Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-12-22
CONGRESSIONAL.
REPORT OF THE sECRETARY OF THE NAVY

REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY.
NAVY DEPARTMENT,
December 5, 1910.
Sir: In the performance Of duty annually devolv-
ing on this De par,men, respectfully submit the fol-
lowing report:
same as it was at the date of my last report and con
sst, of the Ohio "a, the Brandywne first class FRI
ga,e,) 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 our
commerce, which has remained unmoested in that
quarter.
The SQUADRON on the Pacific station is composed oi
the frgate Constitution, the soop of war ST. Louis
and the schooner Shark, under Commodore Claxt"n
Since the date of my report, the schooner Enterprise,
then On her way home, and the soops OF war Lrxing-
ton and Falmouth, winch had been directed To return
have arrived in the United States, and have been re-
placed BY the slnops Yorktown aud Dale. now on thu
eve of sailing for the Pac &c. The squadron, when
io ned by these vessels wall consist OF trigae OF tn,
first class three soops of war, and scho"nrr C"nno
dore Caxtnn has been directed to despatch The York
town on crnise the Sandwich and Sncrrty Islands
New Zealand, the coast Of Japan, the Gulf of Caor
MA and the Ladronrs and Aarqnrsas, for The general
protection of whaling interests, and other comler
cal purp .ses.
The squadron nm the coast of Brazil, under Commo-
dnre s Nchns", at The date of my last report,
compns. nf the Independence, and the soops OF
war Fairfield and Marion The two former have re-
turned tn. u ), Commodore Nichols"n having b"en
Charles e. R,daely, whose force CONSISTS of the
Pn,nnac first class rigaie, the soops of war Decatur
and Marion, and the schonner Enterprise. The diff
cultes between the French Government and that at
the Argentine Republic still su5ssting, and the block
nde continuing I" be rig'dly enforced, It has been
thought rxpedirn augment this force, and the snop
Of Concord IS now on the eve OF sailing for that
p irrose
The squadron employed in the Gulf Of Mexico and
the Yves, Indes under Commodore William b. Shu.
1asf spd nj the
frigale Macedonian, and the s""ps OF war Ontario,
Erie. Warren, and L"vant. The Ontario has been or
drrrd IT, The North for repairs, and the Erie, beng
found unfit f,r service, has been detached from The
squadron. The remaining vessels, with The exception
of the Warren directed To leave the station du
r;ny the hurricane months, aud proceed 10 the North
Commodore Shuhr,ck accord ngly lett Pensacola in
Jniy last with the AIacedonun L-vant, and Ere, and
arrived at Boston August. Thence he proceeded I"
Eastpot and hls return VISITED The principal ports
on the coast as far Sonlh Norfolk, where, III CON-
fnrnty with his instructions from elr Department, he
delivered the command "f the West India squadron I"
Commodore Jesse Wilkinson who had been appointed
Ia relieve hun, and VIII" has proceeded TO his stati"n
The command "f Comnod"rr wilkinson now con-
s;ss of The Macedonian rrgate and the sl"nDs of
LEVIN, aud Warren, which force IS deemed sufficient
for the protection of interest that quarter the
present state of things.
The friyate Columbia and corvette john Adams, en-
played IN a cruise in the Indian and China Seas under
~
mercp Of ibr u tina, quarter have returned home
The ryate Constellation and soop of war Boston, have
recently sailed for Rio de Janeio where they will
penish their supplies, and receive Captain Lawrence
Kearnpy, in command of the flag ship on the bra
lillian station, who will hoist his pendant on board The
Constellation rs commander of thr East India squad
ron and proceed with that vessel and the Boston to
carry out his instructions
The Exploring Expedition, as stated in my last re-
port. was ut Callao, whence Lieut. Wilkes sailed on
tt,a .nI In haze tod
the S"ce,y Islands, Navigators Group, New ZEALAND,
and various detached Islands, with whose inhabitants
hr held the most amicabe intercourse with the ports
and harbors of which he made himself particularly ac
auaintrd On the Goth December, 1889, lie left the
port Of Sydney in New Zraland, and proceeded To Pc
nerate the Antarctc sea. On the 10Th January follow
ing, the Vincenues discovered LAID in latitude So 2
SOUTH longitude lo4 q east, and had soundngs IN ~
fathn,ns water. The same day the Peacock made 81
n,lar discovery in latitude 66 81 longitude 1913 40, and
obtained s"undngs at a depth of three hundred aud
twenty fathons Lieut. Wilkes coased along this
land and had sight of It at various times for distance
Of eighteen hundred miles, and has denomnaed 1t the
Antarctic Continent II is TO be regretted, however,
that the vast of ice, with which IL everywhere
defended prevented approach than 10 miles,
and rendered il impossible to lard II is described
presenting one vast of snow and ice, apparently
rising almost perpendicuary from the sea, and will
probably forever battle the efforts of explore it's
interior, convert il to any useful purposes
After repeated and perseverng efforts to approach the
coast and effect landing, Lieut. Wilkes his officers
and men. having suffered severely from intense cold
and the exposures incidental to this hazardous enter
prise, returned TO Sidney the llth OF March $40,
where he was joined by the Peacock and Porpoise the
former of which had been in imminent danger from
coming in contact with island of ice. Lieutenant
Wilkes speaks in the highest terms of the conduct OF
the officers and of the expedition Al the last
dates the 9th of April, he at the Bay of Islands,
New Zealand whence he shortly to proceed to car
ry out his instructions.
The steam frga,e Fulton has been employed, during
the past season. in experimenting with Paixham guns
and shot, under the direction of Captain Perry; and,
with a view to afford many officers ms possible an
opportunity OF becoming acquainted with the practice
Of punnery, large n number of supernuue raries
have been attached To her she could accommodate.
The reports Of Capt Perry present very interesting re-
sulta and It 10 contemplated tn continue the fxperI-
meus for the purpose of demonstrating The relative
advantages of the Paixham guns and those in ordi.
nary use az we'll as otfnrdny q useful practice TO
naval officers by attaching them in succt to this
vexsr
The surveys on the Southern coast of the U. S.,
directed by The nc, of the Sd March, 1887 have been
completed under The experimenting OF lieutenant
Giynn; and il is expected that the Department will
be enabled To Law before Congress, either al, or shortly
after the CONNIE ement of the session, complete
charts Of all the ports and places which have been
surveyed
The brig Consort, under the command of Lieutenant
Powell is now occupied in surveying the ccast from
the Bay Of Apalachcola to the mouth OF the hlssIs
sipp as directed by the act making appropriations Tor
the naval service, approved July 90, ls40.
The sloop of war Prebe, Commander Reese, has
been employed the coast IF Newfoundland and La.
brador during the late fishing season. in protecting the
rights and inter- sis Of American citizens engaged IN
the fisheries On the termination of the cruise she re
turned Portland, whence she ordered to Boston
fr examination previous TO being sent on foreign ser
vice.
The brig Dolphin, Lieutenant Bell and the schooner
Grampus, Lieutenant Paine, have been employed an
the coast of Africa in the suppression of the slave
trade. They returned at the commencement Of the
scky season. and have since sailed in pursuit Of the