Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-12-13

si,,on and prevent any attempts 10 engage 10 le con
aci in winch Texas was about 10 be involved ne
dictates OF humanity, Us well as our heui.ai eia'o
~ In that country, demanded tss course These troops
have remained on and about tne neu iisei a''
the;, ud,cous commander Gen. Taylor, have accom-.
nj shed the objects in The troops are Stationed
MT The different posts ana FORTS sPeciled I'D al acco
pany,ng report Ut the Adlulant General.
1t requires but slight examination oil Inc extensive
line of frontier on the Southwest at the Nest, anu III
,ba No,iwest exposed to any attack of the Indians
which NAV be prompted by any unirenoiy influences
or by supposed wrongs, 10 perceive that our present
force is scarcely adequate to afford that protection,
winch i, is admitted all hands the Government
owes 10 lis CIT zas and especially those who at It's m
v,a,:on I've occupied lis remote pubic domain, anG
rendered II valuable TO the whole country The very
nature OF tie required, renders The employment
o. mounted men Indispensable. The rap!dity OF lhef
movements ID the element which gives to Us the advnn-
tage IN any collision with Ind ans-wh'!e the same or
cu,nstance will render unnecessary the numerous and
frequent posts which such extended line would re-
onIe if foot soldiers only employed 1t may be
affirmed that true economy, as well as effective SER
vice Will be promoted by the continuance OF al least
the present mounted regiments, reduced, the rank
and file will be, to fifty for each company
Concurfng entirely in the views OF the Commanding
General is earnestly hoped that the Law waich re
uu;res the dsmountng of the second regiment Of dra
eoons on the lh of March next will at least, be so
ia modified as TO leave the time discretionary.
The regular force, as now authorized by law, con-
,ists of seven hundred eud seventeen commissioned
officers seventeen sorekeepers oi whom fifteen are
attached 10 the Ordnance, aud two 10 the Purchasing
Department. two hundred and fifty ENLISTED men for
the ordnance service and thousand five hundred
and ninety commissioned officers, musicians, art.
fcers and pri"aes; twenty chaplans and schooa,as'
;ers, and as many ordnance sergeans as there are
military posts. Clerks forage masters, and wagon
masters, are also employed in The Quartermas;er
Department. from time to time, according 10 the exi
eences of the service. The ect oi Angus, %, loi2,
reduced rank and file eli the army three thousand
min. huGGred and twenty mea The reduction Is gra-
dually proceedings III the manner contemplated 10y the
act, and the excess, according 10 the last return, 10
1870 men II is supposed the prescribed minimum will
be reached by the beginning OF The year lSii
From the general returns u! The army accompanying
,his report II appears that the whole number OF troops
now in service is nine thousand eight hundred and
forty. ven, consisting of seven hundred and eighty
one commissioned officers, thousand SIX hundred
non comm ssoned cticerS, musicians, arhce!s, and
privates and two hundred and forty enlisted men
ofordnance The aggregate is eight hundred and forty
seven less than the number stated in the last annual
report
The desertions have not been numerous, but an un-
preceden,ed number of have been discharged by
the Judges and courts Uhree hundred and e,ghyeIght
between July le4, and October 81, l-l2l principal
ly on the ground of their being aliens. The Stale of
Iw this subject has occasioned various constfnc-
lions rerpiexing the officers charged with the duty
Of recruiting, embarrassing the Department, and in
Government.
should be renG, red precise and definite. While on the
one hand it is obvious ought not TO consist OF
undue proportion OF foreigners yet, the other,
the low wages offered constitute induceman quite
insufficient to the young men ot our land, whose ha-
bits and enterprise enable them easily to acquire the
means ofsubsstencc and Of Gdence fnot wealth,
in the cultivation of the soil. Probably middle course
ould avoid all difficulties namely, allowing those to be
recruited who are citizens who have taken the pre-
limnary oath and nato.y steps to naturalization.
The rrpor. of the officer in charge OF the Ordnance
Bureau exhibits the very satisfactory condition of TIA,
mos, important branch of the service. by steady
perseverance in the system o. laying up IN the
of peace those materials which require length Of time
adapt them TO use, and OF abcatiDg those articles
which cannot he supplied on an emergency, we shall
snon have al command cannon, small arms, liked
ammunition, gunpowder and lis component parts, 10 an
extent commensurate With on. wants.
BY the table exhibiting The appointment of arms 10
the several SaIcs under the act of Is06, Tor armng
and equippng the whole body of the militia, i, will be
that Notwithstanding the efforts made by the De-
pariment and which mentioned in the last annu-
al report, several States delinquent in the returns
of their militia As these returns constitute the ba-
sis Of the Gppoftonment, Tie States which iail 10
make them are deprived of their just proportion of
military supplies. IL will be that New jersey,
I Delaware, Arkansas, and Louisiana have not made
returns 70. periods varying from Twelve to eighteen
years ii the If these omissions he the waut
OF militia organization IN those States, II may be
worthy Of serious inquiry whether measures
should not be adopted 10 remedy the evil, by with.
holding distribution unit! returns made, or by the
exercise oi some other power vested IN CongreSs.--
reference TO tie same table will show extraordi-
nary disproporon between the allotted to several
States and their respective populations Whether this
arises from variant constructions OF The law IN those
States, by which return the number enrolled, and
others the number mustered or inspected, or from some
other cause, would seem 10 be worthy Of inquiry by
Congress, who alone supply adequate remedy.
The state Of the Treasury, this Department was
advised by the proper authority, rendered 1t necessa
~ withhold the expenditure Of much O. the APP
propratoas made al the last session OF Congress,
could be suspended without great and manifest injury
the public service. In reference to the condition
of foreign relations, and the quantities OF arms,
cannon, and gun carriages possession, 1t seem.
ed that such suspension could take place in the ope
rations of the armies and arsenais, with less imme-
date public injury Inconvenience than in other de-
parments. Extensive repairs also became necessary
at the armories. For time, therefore, no work vas
carried a. either Of them during the past season..
! Labor has now, however, been resumed on mode
scale, and instructions have been gwen 10 com.
plee the mushets in the of fabrication, and TO
make five hundred rifles, and FIVE hundred percussion
musSets, each month, for the ensuing six months
The arscnals will be chiefly employed in the repairs OF
arms, and in the manufacture OF the iron work Of gun
carriages and military equipments Our supply of heavy
being very good, is no, contemplated at pre-
sent 10 purchase many Of that description but sui-
Gent number Of large chembered guns 10 forts
will he procured. And in consequences OF the adoption
of the suggestion Of The Treasury Department before
mentioned, large portion OF the money intended for
the service Of the year 1912, remains unexpended; and
any specific appropriations for the Ordnance Depart
ment Tor the FIRST six months of $40, will be unncces-
sary.
The estimates for the fiscal year commencing July
|, 1874 made upon scale reduced as to be
ranted only by the possible state of the Treasury The
usual appropriations for The ordinary objects of e1pen
di;urc in this branch OF service desirable
at former periods; and it is believed that mistaken
economy only would dictate the continuance Of snch
reduced amounts, when the condition Of The public
finances will admit of what is demanded by true
interests
Cannot omit to refer 10 the recommendation con
tanned in the last annual report for national foundry
On limited scale al which the qualities of iron may
be tested and uscer!aned and models for ordnance may
be fabricated. 1t is spprehended, that the great im