Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1810-07-13
mission now the actual naval force in


sbrigs K schr. IL & Z galleys:
IS
Would Mr.. Randolph call ta gun
schooner, or 16 or an IS or 90 gun
vessel. ship of war? He surely
would not allow that any such vessel
was Of" respectable FORCE" when ne
has already said, that there was no ves-
sci OF respectable force" built in
Mr.. Jefferson's administration, and
said this in the face of the fact, which
he knew, that the ship Wasp, the brig
Hornet, and several others, were then
built. To bring the number of yes
sells in commission In the year 1900.
to this test, there were but IS of re.
spectacle force; the rest " are not
worth bringing into account"
2nd. As to the number of seamen
employed in the year 1900, he states
the aumber to be 5000. Now / have
already shewn, by reference to the
highest authorities, that the number
was 6,373 only, or 1857 less than
Mr.. Randolph states it to have been.
:. 3rd. Mr.. Randolph states that the
marine corps in the year 1900 cost
s 10000 In the minute investiga-
ton which this gentleman affects to
have made, is it not rather unaccount-
able that the following words should
have escaped him: " N. B. No ra.
tions are estimated for the non-com-
missioned officers and priva,es of the
marine CORPSE as they are provided for
10 the estimate of ships provisions 7"
(See estimate for the year 1900, pa.
49, Now, gentlemen, the S 162 600
stared by MIR. Randolph as being the
whole expence OF the marine corps
Tor the year 1900, does not include ra
tons Tor any non-com mis,ioned officer
or private in the marine corps .,sstheir
number then was (see estimate, D. S3. }
1852; and each man drawing one ra.
ton per day, 1862 would draw ss3 $40
rations in the course Of a year, which
at 20 cents each, amount to 1896
dollars. Thus then the expence. of
the marine corps in the year 1900.
was 238, 796 dollars.
And yet MIR. Randolph has stated ,
that the whole expense was 1852, 900
dollars. Here is manifest mista,e-
ment to the amount of 1876 dollars.
4ih. Mr.. Randolph says that in the
year 1909, We had in commission bur
Is vessels of all sorts. What man in
the nation can have been so inattcn-
tive to public concerns as not to know
that, including the gun-boats, we had
upwards of one hundred vessels of all
sorts in commission for one third OF
the year, and that throughout the
whole year we had
Six frigates.
Nine sloops ofwar, briggs & schoon
ers.
Two bomba, and
twenty gun-boats.
Thus We see that Mr., Randolph
10 vessels of all sorts, were IMP reality
for one third of the year more than
one hundred, and for the balance of the
year thirty-seven! Is it possible
that the penetrating anatomizing Mr..
Randolph could be ignorant of these
facts
5sh. Mr.. Randolph says that the
number of men employed in 1905
was $500; in another part Of his
speech he made out the number to be
1900. Can any person imagine the
possibility of manning Is vessels Of
war and 100 gun boats, with 2,7oC
men! To manifest the gross absur.
dity of the idea, l will ooly State that Z
gun boat cannot be efficiently manned
with less than SO men of course thai
the gun-boats alone considering III,
Is vessels of war as - not worth bring
ing into account'') required $500
men and yet, gentlemen, FIR. Ran
dolph's own words are, " we had las
year in employ 2,723 men, which cos
the nation 3,427, 900 dollars for eacI
man employed within triae of 80,
doliaFs."
| How can Mr. Randolph account 70
this egregiogs b,under! lie pretend
that Mr.. Bassett admitted the fac
! but what are Mr.. Das.et,'s words