Star.
London, England, 1828-08-15 00:00:00

..which. at the average before menti,'ned, would ,"„ire.
about 85.000 beanie% Our ships of war now in coos.
mission demand about 4 800 seamen. ordinary se.men,
landsmen, and boys.. To man. in time of war, all the
ve.•els which are authorized t be !milt, mote than
'2O 000, excluding millings, would hem‘cessary. The
Average annual increase has been before stated at about
5,0(X). What is eie precise number of our own citizens.
whose sole employment is upon the water, and w ha. the
',umber of naturalized foreigners, cannot be preci•elr
stated. There is a great detect in the register of
seamen—a detect which ought to be remedied by legis.
Wive enactment.

It is respectlully sugeestel as proper—
I. Thai foreign seamen, Although natoralited. he as
vapidly excluded from our navy as possible. In con-
so, mity with this suggestion, an older has been issued
to the officers engaeed in reciuiting, direct ng them to
seek, first, nAtive Americans, and to enlist none others
except as matter t f necessity. It is believed that this
order will Accomplish the design to a considerab'e ex-
tent. - -

2. That a larger proportion of landsmen than here-
tofore, should, while peace continues, be placed in our
ships. An order to this effect has also been issued, and
a direction given that none be enli,ted under 18 nor over
2.5 years of age.' Good landsmen, of the 'molter age,
will, atter one cruise of two or three years, become good
ordinary seamen; and after a second cruise be good
seamen, and continue permanently in the service.
3. That landsmen be enlisted in the interior. Such
as are picked up in the citte, are generally dissipated
men, advanced in yeari, witu bad habits and enfeebled
constitutions, who Never can become useful in any ca-
pacity. On the contrary, young men may be enlisted
in the country whose constitutions are vigorous, whose
babies are good, and who will soon make efficient sea-
men. By this course also, a mote general feeling will
be created in favour of the navy—the right arm of the
national defence.
A conviction of the importance of this measure, and
a desire to test its practicabil'ty. induced the Depart.
menr, a short time since, to establish a rendezvous in the
neighbourhood of Cailisle and Harri,borgh. Thus tar
it promises all that was hoped f ir.lrom it; and should
it continu- to prosper, it will be used hereafter as neces-:
sity shall call 'for it, and the same plan will be adopted
in other places.
4 That the legislative prevision be made to require
merchant ye sets, in proportion to their tonnage, to
carry boys between the ages' of 14 and 18; at least one
for every 100 tons. In making this recommendation;
it is not forgottee, that a slight effect will be produced
upon the economy with which our navigation- is con.'
ducted, nor that the subject has been heretofore pre-
sented to the consideration of the Senate. and the pro-
position resisted by an able Report of the Committee
of Commerce. But the recommendation is believed to,
be sustained by the successful practice of other nations,
by the absolute necessity of providing a sufficient our.,
sexy and const•rit supply for our rapidly increasing
inercant'le and mil tiry marine ; by the smallness of
the burden which the proviiion would impose upon out
navigation, and by the high importance of being sup-
ported in oar commercial career by our iron native,
citizens. The regulations for this subject do not OM
perly find a place in ibis report. _ :1
But sth. The most important Measure connected
with this subject is, legal authority to enlist with the,
written consent of their parents, boys over ISand undeel
16 years. until they' arrive at the age of 21; or which
,would, in many respects; be preferable, authority to
take apprentices of
.the aces and for the period men-
tioned. There should be from 15 to SO in every
navy yard, and two fir every gun, to our vessels
in comnii,sion making in all. in the first instance,
about one thousand two hundred. Those in the
navy yards shruld be assigned to the stations duties
performed there, and instructed in them, so as to fur-I
nish in a few years most competent workmen in every
branch, whe, being habirtrated to their employments,
would be a steady and unfailing supply for the public
wants in that department. Those in our ships should,
according to their capacities, be assigned to the laboursl
of the common sailor. and as as- taunts to the petty
officers, and would, befor- the expiration of their enlist-
ment or indenture,-be perfected in their respective du-
ties. A, their terms ended, their places should be
constantly supplied, so as to keep, at every moment,
the full number of buys in the service. Two years
would be sufficient to prepare them to act as ordinary'
seamen, and three more as seamen. This plan, u..ttect
tothat of enlisting youn.; landsmen. weuld.give in an
annual increase of horn three hundred to live hundred
good seamen, permanently united to the service, and
ultimately secure all that our interest on this point can
require. These apprentices should be clothed in our
own manufactures—denied spirits in their rations, until
they become men—educated by proper teachers iu
reading, writing, arithmetic, and nay gation—be en•
titled to hospital' pension and prize privileges—have a
small amount of money reserved for them, and paid
when their time expires, if their conduct has been good,
and a premium on re-entering. They would furnish, I
I within eight or, ten years from the commencement of
the system, all our petty officers of every description' •
I and the best rewards of virtuous effort should be pre.l
rented to them, in promotions to the rank of Warrant
Officers, and, if their merits justified, eventually to the
highest honors of the profession.
To those who may not have carefully made the eel-
culation, the results of such a system would al-pear ex-
travagant. 'When compared wit's our present plan, it
would create a saving of not less than an hundred and
fifty thousand dollars annually—would give u', in every
department, the gleate,t rfficiency and skill—and, above
all, would make the navy what it ought to be, in every
thing, American.

Respectfully submitted.
SAMUEL L. SOUTHARD.

Wednesdey evening, as a fine little boy, about
eight years of age, the son of Mr. Clarke, residing at
No.• 4. Ashonton-place. Bouverie-street, Fleet•street,
was amusing himself with sailing a small boat, while
on board a barge lying at the time off Hammersmith-
bridge, he unfortunately overbalancing himself, was
precipitated into thesiver, and after being. tarried a
short distance by the stream, sunk to rise no mote Alive.
Every exertion was made to discover the body of the
poor child, but hitherto without effect.
Last week a hawk was seen for several days hovering
over a Gentleman's house at Highgate, which excited
the curiosity of the housekeeper to find out ihe cause of
his constant visits, which were regularly at a certain
time. The stables being then unoccupied, the family
not being there, the door was generally lest open dur-
ing the day; and she actually saw the hawk dart into
the stable. At, this time they have a large brood of
young chickens; she therefore immediately took a stick►
.went into the stable, and drew the 4100 f alter her.
,That
instant the hawk, with a young chicken in his
,talons,.
darted through a pane of glass of • the stable window,
and thus left the anxious housekeeper to bemoan the
loss of the broken pane.