The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1840-12-17
REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE
NAVY.

ing on this Department, respectfully submit the
| following report
| The squadron IN the Mediterranean remains the
same il at the date Of my last report and
sists OF the Ohio IA, the Brandywine (frst class fri
gate and the Cyane sloop of war-the whole under
| the command of Commodore Isaac Hull This force
has been found fully adequate to the protection of
commerce, which has remained unmolested in that
quarter.
The squadron on the Pacific station is composed Of
the frigae Constitution the Sleep Of st. Louis
and the schooner Shark, under Commodore Caxton
Since the date Of my last report, the schooner Enter
PRISE, then on her way home, and the sloops Of
Lexington and Falmouth which has been directed 10
return, have arrived in the United States and have
been replaced by the soops Yorktown and Dale,
on the eve Of sailing for the Pacific. The squadron
when joined by these vessels, will consist Of fgaie
of the first class, three soops Of war; and schooner
Commodore Claxton has been directed despatch the
| Yorktown cruise to the Sandwich and Society
Islands, New Zealand the coast of Japan the Gull
! OF California, and the Ladrones and Marquesas,
for the general protection of whaling interests and
other commercial purposes.
The squadron on the coast Of Brazil under commo-
dore j. b. Nicholson, at the date Of my last report
was composed Of the razee Independence, and the
soops of war Fairfield and Marion. The two former
have returned TO the United States, Commodore Mich
olson having been relieved ia the command of that sta
ton by Commodore Charles G. Ridgely whose force
now consists of the Potomac first class frigate the
soops of war Decatur and Marion, and the schooner
Enterprise The difficulties between the French Co
vernnent and that of the Argentine Republic still
subsisng, and the blockade continuing to be rigdly
enforced, il has been thought expedent TO augment
this force and the soop of Concord is the
eve OF sailing for that purpose.
The squadron employed in the Gulf of Mexico and
the West Indies, under Commodore William B. Shu-
brick, at the date of my last report consisted of the
frigate Macedonian, and the soops of Ontario,
Erie, Warren, and Levant The Ontario has been
ordered to the North for repairs and the Erie, being
found unfit for service, has been detached from the
squadron. The remaining vessels, with the exception
OF the Warren, directed to leave the station dur
ing the hurricane months, and proceed to the North
Commodore Shubrck accordingly left Pensacola in
July last with the Macedonian, Levant, and Erie, and
arrived at Boston in August Thence he proceeded
to Eastport, and his return visited the principal
ports the coast as far south Norfolk, where in
conformity with his instructions from the Department.
he delivered the command of the West India squadron
to Commodore Jesse Wilkinson, who had been APP
pointed to relieve him, and who has proceeded to his
station. The command Of Commodore Wilkinson
now consists oftbe Macedonian figate and the sloops
| of Levant and Warren, which force is deemed
sufficient for the protection of interests in that
quarter in the present state of things.
The frgate Columbia and corvette John Adams,
| employed in cruise in the Indian and China Seas,
under Com. George G. Read for the protection of the
commerce of the United States in that quarter have
returned home The frgate Constellation, and sloop
of war Boston, have recently sailed for Rio de janet
70, where they will repensh their supplies, and re.
| ceive Captain Lawrence Kearney, now in command
of the flag ship the Brazilian station who will hoist
his pendant board the Constellation, as commander
of the East India squadron and proceed with that
eel and the Boston TO carry out his instructions.
The Exploring Expedition, stated in my last re-
port at Callao, whence Lieut.. Wilkes sailed on
the 9th July, 1899 Since that period he has visited
the Society Islands, Navigator Group, New Zealand,
and various detached islands, with whose inhabitants
he held the most amicabe intercourse, and with the
ports and harbors of which he made himself partcu-
larry acquainted On the Goth Of December, 1899 he
left the port of Sydney in New Zealand, and proceed
ed penetrate the Atlantic On the 10Th January
he VlDCeu
Co., SOUTH longitude 1927 east, and had soundings
in thirty fathoms water. The same day the Peacock
made similar discovery in latitude 66,3l longitude
1873 40, and obtained soundings at depth OF three
hundred and twenty fathoms. Lieutenant Wilkes
coasted along this land and had sight of at various
times for distance of eighteen hundred miles and has
denominatcd it the Antarctic Continent It is to be
regretted, however, that the vast masses OF ice with
which it is every where defended, prevented nearer
approach than fifteen miles and rendered 1t impossible
to land 1t is described presenting vast mass
Of snow and ice apparently rising almost perPendIeu
lary from the sea- and will probably forever battle the
efforts of to explore its INTERIOR convert 1t TO
any useful purposes
After repeated and persevering efforts to approach
the coast and effect landing, Lieutenant Wilkes his
officers and men, having suffered severely from intense
cold and the exposures incidental this hazardous
terprsc returned Sydney the 18th of March, 1910,
where he joined by the Peacock and Porpoise the
former of which had been in imminent danger from
coming in contact with an island OF ice. Lieutenant
Wilkes speaks in the highest terms of the conduct Of
the officers and crews Of the Expedition At the last
dates the 9th of April he at the bay of islands,
| New Zealand, whence he shortly to proceed to
carry out his instructions.
The steam frigate Fulton has been employed during
the past season in experimenting with Paxhan guns
and shot, under the direction Of Captain Perry and
with view to aiio d many officers possible an
opportunity of becoming acquainted tn the practice
OF gunnery large anumber OF supernumeraries have
been attached TO her she could accommodate. The
reports of Captain Perry present very interesting re-
/ =, a.. th,
for the purpose of demonstrating the relative ad
yantages of the Paxhain guns and those in ordinary
u.c, well afiordng useful practice to our naval
officers, by attaching them in succession to this YES
sci.
The surveys on the Southern coast Of the United
States directed by the act of the Sd Of March, 1887,
have been completed under the superintendent of
Lieutenant Glynn and is expected that the Depart
will he enabled to lay before Congress either at
or shortly after the commencement of the session, COM
plec charts of all the ports and places which have been
surveyed.
The brig Consort, under the command Of Leuten-
ant Powell, is occupied in surveying the coast
from the bay of Apaachcoa to the mouth of the Mis-
sisspp as directed by the act making appropriations
for the naval service, approved July ~, 1870
I he soop of war Preble, Commander Prcesc, has
been employed the coast of Newfoundland and
Labrador during the late fishing season in protecting
the rights and interests of American citizens engaged
in the fisheries. On the termination of the cruise she
returned 10 Portland whence she was ordered to Dos
ton or examination previous 70 peHR sem VI io0's"
service.
The brig Dolphin Lieutenant Bell, and the
| schooner Grampus, Lieutenant Pane have been EN-
ployed on the coast of Africa in the suppression Of
the slave trade, They returned at the commence
ment of the sckly season. and have since sailed IN
pursuit Of the same Object. The presence OF these
vessels the slave coast during the season IN which
this dsgraceu traffic is carried on will in all proba-
by great degree arrest it's progress, so far as II
has been prosecuted by the assumption of the Ameri-
flag, and do much to relieve the nation from the
unmeriied stigma OF participating in trade equally in
violation of the laws Of the United States and the po-
hey Of their Government From the report OF Lieu
Bell and Paine IL anneari that the traffic in