made his peace
with all the world, and, in expectation Of
shortly leaving this terrestrial abode for that
undiscovered country from whose bourn no
traveller returns, had executed his will and
left the Navy Department and all its musty
folios to his next Of kin. 1t was hoped by his
SUCCESSORS that the ex-Secretary would rest
satisfied with having written eight interesting
romances in the shape of annual reports during
his term of Office. He had employed Chap
lain Boynton to prepare q history Of his
doings during the war of the rebellion,
in which the old Secretary received no
more credit than was actually due him,
as he had conducted the affairs Of the
navy in manner to elicit the warmest praise
from all lovers of their country. For time,
indeed, Uncle Gideon fulfilled the anticipations
of his friends and, snoozed away an entire
winter, merely waking from time to time to
superintend the building Of splendid resi-
dence that he was erecting in Hartford out Of
the earnings Of his eight years of administra-
tion.


While thus alternating the old gentleman's
mind was not at rest, although his body was
relaxed in slumber, and it cannot be forgotten
how he awoke one morning and, calling for
pen and ink, gave the present Secretary Of the
Navy severe scolding for attempting to
interfere with his prerogative by writing
report on naval matters which people could
understand. The effort was mighty one, for
the venerable sailor was waxing in years, and
after finishing his TRADE against the present
department he slipped off into such sound
slumber that his friends feared they should
never hear his voice again. But they were
mistaken. Calm and equable as the old sailor
was in outward appearance he had been con-
tinuaAy riled during his eight years tenure Of
Office by the more youthful and active premier,
Mr.. Seward, who, on more than one occasion,


''t0ok the wind out of his sails, and, not salts
fed with steering the ship of state through
the shoals of diplomacy, undertook to man
age the ships of the navy on the briny ocean.
Thus the sprightly Seward would Gas is well
KNOWN often take the ''weather wheel" from
Uncle Gideon and send the latter to the s'lee
spoke, while he would madly steer through
red tape and antquated forms to the destruction
of all that law and order which the venerable
Welles tried SO hard to preserve. These little
eccentricities of Seward, combined with some
naval dsappointments, have soured the temper
of Welles to such degree that he has at
length woke up and poured laundering
broadsde into the ex-Secretary of State in
particular, and into whomever else he may
reach 1t is strongly suspected that his shot
will reach portion of the navy which has in
terfered with plans long cherished.


When the rebellion ended 'sUncle Gideon
Welles" Gas President Lincoln affectionatsly
called him) had collected together all the
curious old vessels which he had purchased
from time to time and stored them away at the
navy yards for future emergencies. He had
printed their names in true Indian in all the
navy registers, which names were to serve
the purpose of Chinese forts and frighten
our enemies with their h.soundingness.
Every timber Of those big canoes, which
were built long after there was any use for
them, and every double bow of the famed
''double-enders" were as precious in the sight
Of Mr.. Welles as the bones of his grandmother,
and he could not sleep quietly while such
desecration was going on as selling his pet
vessels for firewood or altering them into
coal barges. He therefore determined to
become historian and snatch from Stewards
brow the laurels he had falsely obtained
Seward cavorting away off in Alaska
among the Russian bears and receiving
ovations from the four quarters of the globe,
while he was left at home in Hartford to hi
bernate and suck his paws. What had Seward
done but predict that the rebellion would end
in sixty days, while he, Gideon, predicted
nothing, but did fit out the Sumter expedition,
which would have been a success if it had not
been failure?


There seems to be a link wanting some
where in the chain Of Mr.. Welles' history, and
it is shrewdly suspected that the gentleman
has only stated his side Of the affair. 1t seems
to the uninitiated that there must have been
some reason for Mr.. Stewards fitting out the
Fort Pickens expedition without the knowledge
Of Uncle Gideon. Indeed, the former never
hesitated to say that the ''ancient mariner"
was very shaky in his timbers, his planking
was decayed and he wanted good deal of
caulking-in fact, that he was ''quite leaky'
and could not keep state secret. He fondly
held on to men in the NAVY Denartment who