THIS WEEK’S ANNIVERSARIES

Evening Star, Issue 19924, 21 July 1928, Page 13

THIS WEEK’S ANNIVERSARIES

mv is Ocean voyages by steamers were at first performed by vessels in which sail almost as much as steam was the power relied on. In this way the Atlantic was crossed on July 15, 1819, by the Savannah, a vessel 100 ft long, and of about 800 tons burden, It was the first crossing in which steam was used for propulsion. The passage from Savannah (United States) to Liverpool . occupied twenty-five days. The real beginnings of practical steam navigation are to bo found in tho period of 1780-90 In Britain, France, and America the pioneers of progress were working ' simultaneously but independently to bring tho visions of longdistance steam navigation to success. Tho first years contain records of many inaentions, minor achievements, and bioken hopes, which in moro than ope case led to suicide. In 1788 Robert Burns witnessed a trial on a lake in Dumfriesshire. The inventor in this case was Patrick Miller, a retired Edinburgh banker, who had assist ing him a mechanic named William Symington. On that occasion a speed of live miles an t hour 1 was attained, but Miller “spent bis life and his estate in that adventure, and died quasi-bankrupt and brokenhearted.” This is only one incident out of hundreds that could be quoted ol men who helped to build tho bridge that carried Inter inventors to fame and success. A notable event occurred in 1807, when Robert Fulton’s steamship Clermont did tho trip between New York and Albany, 142 miles, in thirtytwo hours’ steaming time. Prom that time steam navigation became an everyday commercial success. JULY 16 Omar Pasha, almost forgotten now, was much in tho public cyo in the middle of the nineteenth century Born on July 10. 1800, ho was a soldier of fortune, who rose great ‘'miuenco in the service of the Sultan. Ho was not n Turk by birth, though ho was cradled in a country whore the ploughshare had to ho protected by the sword Croatia, n mountainous province in the Balkans, was his birthplace. FUs real name was Michael Latins, and he was educated for the Austrian Army at a military school. His ardent spirit got him into trouble Having rendered himself liable to punishment for a breach of discipline, ho bolted to a Turkish province. His beautiful caligraphy gained him tho post of writing master to the heir to the, Ottoman throne. From that day ho never looked back Given a small post in the array, and proving his ability and faithfulness, lie was soon advanced to a position which gave scone to his military genius. H was against Russia that his greates f deeds were done. When the Tsar’s armies invaded the Damibian principalities in 1553, Omar collected 60,000 men, and conducted a series of successful operations against tho enemy. Later ho gave the Russians a severe thrashing in tho Crimea. _ One of his minor Jobs was to “ pacify ” Bosnia and Herzegovina, which ho did in right Turkish style, and ho afterwards overran and subdued Montenegro. Omar was a great military leader, who carried tho crescent to famo_ m a sciics of almost unbroken victories. JULY 17 Sir Philip Sidney died on July 17, 15SG More than' ,‘IOO years have passed, yet lie is remembered, not for what ho did, but for what ho was. His achievements were considerable, but not particularly outstanding in an ago when many notable deeds were done. From the point of view of actual accomplishment, it is ns a poet that Ids reputation rests. His ‘Apologio for Poetry’; his .pastoral romance ‘The Arcadia’; and his ‘ Astrophcl ’ and ! Stella Sonnets ’ were much praised in his day and afterwards. His literary work was all done in four years. Death from a round in battle at tho age of lliirtyfonr brought to an cud a literary career that apparently was only beginning. Sidney’s life was one of frustration and disappointed hopes. Tho scion of a great house, ho travelled far and wide, and received an education as complete as it was possible to make it in those days. Edmund Spenser described him as “ president of noblesse and of chivalry.” There was talk of tho Polish throne being offered to him. A nephew of Leicester, Sidney began to make a career at Court. At first a favourite of Elizabeth, tho tickle Queen turned on him when ho opposed some of her doubtful schemes. Sidney’s attitude in tho agony and struggle of the Netherlands against tho tyranny of Spain ants wholehearted, where that of tho Queen avas lukewarm, ft avas in this cause that ho met his death. In a charge against Spanish cavalry ho avas shot in the knee, and this avas tho occasion avlicn ho gave Ill's avater hottlo to tho dying soldier, saying; “ Thy necessity is yet greater than mine.” Sidney died from his wound, and thus; ended the life of •ono avho was a Sir Galahad in a time and in circumstances avhen tho broad and tloavery avny avas the path to success and popularity. A halo still rests above this friend of the great and the poor, of gentle and simple, avho lost groat opportunities and wasted “ long nights in pensive discontent ” rather than yield to the caprices of a. tempestuous queen and her intriguing Ministers. JULY 18 D‘ William Gilbert Grace avas horn on July 18, 1848. His father, a doctor, avas an enthusiastic cricketer, and lie brought up Ids four sons to play cricket. Tavo of them, E. At. and G. F. were in the first class, avliilc W. G. was in a class of his own. G. F. died young, but tho sturdy and hardhitting 10. M. piled up now for many years. Ho avas a member of George Parr’s team avhicli visited Australia aaid Neav Zealand in 1861, and played on the Oval in Dunedin. It is still claimed by some avriters that W. G. avas the greatest cricketer avho ever lived. Ho scored over 51,000 runs in first-class cricket, and in this connection it must bo remembered that a great proportion of them avere made on wickets very different from tho billiard table surfaces that are prepared today. There avero great boavlers in those days, too. Ho avas no mean bowler himself, his grand total of wickets being 2,800. In 1895, aadien ho was nearly fifty, the champion, as he was called, scored 2,346 runs, avitb an average of 51. W. G. avas in his prime avhen the Australians burst on the cricket avorld, and he gave them some leather-hunt-ing A captain of test teams, he himself performed notably in these matches. During the visit to England of the 1882 Australian team Sydney Pardon, an authority on the game, wrote: “The champagne of cricket is to bo enjoyed at Lord’s on a fine day, with Grace and A. G. Steel batting and Spofforth and Paliiicr boavling.” JULY 19 Matthew Flinders, avho died on July 19, 1814. was one of the greatest of Britain’s sailors. In 1790 he entered the Navy, contrary to the wishes of his father, who wanted him to be a doctor. Five years later he was in Australian avaters. He determined to examine the coast south of Port Jackson, and with a young surgeon on his ship named Bass ho departed on the enterprise in a small decked 'vessel avith a creav of only six men. Enter ing tho unknoavn he passed through tho passage noav called Bass Strait, thus proving that Tasmania was an island, and not as had been supposed part of the mainland. In 1801 Flinders commanded a scientific expedition for the investigation of the Australian coasts and their products. Ho did prodigious work. Be-

