The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-01-14

thing to combine pleasure with duty, or Civ,
zest to exertion. Unrig and refit, change ant
! alter as you may, her tublke proportions and
qualities remain as they were and the Officer
finds in her no improvement to compensate fo
MS trouble, and nothing TO crafty professiona
pride Like the Goede Vrouw Of the Dutch
Communipaws, she sails nearly as we'll sidewise
as endwlse, and serves as a mark for the cutting
Jioes and lests of seamen. To attempt TO com
pete with other vessels is certain defeat; there
lore the effort is useless and there is no spirit OF
emuiation among her officers The shafts OF
keen ridicule that are aimed al her reach them ;
9i my soon become callous, and manifest an in
uiherence TO the appearance and condition of
'hei SHIP which is sure presage TO habitual
cafeiessness and neglect in the performance of
uuty. "A quick ship for smart officers. and dull
snip ior iuooers,' is one of the most approved on
the list OF ocean proverbs In this wav Won ney.
celve il is that a ship impresses her traits mon
The habits OF officers, and gives tone 10 their feel
lngs and actions. She is the mould in which
they are formed; and the connexion between
the qualities OF the one, and the character Of the
other, becomes as close as the umbilical cord.
when bad model is constructed for the NAVY.
those who adopt il entail evils upon the service
maj are more lasting than the dull ships they
Duld. Like the influence of the first crime on
the actions OF individuals, one gross error in the
| L0OuSdQQ
tall, which those who do not witness can never
understand.
In viewing the Navy under so many disad-
vantages, there is one redeeming quality about
u 10 cheer ITS friends, and TO make glad the pa
.riots heart-and that is It's moral. condition.
Inc lone OF morals among officers in the Navy
was never better or at higher pitch than it
now u.s. About twenty years ago examinations
lot Midshipmen were Instituted in the Navy !;
and before they can be examined, regulation re-
CURES. as SINE qua non, that they furnish the
Examining Board with testimonials that their
moral character is good. About the same time
another regulation was introduced, by which
those who enter the Navy as Mdshipmen, are
required to undergo probationary service of not
less than SIX months at sea, before warrants are
issued to them Both Of these regulations have
been attended with the happest effects and, in
connexlon with the encouragement. that has
oeen gwen to the introduction Of Libraries on
board our public vessels, have served greatly to
elevate the tone of morals in the Navy
That no vessels should have been built under
the auspices Of the Navy Board, comparable to
the irgates Of 1897, surely cannot be ascribed
to any want of talent in the country. The fact
ought rather TO be ascribed to the defects of the
system for the finest merchant-ships that ever
fioated, are now built in Newly rk and other
seaports Humphreys and Eckford were mer-
chant builders; and the merchant service now
affords inner specimens of Naval Architecture
than they ever saw. Rather than the present
plan should continue in the Navy, it were better
to contract as formerly with private bllders of
well-establlshed reputation-to say to them, the
Government wants ship of such and such ma
terlals to mount SO many guns-detail an officer
to see that the proper materials be used, and
that the work be faithfully performed-and leave
nd III IL IL. l...t
lind that the LUCKY Bag contains the de-
tails of plan, suggested BY others, and highly
approved by officers generally, that is greatly
preferable to this. And before you enter into an
examination OF this plan, wish you to consider
wen the evils OF the present system. There are
many officers of sound judgment and experience,
who will tell you, that, in case of war, they had
rather command one of the New York packets,
fitted up as man-of-war, than any corvette or
second class frigate in the Navy. They will pro-
mise you more execution against the enemy,
and more efficient protection to a convoy, than
any such dull sailers could give The principles
of what is called Symmonds' plan--on which
the Rover and other vessels of the Royal Navy
are built-have obtained for years in the con-
struction of the NewYo rk packets. Increased
breadth and lighter draft are the chief charac-
teristics Of this plaza feature that is remarka-
Bile in the packets; for the packet built ships now
of thousand tons do not draw more water, than
the packets of only three hundred or four humid
red tons did twenty years ago.
The Secretary of the Navy, in obedience to
call of Congress, submitted at its last Session
plan for the reorganization of the Navy-B Board.
That plan as far as it goes, and with some mo-
d6cations is such as the necessities of the SER
vice require. We have seen the want Of indi-
vidual responsibility in the Navy Board. The
duties at present required of il might, with great
advantage to the public interests, be divided into
at least three separate departments or Bureaux.
| The three officers who compose the Navy-Board,
could then preside over these Bureaux--with
this very obvious advantage and improvement
that each Bureau being independent of the
other, the head of each would be wholly and en-
tirely responsible for his own acts. Besides
these three, the Naval service embraces two
other departments, each Of which obviously re-
qures for proper management, qualifications of
peculiar kind--these are the Medical, and the !
Architectural Departments.
The art of ship building is profession of it
self, and is only to be acquired by great diligence,
after years of previous and special instruction.
The clumsy ships Of the Navy afford eloquent
because they are practical-commentarie on the
defects of plan, that requires the master of such
an art TO submit his models and drawings to the
inspection and alteration of a Navy Board, which
is likely to be- and no doubt has been, composed
of men who have never read a treatise on ship
building much less have studied il as a science |
TO remedy the evils, which, as we have seen,
do arise from such plan, BuREAux OF Gov
sTRucTloN, under the management Of the Chief
Naval Constructor, is thought necessary; and
is considered by intelligent officers as one Of the
most important features in the plan Of reorgani-
cation Like the head Of each Of the other Blu
reaux, he should be independent of all the rest,
and responsible 10 the Secretary alone, and sub
ject only to his orders. When ship is to be
built, he should be informed of the number and
size Of the guns it is intended she shall carry
But her model should be left entirely to him
and he should be held responsible for her faith
ful and proper construction He should have an