New-York tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1841-1842, 1841-12-16

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10 obey. the crew set sail and arrived at Nassau
n. P. on tbs 9th ult.
On landing, guard was placed sn board the
vessel BY the Governor of New Providence, a: me
request Of the English Consul. TO prevent the
slaves from going ashore; and upon an investiga-
ton. nineteen slaves were identified as having par
ticipa,cd in the murder. These placed in
confinement until further orders, the Governor re-
using to send them to America. The remainder
we're set free.
The REPoa1 OF THE SECRETARY OF HE
NAvY.-This document, which receive this
morning. is very oag and elaborate. 1t occupies
above seven columns Of the Inteligcncer ami
gives full and detailed account OF the condition
OF our Navy and many suggestion. and recon-
ncndatons its increase OF course we can
say but little concerning it to-day we shall merely
note some of its prominent points.
The Secretary recommends an increase OF the
vessels employed in suppressing the slave trade on
the Coast of Africa,-the revision of the Laws and
regulations OF the service-thc reorg anizstou OF
| the Navy Department BY increasing the nuooer OF
clerks and in other ways, and the rapid increase OF
the Navy as fast its means will admit With refer
ence to this latter recommendation we make from
the report the following interesting extract:
war between the United States and any con-
siderable maritime Power would not be conducted
al ,ais day as it would have been twenty years
ago. IL would be war of incursons aiming at
{ s.. mild no II.
through our institutions. No nation it Is presumed,
would expect to be successful over for any
lergth of tine, in fair contest OF arms upon ca
own soil and no irisc nation would attemp; it
A moro promising c1pedient would be sought IN
atraylng what are supposed to be the hostile Gle
,nents OF osr ,oeal system against one another
An enemy so disposed and free 10 land upon any
part OF our soil which might promise success 10
MS enterprise would be armed with tOur-iod
power of ANNOYANCE. OF the ultimate result OF
such ncursion., have no reason 10 be straid :
but; even in tbs best event. upon our own sell
would be the more expensive the more smbaras-
sing and the more horrible in its effects, by COM
peng US at the same time to oppose all enemy IN
the field and TO guard against attempts TO subyert
our social systems.
Heretofore we have found in the shaowness
of many of our waters security, TO a certain
extent against invasion by sea. SO long as ma L
time wars were conducted in vessels OF large size
and great drought we had little to apprehend from
them except at few points, and these were sus-
ceptiblc of adequate defence on land Batthi
curity can no longer be relied on The application
of steam power to vessels of war, and the improve
ments which have recently been made in artillery,
are destined to change the whole system of mari
time war. Steamboats, of light drasght, and which
may easily be transported across the ocean in yes
sells OF larger class, may invade us at almost any
point of extended coast, may penetrate the IL
terror through our shallow rivers, and thus expose
half our country to hostile attacks. The ce!criry
with which these movements could be made. the
facility with which they could change the point Of
attack, would enabls an enemy, with compare
lively small force, to harrcss our whole seaboard,
and TO carry all the horrors Of war into the secure
retreats of our people. The effect of these incur
sons would be terrible everywhere, but in the
southern portion OF oar country they might and
probably would, be disastrous in the extreme.
1t is obvious that war thus conducted must be
successful TO very great extent IN spite OF all the
defences OF land which we could contrive. Nothing
less than the conversion Of half country into H
military garrison could protectu US against it. Such
is the exposed condition Of oar country such is the
character of institutions, and such the position
of our people, that population of twice our pre-
sent number, under the best possible military or
ganzaiion, would avail Us but little. Whilst the
combined Powers of the world could not subdue
US, even secondary naval Power could avoid orr
land defences set our armies at defiance, aud pro-
secute against u. u war alolerably harraS.ing and
DISASTROUS.
The single question: then, which we have TO de-
eide in reference to this subject, is, where and by
whom shall those battles be fought, which may
hereafter become necessary in defence of our pro-
perry, our institutions, our honor, and lives
Shall we meet the enemy upon the ocean, with
men trained and disciplined for the contest or SUIT
ter him 20 land upon our shores, trusting to scat
tered and harassed people to exPcl him from their
farms and their iresides This question admts
of but one 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 cx-
posed sea and lake coast, foreign commerce scat
tered through the most distant seas, and Il dome,
tic trade exposed alike upon the ocean and upon
our interior waters, are, il. effect, surrendered 10
the enemy, when they entrusted to the -protec-
ton OF some twenty ships in commission.
If these views be not altogether deceptive, the
policy OF increasing OUT Navy, without further de-
lay is obvious. HO,c far i, shall be increased TIE
wisdom of Congress will decide. Looking to it as
the chief, if not the only adequate defence OF our
country aims; those wars of lncurson from which
50 much evil is to be appreheadea, respectfully
suggest that safely stop short Of malt the
naval force of the strongest maritime Power in the
wohd. Our policy is peace and we do not pro-
pose to ourselves war of aggression in any case,
except so far as may De necessary measure of
defence Itis not probable that any nation could
d-,ach from other service more than one-fourth of
its whole naval force, to attack us upsn our own
coast; 50 that, after deductng such part Of our
force as We could not employ at all, aad such part
as we should be compelled to employ elsewhere,