Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1811-05-10

M, although In political questions, aaec.'
inp the general views and 'ntotc,.' =. ~. ~, !,
~ Mr.. Jefferson was sure Of support 49,
other 1 cases he experienced OCCASION" opH
.;,;on. Some Of his projects were too pispU, -,
,'rons. or inapracticable to DC H'a:'''S y, :,
,,;s FRI friends. And although he succseeeu =
n4n;nr his gua.boats built yet as soon a. ~
Sd 70 be- President, they s0e"s oa, ~ ~.
.s;,v II WA. discovered that THIS 1.lVo'i'I
scheme, for general defence, was dstcct ~ ana
sontempublc ii not inpr~ctic..bls Ana III
40 6r,t session of Congress unaer his sue
,,essor, June 1907 committee OF the , en.te
reported bill for selling the gun-oo~'s' WIN
the reservation OF small number tof pA'si1u-
~ situations. II the bill hat! become raw
and they had then been sold, it Is poss'hie
thew might have fetched a tenth part OF "''a'
.Icy h ID cost the United States, III the iA:t
vars Of ,ar. yetf.rson's presidency. In this
go oa, uro;lct we see one display OF tIlat
eo.s,,le-oaa's wisdom and F.eoNoMy.--But the
S;I r,iscarricd: and the cause OF lis i"iiu!e
seemed to be this: AS soon as 1t Was known
abroad that the guE-boat system was no 'lo'i-
Ger f..vored by tins ADMINISTRATION" II ""'
nos even .nbicot ofderislon with one or ihoie
Of its members, as we'll IS III Congress ;---'ho
that a committee Of the Senate had reported
bill for selling q this species OF naVai afn'a-
,nept ;''---.h cnews papers reneWea t''o'' az
tack nDon them with upraidins Tidicuic: Inc
bride OF the government was touched per.
+ MS Mr.. Jefferson hid interfered OF some OF
he friends fer him TO save his feelings. DC
this ;js it may, tile bill was postponed "nc the
n,,n-koats remained uasod although except
;np twenty four 1T Ncw.OIie;.Is, they were
absolutely useless, were Rapidly dec"Yii!s' "''o
were soon to become ct no value. or t''e
srcrut.rv of .he Navy reported (and the re-
mort WAS laid betor.; the Senate with the OH 10
auInovisc the ssle) tnat if a gui-ooat Is SUI
fervd to tic i'll port tor che year, "itho"S CIV
inc her any kind OF repair, she will probably
BE- found, ut the end OF ,h&t year, wholly u
worthy of being repaired" take II iof
GRANTED, that with the exception OF the tcw
n New. Orieal,s) TIC gun.boats boats were hot
repaired within! that year, nor since "io u
consequence that they arc now worthless.
= In the SINE report, the Secretary ct the
Navy gave his Estimate OF the cAnua! eS.
pense Of taking care OF tho gun-ooats lad up,
iand ell but those at New-OrleaIs were LAID
up) amounting to fftyfour thousand seven
hundred aid nine dollars excluding ten
thous.id dollars from the estimate tor G"""al
repairs because. presume no repairs OF
those hid up" have been uas'e.---lhus have
one million aud some hundred thousands OF
dollars been sacrificed to Mr.. Jefferson's vies's
AID zphins. Aud even the little saying which
m; eht a. ave been made two years ago, has been
prevented by tenderness for his reputation,
or The pride of.those who cc-operatCd with
him in the original project, :. ,:;. -.
But there is mcry EcoNoaY IN this business
vet to be displayed. In another report, made
three DAYS after the former, the Secfctary OF
the Navy sites the comparative exp.nces OF
building gun:boats and frigat.s: by which it
appears, that the former would cost gun Tor !
GU, more than twice Us much is the Liter. !
For instance, t.l4t : trigate mounting SO gus !
liz no,i:.d oacron:.des' nc g pound loig Cab I
ncn( would cost 22!,u00 dollars; and - gum !
beats CARRYING each two guns, 22S,cCo do!i4rs; t
aud that tne building of 25 Gun-boats, carry:
irg each one gun, would cost 22,5oo dollars 81
That to fight Sc guns on board of Is gui..
boats would require 1850 nen ): and to light
Sc guns in IS guE.bo4ts would require 1920
men /: and that these $3.50 men on board trl.
gates, each mounting SO guns, and each re.
curing 40 men, can fight S3e guns, consist
ing Of ~ pound earronades and "a pound long
caSnon--. that is, the ESQ men would man aid
fight six trigases Of Sc saas each. He con.
clude, his comparison with this further site
ment " that tie difference between the an
nual expenee offghting Sc guns on board
frigate, and % gun-boats Carrying 56 guns
1.-TWO to each boat is COZ 500 dollars; ard that
the difference in the annual expence Of fight.
ing Sc guns on board frigate, aud So gum
boats carrying each one gun, is sss,2oo dol
! rs" Tia. is above half million Of dol
lars are, for s6 gun-bo.ts carrying each ore
gun, kept in service one year, than itwould to
maintain triga for the same time, carrying
the 5 lne number Of guns ! WHO now will
call in question the wisdom and ECONOMY of
1;,r. Jeifsrson's plans ?-.-But the gun.bosts
might, if properly stationed, that is, in the
smooth waters Of land.ocked harbors, afford
some aid in defending such ports; they could
not protect Our commerce in the open sea,
even o.. our own cost : ships of the line and
frigates could do Doth and gun.6osts had the
&c