Oliver made many friends in Newport. Among them was the Frenchman, Count Rochambeau. The father of this man was a great general, and had once commanded some French troops who helped the Americans in the Revolutionary War.
Count Rochambeau often invited Oliver to dine with him, and one day he gave him a beautiful little watch.
When Oliver was twelve years old, his father gave up his life on the sea. The family then moved to Westerly, a little village in the southwestern part of Rhode Island.
For five years Oliver had been a faithful pupil of Mr. Frazer's, and he was now far advanced for his years.
III.—Plans for the Future.
About this time some unexpected troubles arose in our country.
France and England had been at war for years. The French were anxious that America should join in the quarrel; and when they could not bring this about by persuasion, they tried to use force.
French cruisers were sent to the American shores to capture merchant vessels while on their way to foreign ports.
You may be sure that this roused the people from one end of the United States to the other. Preparations for war with France were begun; and the first great need was a better navy.
At the close of the Revolutionary War, all work on government vessels had been stopped. Those that were unfinished were sold to shipping merchants. Even the ships of war that had done such good service, were sold to foreign countries. In this way, the entire American navy passed out of existence.