Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1841-12-25
WHOLE NUMBER ST..

$500 - ''ti's PDih ( ~ AhS tBS HtthtSs
Will render large depots necessary. An ohjectof
attack 10 an enemy IS thus removed, and the con
sequence al the capture Of large collections Of
. munitions of war, or of Subsistence. by a hostile
force, thus enabled to MAINTAIN itself are olivia
ted.
The expense Of military operations will be re-
duced beyond any present means OF exact calcu-
all,on, by the same facilities. Daring the last
war with Grea. Britain. the cost Of transporta-
ton from New York TO Plat sburgh, Sackett's
IIarbor, md Buffalo, was from five TO twelve dol
lars per hundred. The present cost TO Plat,s-
bursh - thirty GEMS. anl ~ ,he DINER points
named, SIXTY cents per hundred \ twelve poun.
der, which, at the cheapest rate, could not have
been carried TO BGll4lo Tor less than two hundred
dollars, may now be transported to the same
poIul, 10 one-titth or onc-eighlh OF the time, for
twenty-five dollars. In every point Of view In
which these works can be considered, their cost
Is SO much actually added to the defensive means
of the nation, without, any expense 10 the Gencr.
al Government other than the subscriptions i, has
authorized to IA few of them; and Il may be az.
hrmed, without eXaggeratlon, that the aggregate
of saving, in any future war in which we NAV
be engaged, in The comparative small amount of
military force that will be necessary for Defence,
and IN the cheapness of transportation afforded
BY railroads and canals now in existence, will be
equal TO The COS, of their construction. If, then,
the making Of these works has been premature or
Improvidenf, in reference to the means Of the
States that undertook them, and has involved
itit III DtCbbidI iib tilC OK
Government should not complain ofnn enterprize
that has placed .heso incalculable advantages in
It's hands; and If IL cannot relieve, will at least
sympaihiZe IN the misiortunes which have result
ed from such efforts.
The report from the Ordnance Office exhibits
the measures which have been taken for the ar
marnent OF tortiticatIons, and the forts which have
been wholly or partially armed. This object will
be steadily and vigorously pursued, TO the extent
of the means provided by Congress. The esti-
mate for that purpose is the amount originally
contemplated as being necessary to the compile
ton OF the ornaments as rapidly as the nature Of
the service would permit. 1t is to be hoped that,
in view Of the great importance Of the object, no
reduction of the estimate will be made.
The attention Of Congress has, for the last ten
years, been repeatedly invoked TO The necessity Of
a boundary for cannon, belonging 10, and Under tho
charge OF, the Government; but, from an nppre-
hension Of the great expense which it was suppos-
ed would be incurred by such an establishment,
or from q dolbt Of lis necessity, nothing has yet
been done towards It's accomplishment. BeIiev-
ing that a plan might be devised on n much more
limited scale of expense, which would attain tho
principal object IN view, tho Ordnance Bureau
was directed TO consider and mature such n plan.
and estimate the cost of its execution. The &C
companying report (No. ~ from that Bureau
presents such a plan, explains the important use
which the public service would derive from its a.
~dopiion, and furnishes estimates oiihe expense Of
its execution. Some additional views in its IA.
sor are presented In the accompanying letter of
the Chief Engineer. | cannot hesitate earnestly
to its execution. 1t is known tina,
there are some hundreds of different kinds of
iron produced from our mines, of various qualities,
and adapted TO different uses. While one species
may be valuable for many purposes, il is utterly
unfit for Others. 1t is supposed, also, that its val
10 may depend much on the kind of fuel used in
It's fabrication. 1t is not 10 be expected that the
experiments necessary to determine these and
various other matters connected with the manu-
facture Of cannon of tho best quality can bo
made at private expense. Nor, If they were.
could such entire reliance be placed on their re-
suits as if they had been conducted by disinteres-
ted public officers. Besides, the government is
almost exclusively the purchaser Of tho article,
and has the deepest interest 10 It's quality. It's,
therefore, peculiarly its interest as well as duty
to assist, by all proper means, the manufacture,
IN The cheapest manner, OF tho best material
The experience already obtained of the great i'm
provement IN our small arms, effected by the op-
eratIons of the national arnories, affords the best
guarantee that similar results viii attend the
employment Of similar means in the construction
Of cannon. As II is not proposed to take the bu,
siness into the hands Of the government exclu-
siyeiy, but to continue the purchase Of cannon
from private establishments, the expense Of exc
cutting the plan vii be comparatively uninpor-
tant. The foundry may be connected with one
of our arsenals, SO as to be under the charge Of
officers already in the public service, by which
the cost Of It's construction and supervision may
be essentially diminished. Admonished, as we
arc, by the efforts Of other nations 10 improve the
weapons Of destruction, II would seem that no
time should be lost in the necessary i~ncipient mea-
sures to select and purchase a site for a foundry,
on the limited scale suggested, but capable of ex-
pans:on according 10 future exlgencics; and i, is
therefore hoped that the sum estimated for tba,
purpose will DC appropriated al The coming ses-
Of Congress.
In the report from this Department, submitted 10
with the Presidents message at The las,
session, the objections 10 the civil superintendent
1ency of the national armorIes we're fully stated,
and the proprIetv of dispensing with such agen-
was forcibIv urged. 4 board Of very com