The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-02-04
Scat Of cosacr,,i,cns.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
JssUARY %.
DEFENCE OF OUR PORTS AND HAIR
BOuRS
(Cestinued.J

this inftance unufual way of making an appropria
ton. The COMMON way was to leave .fums blank.
until after principles were decided and bill broupht
"a 10 carry Their" into eiAst. After the principle is
that VIC wiz build nunistr 9Iip boats,or fsv~nty
fS--,', OF both, bill Nigh. be brought in, and it
would be then time eaough TO fill up the blanks In
order that this eourfe might be purified, he would
move to ftrike on $4,000 dollars
Mr.. N. WILLIAMS. 1t may feem ftrange that 70
mail ium ihouh he propofed by the committee but
when the prech Object %! the report is coniidered. it
will not appear furprGng 1t was not contemplated
III the comtte tint l5oOo0d be adequate to the
erection oil fortieatons for the defence of our nume
rous haroors. was only coufidered as adequate to
the repair OF thePreent fortEcatons and the fitting
up OF lone additional guns. / am not unaware that
the iubjeet is OF die highea Importance The forth
ncatioh OF the pors and harbors of 70 extenlive a
countryis defervsdly coniidered of the fri confe
quence. When W. come tn take ND tbs fub;.ta in
TINS large point OF ,iew hail not fix our attent-
on upon 10 pittiiul alum as that now undr condrra
ton.
IT this be the intention of my colleague fhall
heartily concur in hi notion If OH the contrary.
majority OF the COMMITTEE think it bea, in the fir in
tance' to attend to tae repair of exiting fo-fcat
ons and the fitting pof fome additional guns for i'm
mediate ule and hereafter to 90 into conGd.r,.;or
OF more extenlive mixtures of defence. gtaII ac-
qaieiee' AT any ratet ami willing that the fenle Of
the committee fhould he taken on this ou.G;cn. and
Tor that Purpofe fecoid the motion of nv COLLEAGUE
NT'ELY' cannot conceive il OF much COME
9uehee whether the fun appropriated be 10000
noi'ars or one million The only qnelfion whether
we will make any appropriation B.iup on,. of ,ba
committee who made thereport. will, THO rho u
berty OF Eating the motives which Governed tb.u
ne committee had no particular predictions for
ne rum itated IN the report; for they knew it was in
me oncretion OF the Houle modify i, as thew fav,
Tx. j ne committee had a conversation with the e.
eretary oil war on the fnbjeta He wasp,esfca 70 IA,
hat there were Tome ports well fortified as could
III the Preient iituation of the country
but that in other places tn. fortica,os. ,ere f.,
ave ana inadequate. He hated that az New,
'eans the forthcations were very nadeoaa;r thar
they mad gone out of repair, and il was 4 c,nG;o,
"hetrer 1t were not belt to change their fci,es He
represented that at Savanna there were no works AL
ohg that Georgia had made ITO cefion of land m b
o"'co S,ates' on which to erect them He Aa.ed
A' al Shsr'elton' the works had filtered confdera
oy IN consequence ot torDadoes. He Gaid,here were
lone works at Norfolk and l;kewiGe G,,ed ,bs &C.,,
ton OF New York From his fatemept If apre,rsd
that out iittie had been done towards the eae9u,I
projection oil that har5or and that il vas ex,re,,.,
oieul, 10 do any thing to protect it agaiH any con-
iiderabie force that might be brouyh, aeainN If. H.
tateo that there was fome protection at Newport
'i1 'nAt III me Chelapeak much was NOT reauirsd ::
q y.ptt A..
cured a. it need be. In addition 70 this ,,nva-c,
the iecretary gave an Ultimate of tie fun necef-r
be approPr'aedto repair the works which ,y.r. ,;r
20 decay. Ihis climate was from the mo,th of th
ieeretary. eonfider this fun as nadeou,,e and :, :;
my with that we ihould reR ON the opinion of ,hs
iecretary OF war, but decide for eurfelves believe
na' gres' attention ought to be paid to our ports
and harbors cannot but think il uecuI;,rlv nr,
per to protea place where one third of on
revenue is collected, and which believe pov, IL
DE iaid under contribution by Jingle "a GUN mir
no" TINS is to be done cannot pretend 70 f,v The
thhg alarms me in the prefeur ate of our affairs AID
th'nk we are called upon to be prepared for nme-
diate detence On this point ther can be no DIVERT
Yoi opinion hope therefore. that gentlemen.
@no .'"se TAKEN inii view Of the fabjea will come
forward with an Efficient plan.
Mr.. Dawson The obieta is 10 arike m, ! "a ooo
hoiars TO introduce larger FUN. am forry This mo
ton has been made. IL is known 10 vou Mr. Cb,;r-
man that more than one million of dollars has area
dy been applied to tho defence of New York nrov;J
ed that Rate agrees 10 appropriate the money T. "a
Kn"wh 10 you ato,iha many millions have been an,
P''e" the defence OF our harbors. II is known to
you, by the meilageo Of the PRECEDENT, tina, the moa
important articles Of defence are already in r,adsC
ana that TINS appropriation is only in aid of another
appropriation Of 10000 dolls. for gun bo,,sbn,h
being parts oi the fame fly fem for the of
our ports and harbors. This einsate comes fro, the
ieeretary oil war, who Ibeeve is better informed .,d
more diilntere!ed on this fubjea than any member n
this floor '''''o'i vi
Mr.. EARLY. rife to enquire whether a no,ion
Tor the committee to rife will not fuper(ede the moi
vi now uouer e"h!herat'en IL 10, | will make it,
aud will briefly detail my reafous therefor. -
itappears TO me- vie.g &c the G,i,;rti er,ir,.o
by the report that we poefed Of fuf6e;en do
tailed information on which to found correa dec;C.
on The report embraces three diaina obieas c,r-
temPated as 10 many parts of one general fven Of
defence. One respecting Qualifications. one reC,aa
ing Hips OF the line, and one refpeSinp oun-bo,.s
eontider thee as continuing different par, If Csc
general iyem. IL is true there is but one reCo,,;o
now before the committee, and 10 that will d;rsa
my attention. On that point the committee are &C
ieiled OF too ltle information, in my opinion. ,o fa,
a eerrect Judgment They have no inCorma,io, IS
what harborsin the u States are Gfeeptible of er,
hcation, no data OIL which to decide. I, ia mn, ,r.
isnabe that every port and harbor on our ex,snfv.
line is iuieePtible Of this ipeeies of defence
tand that it is the opisioh Of fonie very erin.n,
ltary characters that the port of New-York i no,
ineeptibe OF defence in this way But thi, /. NOT al
is, there any Ultimate Of the eNpene Of fueh general
iyltem OF defence, or Of Jingle yor, or hsrbor ,
There is not. Gentlemen fay their ob;ea i ,oJ
II IS now the piof cores courfe, to decide the
ePle Of defending ports and harbots. and sfsr.
! wards to I'll up tie blanks Bst permit ,os 20 a,
r.