Considerable satisfaction and appreciation will be felt at the action of the United States Senate in passing to the White House a bill authorizing the conferring of decorations on four British naval officers with the Yangtze Flotilla for the help they gave in rescuing the survivors of the USS., Panay, which was bombed and sunk near Hohsien last December. The officers are Rear-Admiral R. G. Holt, Rear-Admiral of the Yangtze, Captain G.E.M. O'Donnell, his Chief-of-Staff in H.M.S. Bee at the time, who are recommended for the Distinguished Service Medal, one Vice-Admiral L.G.E. Crabbe, former A.Y.. and Lieut-Commander H. D. Barlow. was in command of H.M.S. Ladybird, both hom have been recommended for the Navy Cross. This signal recognition of the services of these officers comes as a high tribute to the work of the Royal Navy and the friendship between the British and American moval uni n service on the Yangtze which transcends all ; bstacles and differences in cases of emergency when life is at stake. This ce-operation between the naval forces of these two great Anglo-Saxon countries has been exemplified on many other occasions, and the tradition was worthily upheld at Hohsien in one of the mos unusual incidents in naval history. To the Royal Navy, thiy news will be received with pleasure, but would it not be inappropriate to mention that as far as these relations along the China coast are concerned the foundation of this tradition was laid by a stout-hearted American sailor, who, under somewhat different conditions at Taku Bar, made the statement which has long dignified these relations when he went to the rescue of helpless British sailors and disregarded official restraint by his remark: "Blood is thicker than water" That a time should come when the compliment could be returned is one of those happy circumstances which history provides.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.