The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-01-24
ihey were disappointed in this latter hope the follow
ing letter Of directions will show.

SiR: In the settlement OF accounts in your office
no allowance Is hereafter TO be made, in any case,
States, when The deceased has lef rff,s su,ien 10
satisfy The same bu in any case in which il shall be
iully proved 10 You that the estate Of the deceased i
inadequate TO delray the funeral expenses The expe-
arney LOT making an allowance, for that purpose,
VIII, on your representation Of the facts be taken
into consideration
am respectfully, sir
Your most obedienl servant
SMITH THOMPSON.
CONSTANT FREEMAN, Esq,
Fourth Auditor OF the Treasury.
II would be gratifying, were We enabled to present
in the administration Of the Navy Department pic
ture OF the most pleasing cast but unfortunately, to
the ignorance and imbeclily of the previous ADM
nisiraIion Of the Navy were now to he added the
prosecutions Of The distinguished officers it con-
tanned The trials BY Courts Martial Of Hull Por-
ter and Stewart, are the in point and suf-
hciently fresh in our recolections. The conqueror
of the Guerrero, (Hull) of the Cyane and Levanl,
(s'ew r,) and he, whose humanity tore down the
nag which valor had nailed to the mast" Tin the
most desperate sea-fgh against double his force that
ever occurred) received his reward, BY being perse-
cuted out OF the Navy Had these inuslices and in
suits here ceased, some apology might have been
made through heir being singular exceptions to the
sors Of Thompson, and Southland, must tear from
their appointments The distinguished conqusror OF
The Java, Commodore Bainbridge,) and The Eper-
ver, (Warington,) in manner as disgracefur to
those officers as the heads of the Department dared
10 make them. And even Reashaic, AFTER having re-
ceived at the hands of the Department the most sig
nal injustice would have been stricken from the
Navy had not Commodore Steirart interfeved
Commodore Porter was so prosecuted by the Ex-
eculive Departments that he could only save himself
from disgrace by resgnng from the Navy. His
offence was, landing on Porto Rico, TO release one OF
his officers who had been wanlony and unnecessarily
imprisoned BY the authorities, because he was in
pursuit Of some pirates who had retired 10 that
island with their plundered goods For this error Of
| Judgment against the rigid rule of International
law, this gallant officer driven from the service,
while al the same island Of Porto Rico an officer in
command OF a batery, killed with impunity Lieut..
| William Cock, OF Virginia. on his quarter deck,
commanding one Of our small national vessels Of
war, by firing on ii from the battery.
| Commodore Bainbrdge abruptly turned out
of his command in the Navy Yard at Philadelphia,
because he asserted his rights an allowance under
the practice OF the Department which gave cffence
10 subordinate officer in il; and Commodore War
rington was driven from the Board of Navy Com
missioners, because he Could not believe that his
wife's brother, the Navy Agent at Norfolk was a
| cheat and swindler.
! The Secretary of the Navy (Mr. WoopBURY, ),
would have dismissed Captain Renshaw. because he
| published to his brother officers the nlu lice Of
Withholding from him MS rights of seniority, in con-
sequence of secret infornl ion given TO the Depart
ment against hin, all OF which he proved false and
slanderous. He had been excluded from his regular
turn for comml1d, in consequence OF this informal
ton, and another appointed over him; but the repre-
sensations and circumstances of Com nodore Stewart
made to General Jackson, were powerful, that he
ordered il otherwise.
Every Inauguration Of new President has excit-
ed the hopes Of the Navy that an efficient head
would be placed over the Department. Never were
they more elated, than upon the accession OF thai
gallant old soldicr, General JackSon,l But they
hoped in vain; the same indifference 10 its welfare
| and judicious management prevailed, and the ser
vice has since been cursed with succession OF Ex-
ecutve officers, whose only objects to have been
to contrve how much of the appropriations could be
uselessly squandered for political purposes or how
much could be retained in The Treasury, BY cheating
the Navy Of the liberality Of Congress through the
appropriations made for its efficiency. The result
has been the introduction Of the lcorst of models in
our vessels of war; excessive extravaganza, and
waste in their construction and equipment; the d-
lapdated and rotten condition of many and the ine
fciency of others, for their purposes; the mi0ppli-
cation OF the national forces TO their respective
wees abroad; the unpardoaablc delays in preparing
vessels for service, not forgetting the vcions
cesses of the Exploring Expedition, unparalleled in
the history of Nations, and which have tended so
much 10 disgrace the Navy, and render the Nation
! a laughing stock to Europe. These the stabs the
Navy has received, that my have broken down It's
discipline and arrested that Esprit du Corps which
carried it heretofore nobly through all its gallant
struggles.
II NAV now be asked, after the Executives have
done so much TO render the NAVY unpopular with
the nation what have they done TO promote its vel
fare by recommendations to the Natio.al Legisla-
ture or Otherwise Nothing! When has il been
given to hope for increased rank 10 its grades, so
essential to is future glory1 And when did the SER
vice derive additional paw to of its grades from
| the Executive aid Never All that II has obtained
has been through the exerionS of its officers by cam
paiyning to Washington II is said il was not long
since proposed to send The gallant Hull % the Med
rerranean in the same frigatc he commanded thirty
| years ago in which he tiumrhed over the Gucr-
riere there TO salute the n of Admiral Dacres,
who had been his prisoner, waving over line OF
battle ships
Noble nation generous Government! These are
the grateful rewards to your triumphant and gallant
sons How, under such circumstances, can it be
expected that officers will rush TO the onset for
foreign service, in which, if they do not disgrace
themselves abroad you are sure to endeavor TO dis
grace them when they return; and where no repu-
tation can be gained and much may be lost
Under such d>couragemen,S, (and many others
,ha, might be enumerated) against which he Navy
has been struggling for years in addition 10 the lack
Of al, encouragement for its future welfare, what can
be expected of it, when i, is permitted SO long TO
sirnccle in yain1 The surprise now is, that even