Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-04-18
,cab,e, and hoped the bill would be mo-

Mr. Lowndes said he had no further
Interest in the motion than any ethel
gentleman in the house but ne hopeo
|fbe amendment would prevail, because
|he had no doubt, in addition to giving
defence to the city of Charles,on u
would tend to economist the pubic mo-
,ey. The water of Charleston ne sara.
we're peculiarly favorable to a defence o.
this kind, and would there superceoe the
,ecessity of additional defences, wnieh
we're almost Intellectual, as an out post,
against strong naval force, as every
one knew with how little hazard ship
Of war may at certain favorable NONE nts
pass stationary fort. A steam battery
would save the public money, Because
some of the works were in ruins, the re-
pairing of which would be a great ex-
oense MIR. L. had no doubt that the
protection of Charleston as well as OF o.
the. cities would receive all reasonable
attention from government but the al
|ternative between repairing works re-
Iaai,ing six or seven hundred men to de-
|fend them, and less expensivs yet
more efectual defence, the latter ought
| to be adopted. He agreed, however,
with Mr.. Webster, that the Secretary OF
/ the Navy ought to be tree to apply the
public naval force to any point deemed
by him most proper.
Mr.Forsyth' repeated, that ifthe report
If the committee we departed from,
| y adding steam figate tor Charleston
lany oher maritime town might demand
the same. He was against adopting to
greater extent at present the steam
battery system, in which we had no ey-
Iperience and was ayerse to abandon.
ling the old system, in which the expert
|ence was nple. He understood that
the steam frigate at New-York cost near
| y as much as a seventy-four, and ne
would prefer seventy four until he was
convinced OF the superiority of the other
engine. Mr.. F. said tue arguments Of
HE gentlemen who advocated floating In
,otead of land deiences, went to support
Isis opinions, as he preferred the naval
ieience, but of that kind whose utility
Ia ID management We were well acquaint'
Cd with.
Mr.. Middleton's motion to insert four
instead + three steam frigates, was ne
satived by large majority.
MIR. Webster then moved to amend the
9ll by striking out the words directing
30 oil the batteries to be stationed in the
nesapeake and the other ar New.Or
leans, so az to leave their application It
the direction of the President.
! Mr.. Rober sun could not consent tt
Ithe amendment. The great distance
lof New Orleans from the seat OF govern.
ment and from other parts OF the tnlt.
ed Sta,es, required constant defence
Ithere--it ought not to be left to an un'
certain protection. From the chesapeake
land other parts they could make known
their wants immediately. and obtain IN
case of emergency, prompt and from the
government, backed aise by numerous
| representation here. A steam trlsate
might possibly move from New-York TO
Philadelphia, but ne believed il impracti-
cable to navigate the coast with them to
lNew-Orleans, voyage to which from
any of the other cities was as difficult and
dangerous as one across the Atlantic
| II was therefore necessary to have one
lh,ilt and stationed there. The Presi-
Ident might not deem a frigate SO neces-
sary for the Mississippi as he MIR. r.
| did, and he wished to legislate on it to
! nut his object beyond accident OF any
thing else. The legislature OF Louisiana
had considered it so important that they
! had Instructed their representatives in
Congress to use their best exertions to
obtain one for the waters of that state
He repeated that place so important,
SO weak and so distant, ought to have a
certain and assured protection Howe.
yer much may have been stated in theo-
ry that steam vessels could navigate the
ocean, still it remained untried and 4ues-
tionable. He wanted no confidence in
the executive; but the best way, he said,
to get business done is to do it ourselves;
and he wished, therefore to secure the
defence Of New-0rleans by Legislative
provision.
MIR. Clay felt The sameEde sire for TIE
defence of n. Orleans, as his friend from,
Louisiana but he must surely be struck
tsaid MIR. C. with the improperly of d.
recting one steam frigate to be stationed
at this place and one at another, &C.
1--WE my confidently rely, he said, on the
president of the United States Tor the
prudent application of the public force
contrary course would imply suspi-
c;5n of an ;mnroner employment of the