The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1841-12-17

sells of war and the improvements which have recent
been made in artillery destined to change the
whole system OF maritime war. Steamboats, OF light
draught, and which may be easily transported
the ocean in vessels Of aarger class may invade Us
at almost any point OF extended coast, may pene-
trae the interior through shallow rivers and thus
expose half country 10 hostile attacks The ce-
erity with which these movements could be made the
facility with which such vessels could escape, and the
plomptness with which they could change the point
Of attack, would enable enemy, with compare
lively nconsderable force to harrass whole
board and to carry all the horrors of into the
curest retreats of people The effect Of these in
cursons would he terrible everywhere, but in the
southern portion of our country they might, and pro-
! badly would, be disastrous in the extreme
IL Is obvious that war thus conducted must be sue
cessu TO very great extent. in spite of all the de-
| fences land which could contrive. Nothing
less than the conversion of half our country into
military garrison could protect Us against IT, Such Is
the posed condition of country such Is the cha
racter of our institutions and such the position of our
people, that population oftwce our present number,
under the best possible military organizatioD would
| avail US but little. Whilst the combined Powers Of
the world could not subdue us, even a secondary
val Power could avoid our land defences, our ar
mics at defiance, and prosecute against US war in
tolerably harassing and DISASTROUS.
| The single question: then, which we have to decide,
in reference to this subject, is, where and by whom
shall those battles be fought which may hereafter be-
come necessary in defence of property, our instr
tutons our honor and our lives Shall we meet the
enemy upon the ocean, with men trained and dlsci-
pinned for the contest suffer him TO land upon
shores trusting To scattered and harassed people 10
expel him from their farms and their fresies This
ques ION admits OF but answer. But it is worse
than idle To suppose that all those high interests to
which have alluded can be adequately protected by
our present naval force. Four thousand miles of
posed sea and lake coast foreign commerce scatter
| ed through the most distant seas and domestic
trade exposed alike upon the and upon in
teior waters are, in effect surrendered to the enemy
when they entrusted to the protection of some
i twenty ships in commission.
/ Ifthese views be not altogether deceptive the policy
of increasing our navy, without further delay OBJ
yous. Hour TAR il shall be increased the wisdom Of
| Congress will decide. Looking to IL as the chief, il
not the only adequate defence OF our country against
those of ncursions from which much evil
be apprehended respectfully suggest that cannot
safely stop short Of halfhe naval of the strong
est maritime Power in the world Our policy is peace,
and we do not propose to ourselves of aggression
! in any case. except SO far may be necessary u
measure of defence. II is not probable that any
ton could detach from other service than
fourth OF its whole naval force to attack upon our
coast So that, after deducting such part of
force could not employ all, and such part as
we should be compelled TO employ elsewhere, we might
| reasonably hope to repel ON shores any maritime
Power, with only half its force in ships With less
than this our fleets would only swell the tr
umphs and feed the cupjity of enemy. 1t is bet
ter to have at all than to have less than enough
that this great increase of our naval power
cannot be effected in any short time propose it on
ly as the object at which our policy ought aim, and
towards the attainment of which your measures oug
TO be steadily directed. An annual appropriation as
liberal as the of the Treasury will allow will
| IN few years accomplish all that is desirable.
i OF what description of vessels our navy ought TO
| be composed is question of great Importance and
i one which we are compelled to decide with reference
TO the practice of other countries. Doubtless a very
large part Of ought TO consist OF steamships. Expe
rience has shown that these vessels may be rendered
perfectly safe at sea- and that they may be so
struced to adapt Them in other respects to pur-
poses Of war or their gre usefulness the world has
had striking proof in the recent operations of the
British squadron The of Syria--troops were
transported distance oftwo thousand miles owe. the
ocean and were engaged in Battle in Asia Minor on
the sixteenth day after leaving England. This and
other facilities afforded by this class of vessels Were
great and effective that the admiral declared that
his owing to the efficiency Of his steam
ers" We may we'll profit by the lesson thus taup hit
u.s. respectfully suggest however that it would not
be wise in us 10 engage very extensively in the con
strucon of steamships of of the largest class at
this time Initiating the example of England, our
wisest policy would be to aid the private enterprise Of
citizens in constructing packet ships to ply be-
tween this country and foreign ports. These should
Of course be constructed tit them for war pur-
poses, and should lie held subject to the demand Of
] the Government, upon equitable conditions. There
will, in all probability be enough of such vessels
answer all the purposes for which steamships of the
largest class would be required, and they would be
furnished at comparatively small cost TO the Govern
men improvements daily made, not only in
steam machinery hui in the popelling power applied
| to steam vessels. Experiments progress
which promise important results in these respects and
il would probably be judicious not to expenl large
sums in the construction of steamships for distant
cruises until these results shall be made known But
the reasoning does not apply to steam vessels of
smaller class destined for the defence of our own
coast and harbors These ought not under any cir
cumstances, to be delayed. They would be parlicu
larly useful on the lakes and in the Gulf of Mexico
On the lakes they might be advantag eousy employed
under proper regulations in the revenue service
they would lie peculiarly adapted to the Gulf of
Mexico, in consequence Of the Gains and currents
which prevail there, and of their greater facility in
making harbor in the violent tempests which
mon in that latitude. There is, in truth, but the sim
! gle harbor Of Pensacola in which ship Of large
draught find shelter, although there many
which afford sufficient depth of water for steam
sells of the proper size These vessels should be built
of white oak reserying the live oak for those of
| different class
| Steamships have been built in Europe altogether of
iron. As far as the experiment has been made it is
| understood to have been successful. reconmen nd
tina, il be made here also with least one vessel of
medium size sufficiently large TO afford fair test with
out tx posing too much 70 the hazard of failure The
great abundance of that material found in all parts OF
our count ~ affords every facility which be de-
sired and our workmen will soon acquire, if they do
not now possess the requisite skill in converting it
| into vessels We may thus acquire cheap and al
mos, mpershabIe naval force, While at the time
we afford encouragement to some OF the most useful
| BRANCHES of our home industry.
In my opinion, there is no necessity at present to
| increase the number OF our line OF battle ships Some
| of those which We now have would be more useful it
cut down TO frigates of the largest class There is
even in the present condition Of the service, pressing
demand for soops of war briggs, and schooners; and
| recommend that suitable number of them be i'm
mediately built Not less than ten necessary,
in the present condition of our Navy One of them
should be kept in commission and ready for service at
each OF our principal ports and this may be done
wnhou, any considerable additional expense, because
they will always be prepared u perform variety OF