The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1811-12-28

frce, has hitherto, in TIC cpiniul Of the COM
mittee, been treated With az neglect highly
impolitic,. or supporsedb y spirit SO Es,gaid,s
us while it has preserved the. eSistcace Of:
the establishment has had the effect. OF load
ing it with thcin,putaticns OF wasteful e:i..
pence & comparative incftNjercy: I
No system has hitherto bepn adopted
which, though limited bg the dispensing Sc:
curity of the times, and the just cconon,yi
of our republican institutions, was vet calcn-
lated 10 enlarge itself gradually WITH the
progress OF The nations growth. in Hopnlas,
,t'cn, in>wealth and in commerce, or c,xpand.
with aii.c,ersy propoitioncd to a. Crisis Of.
particular t:anger.
Such course, iM,politic: under any Cir
.cumstai ccs, is the n.ore SO When it is ds,,
clear that this nation is ineIita-
IDLY destined to+be a.nayal POKER, and thar
the virtue or ecanony,if no. other motive
;co",d be found, you'd recommend a plan aYI
(which this fierce must bic. gradually incrcas-
sed, TIE necessary expenses diminished.
and durability and .permancncy given t,
sthe strength which they. may purchase. :.
That naval protection is particularly
secured to the interest of commerce by our
lgrcat political Compact, is proved by tl.as
ipart of the constitution which scxpressiy
sgavc to congress the power ito provide and
3naintain a navy" And is confirmed By the
Shistory of the. timss, and the particular cir
scnmstances which led to its institution but
cit is alike secured ~ the fundamental. ma 1
5ture os all government, which extends to
Eeveiy interest under its authority IL protce !
stion <if within tire nation's means) which is
Il adequate to its preservation nor is this pro-
3tection called for jnly by the partial inter
tests OF a.particnl.r description of men or of
ia particular trac.of country. A navy is as
Saccessary to protect the mouths of the Mis-
asissippi, the chanel through which the pro-
= luce of the agriculture of the western slater
!nustpas to bec,me valuabls, as the bays Of
Z he ChesapeaksandDelaw and more ne
AEeSsary than o. the shores of the eastern or
Sthe southern sites.
1t has, indeet, been urged, your commit
Itee are 'awars that naval establishment
Wis forbidden b the great and burthensomc
Q public money which, it isl
sssaid, will be r3quired to support it, and by|
|&the inability q the country by any expendi.
Ature to maintiin navy which can protect
Sits maritime rights against the power of c..
ABritain. Thehrst objection appears to Your
Hcommittee tope founded on a mistaken as
assumption of tir fact for i'll their opinion. a
Hnaval force within due limits and under pro-
3per regulators will constitute the cheapest
Sdefence of the nation
81 The permanent Notifications necessary to
zthe union viii cost, in the opinion of your
committee, a much IN their erection and
as much annually, if properly provided and
Hgarrisoned, a, the naval force which, it is
confidently believed, on the testimony of per-
Rsons competent to decide, would be amply
Sufficient to prevent ali attacks from reach
fling our shorts. 1t will thus furnish the
Emost appropriate, adequate and cheap pre-
election again!t foreign enemy, and will,
1 lat the same time be perfectly innoxious u
Ethe public liberty and the private morals
xof the county; dispense almost entirely
swith standing army, so hostile to the gent
2us of our free constitutions, and remove the
STANDING vices and evils of camps and gar
Erisons from the cities on our sea coast :
kcherish a noble body of mariners, who in
ehonorablc peace viii spread the sails of a
prosperous and vivifying commerce on eve
Cry sea, and in NECESSARY war terribly avenge
stheir countiy's wrongs.
The other objection your committee sup
5pose to be founded ON an imperfect exami-
2nation of the subject for those who are
2best able to form opinions on this matter,
efrom ccngenial professional pursuits, as wei
las a particular knowledge of the marine u
sGreat Britain, declare that she cannot. al
2any time, spare more than very limit ed
force fer the American station one which
Scan be effectually resisted by an establish
9ment which may be supported by this GO
avernment without great direct expense,
Jwhile in its effectsit will greatly more tn n
Ereimburse to the national wealth, the sums
(which may be drawn from it for this object :
2protect our harbors from insult, our coast
eing trade from spoliations, ard give us the
sdominion of sea on our borders which we
Fought to call our own ard defend with on,
-fnnop.
] TO detail all the reasons on which this
sopinion is found ed, would, perhaps, not be
FIN the power of your committee, who are in
lpart governed by the opinions of men of
Experience and professional skill Gotten
SamoDg the best grounds of human faith,
ibut moi always equally commuuicable;) but
|: the leading facts and,principles onwhich it
lis founded, are too plain and obvious to la
ybor under this difficulty. The history of all
shines proves the inability of Great Britain
FOR any other power to station large force
Gin remote seas, for independent of the neces-
ssity that always exists for its presence In
imore proximatc quarters, could the formc.
,nation place the whole of her thousand ships
on our coast, she would he unable, in a state
,of hostility with the United States, compe-
emily to supply even considerable squad
sron of them, for any duration Of time, with
Che least regard TO the efficiency of the SER
vice anoSWithout a was:eful and ruinous ex-
Ipense (; let those VINO hold a different op;n-
ion declare how and from whence,
10 the defence Of your ports and harboys
land the protection of your 'coasting trade
shoi,ld be confined, in the opinion Of your
committee, the present object and operations