Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1842-03-24
From the Baltimore American.
THE NAVY.

! in the Navy, that those made by Mr. BAposR, as
well as the additional ones contemplated Ivy MIR.
UpsmuR, have reference to an increase in the
number and strength of our ships of war. 1t has
been the fault of Congress, rather than OF the Ma
Wy itself, that our national vessels already aaoat
I have not been kept in more active employment
The country desires that the Navy should be eff
fcient and poweriul-nor are the elements of this
power and efficiency wanting.
! The reformation which is now demanded looks
to the infusion of new energy into the service as
well as TO The enlargement of our navel fcrce.-
Mr.. UPsuUR, in his Report at the beginning of
| the present session Of Congress, called for some
important changes in the organization of the sub
ordinate functions oil The Department. We pre-
sumo his suggestions have been duly considered
by the proper committees in Congress, and that
the true interests of the service will be promptly
and fully regarded.
lnvlew, then, of the intended increase Of the
Navy and Of its reorganization on a basis caicu-
lated to ensure its active Employment and cfcien-
cy In every sea tn which our commerce extends,
we have no wish to see the new promotions kept
back.
The portion Of the article which we give in
cu!es all OF its views and statements that are i'm.
portant:
Take the Register of the Navy, prepared lust
alter NJ. Badger made his last great promotion.
when so many Of the lower ranks were allowed
to rush at once into the higher. Look over its
y
Commanders are doing! Here are sixty-nno
post captains-captains they called in this re-
gister--and OF these there are thirty-three with
nothing to do, the greater part set down as swat
my orders, and three or four "on leave :" though
what The difference is between waiting orders and
ocln9 on leave, no man in or out of the navy can
tcli.-For years they are kept waiting orders,
simply because there is nothing for them to do,
no vessels Tor them to command-for ten, twelve
twenty years--until he who should be- grey sea-
man Is become veteran land-lubber. Some of
these men remain Tor score of years on their
larshs, qnIeiiy taking their pay, and when they
come TO New ork to receive it, sometimes take
Tie trouble to inquire what vessels are alloat
| Nv it'll the COMMANDERS as they are called in
the heSister-though they are commonly STYLED
captalns-the case is still worse. There are nine
y-sX OF these officers, and ior,y-cight Just half of
lhem' are on shore. Look back through the pre-
vious registers, and you will find that many of
them have been OH shore, waiting orders. almost
from time lmmcmorial.
Yet though there arc so many post.captans
and commanders doing nothing in the service,
through these long periods of time they are moi
unpaid. FOR waiting orders, the posi-captain re-
ceives yearly pay of $4,000 The commander
81 ,SOO, very comfortable subsistence. Mean
whlie' he employs himself i'm such occupations
DIS Dring proht, or such pursuits as are most a.
greeabic to him. He is pretty sure after having
nothing to do with active service for twenty years
l'a' ne VIII not be called upon; he knows that
there Is no ship for him to command. and he
makes up his mind to live and die at home in the
receipt oil ms yearly pay. After so long period
OF desuetude he becomes actually unfit for service:
he must nave forgotten many things he once knew.
unlearned much of his old experience lost his
former deXteriiy, readiness and presence of mind
on the ocean and acquired a set of habits tho
very opposite OF a seaman's life, which he will
find il hard to sh..l>, or " -
"Why, then, should we crowd the ranks Of
captains and commanders with new men Bv
so doing, we merely promote them to likeness and
better salaries. Wehaye too MANY captains now.
and too many commanders {; twice as MANY as
we can employ. Let us have no more until we
md work tor those we have. Our navy is over
oiiicercd; and the consequence is, that The officers
have not the merit they ought, not because they
lack the capacity or the disposition, but because
they lack the opportunity and the practice
Our system, besides, is so absurdly reuulated
that there is no temptation to seek the opportuni
ty, to covet the practice We support our officers
so well while they are waiting orders that tEev
are satisfied to wait. ''Shrk orders u's asayinG
often heard in the navy, though it is one of those
proverbs which is not proclaimed on the house
top. Sailing orders bring the officer in difficultv
expose him to great hardships, with buta small in,
crease Of pay, and subject him to the danger of
court martials and collisions with the Secretary
! OF The Navy, TO say nothing of other qnarrcls-
The captains and commanders merely do as other
men 40, who regard their own comfort and their
own interests; they prefer the whole to STAY
at home, and their preference is wise one
sit is not thus in England. The officer wait
ing orders is under half pay. He burrows in
some cheap neighborhood, where he lives will,
the utmost frugality impatenty expecting or
ders. Give hin an opportunity, and he comes
out oil his retreat full OF fight, like starved wild
beast from his den.
''There is another error in our promotions. The
Oldest officers are Pot forward without regard to
service or merit When a promotion is I,ade it
is not in favor of those who have been in active
service, but all whose commissions bear the same
date are promoted together. The commander,
who has been twenty years on shore, and has for.
gotten his sea-skiil is equally with him who has
been every day in actual service from receiving
SlooO yearly for doing nothing, he is advanced
10 the receipt OF 50, 500 Is there any reason for
THIS Again, those who are rot fit for service.
superannuated. worn out, diseased, or otherwise
incompetent, and there are not few of these are
Included In the same promotion, and receive the
same Increase of pay. What sort of policy is
ihiss Is 1t worthy of a republican government,
a government which Processes to tolerate no sine
cures, to give no wages to those who render no
service, to support no class of oilers at the public
expense
REPUTATION IN WIsKoNsAs.-A year AGO the
Legislature OF WISCONSIN passed an act author
slng loan OF 81 10000, TO aid in the constrrc
ton OF the Milwaukee and Rock River Canal
Gov. DODGE was appointed to obtain this loan.
and he gave TO Byron kibourn, ESD a Bower of
attorney to negotiate, III entrustinp him with
blank certificates of $1,000 each to be filled I'm as
he might see proper. The whole of this loan