THE WHITE WORLD 



Mr. Dickerson contented himself with pointing out that 

 none of these gentlemen had asked for the job. Mean- 

 while, Lieutenant Slidell was protesting that the affair 

 put him in a very mortifying position, for he had told 

 all of his friends that he was sure of an appointment. He 

 asked for the charges against him, and the Secretary of 

 the Navy gave him several of Captain Jones's letters, with 

 permission to publish them in the public press, and to 

 reply to them. The affair caused a great stir. Slidell's 

 many friends supported him eagerly. Washington Irving 

 wrote to the President, urging that his gifted young ac- 

 quaintance should be appointed. The President himself 

 officially recommended Wilkes and Slidell for commands. 

 In spite of all the opposition, Captain Jones had his way. 

 The Secretary of the Navy, seeing that no harmony could 

 exist between the commander and these subordinates, de- 

 clined to appoint Wilkes and Slidell, and, as he said rather 

 pettishly, " from this time forth ceased to look out for 

 officers of scientific attainments for the expedition." 



This little scandal had the serious effect of making 

 naval officers shy of the expedition, and in the succeeding 

 spring occurred a second public squabble which enhanced 

 their shyness. The parties to this affair were Captain 

 Jones and Lieutenant Tattnall, an officer who had been 

 expressly chosen by the captain to command the barque 

 " Pioneer." 



In January, 1837, Lieutenant Tattnall took his vessel to 

 Mexico for a trial cruise. When he returned, on March 30, 

 Captain Jones was paying a visit to another vessel, and 

 during the absence of his superior, the commander of the 

 " Pioneer " let out sad stories of his craft. She pitched in 

 a seaway — even in a tide-up — so violently as to " endanger 

 her masts," and so to deaden her way as to cause her 

 to drift bodily to leeward." In those eighty days she 

 had pitched out of her three jib-booms, a foretopgallant- 

 mast, and a mizzentopmast. Moreover, Lieutenant Tatt- 

 nall was not confident that in a double-reefed topsail 

 breeze she could claw off a lee shore. 



This news greeted Captain Jones at the landing. " Great 

 God," exclaimed an excited relative, " What an account 

 they give of the ' Pioneer! ' " 



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