ginning at Cape Lccuwin, lie worked tnrougn Hass (Strait and up the eastern coast to Uio Gulf of Carpentaria, which, with tho Great Harrier Heels, ho thoroughly surveyed, ami went rigid, uu to Timor. The job Look him two years. Then blinders Iclt lor England to submit his report to the Admiralty. Wrecked on a coral reef, lie eventually got to Mauritius Hero more bad luck awaited him, for unknown to him England and France were at war, and he was made prisoner. For six years he languished in captivity. When lie gob home he was broken in health, but lived long enough to write his book, ‘ A Voyage to Term Australis.’ lie died on the day that it was published, at the age of forty. JULY 20 “ God blew, ami they were scattered,” Such is tho translation of the Latin inscription on tho medal which Queen Elizabeth ordered to ho struck to commemorate the defeat of the Armada. It was on July 20, 1588, that sailors keeping watch and ward saw tiie Spanish Armada enter tho English Channel. This was one of two great occasions since the earliest times when serious and deliberate attempts wore made to invade England. Tho other enmo afterwards, when Napoleon, “tho incarnate God of war,” lay waiting on the other side of tho Channel for a chance to throw his legions on to English soil. The word “ Honey,” or rather the prestige of his name, was a great shadow that hung over England in that day. Similarly, the “Invincible Armada ” . and its reputed strength was another great shadow that darkened tho lives _ of the people 200 years earlier, lint in each ease tho courage and tenacity of Britain’s seamen saved the country from the proud foot of a conqueror. When Lord Howard and his sailors laid broken up tho Armada 100 of the Spanish ships remained. Because of j contrary winds they sailed north, and more than lifty were piled up on the ' inhospitable and rocky shores of tho Hebrides and Western Ireland. In March of 1918 tho sound of guns across the Channel was an ominous portent, bub it is to be doubted if the danger to the Mother Land then was as great as on the two occasions men tioned. JULY 21 The First Canadian railway was opened on July 21, 1836. From that day romance in Canada faded before the enterprise of vigorous men, who began to turn its vast spaces to utilitarian purposes. The earlier history of the dominion recalls the struggles and privations of the Jesuit missionaries, of other ' heroic Frenchmen adventuring in the backwoods, of the coming of tho British and tho struggle with France for supremacy, of the Hudson Bay Company, and the fur trappers. These were the beginnings of colonisation and the taming of a vast wilderness of forests and great rivers, lakes, and seemingly endless prairies. Means of communication became essential, and railway projects were set on foot.

The construction of the first short line in 1836 was followed by more ambitious attempts. The building of the railway from ocean to ocean is a romance in itself. Tremendous difficulties presented themselves. State enterprise to complete the line failed, hut when the work was handed over to Donald A. South and George Stephen (afterwards Lords Strathcona and Mount Stephen! it was pressed with vigour and tenacity, and the railway connecting east and west was actually opened si v years ahead of the allotted time. Its length is 6,500 miles. Canada’s railway now covers more_than 15,000 miles. To-day trains bearing their loads of wheat to city and seaport demonstrate the courage, capacity, and enterprise of the pioneers.