Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-12-07
REPORT
OF THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY.
Navy DEPARTMENT, Nov. 25, 1871

The Navy of the United States consists OF SIX
ships OF The line, one razee, fourteen ifiSaoes,
,wen,y-one sloops Of war, sixteen oriSs ara
schooners, three sto,e-shps, and eiSh' s'eaiheis
ailoat. e:.loa s,,,a
There are on the stocks in an unfinished state
four ships OF the line, three frisaies one s'oie.
.h;n an iron steamer at Pittsburgh, and one al
the Navy Yard at Washington 10 DC ,'se.' az soa
,ya,er tank. Since the last annual report, al'er
careful survey and inspection, il was found most
conducive TO the public in'eres, 10 sell the irSaie
Hudson. and the store-shps Consort and Chipo-
Ia and orders have been recently gwen lol 1he
sale OF the Pioneer In each case. the Navy
AGENT conducting the sale was limited as 10 'he
price and the sales are satisfactory. Inc RUG
son was originally built by contract Tor iorei9h
Government, was found 10 be unworthy OF repait'
ard il was believed to be more advantageous "
sell Than 10 break her up.
The vessels in commission nave been employ
ed IS follows:
In The Home Squadron, The iriSate poiomac'
,,,a Scoops VincenneS, Vandalia and Falmouth,
~, hr;cs Somers and Lawrence, and the steamer
Cnion. un,e, The command OF Commodore Con-
n.r In the north Of August the Nincennes re-
turned North from the Gull OF Mexico. was pn'
in ordinary, and her crew discharged
In the Mediterranean sea the squadron was
under command of Com Morris until he lell
thai station in the Delaware "A in February
when the command devolved on Com. Joseph
Smith. Our naval forces in that sea consist Oh
the friga,es Cumberland and Columbia, sloops
Plymouth aud Fairfield, and siore-ship Lexns-
ton. The new sloop ST. Marys Is under ORDERS
and will proceed, as soon as she is ready lor sea-
10 relieve the Fairfield
On the coast Of Brazil, the squadron has con-
sisted of the Columbus n, irigalcs Rarilan and
Congress sloops John Adams and Boston, brig
Bainbridse and schooner Enterprise.
The Columbus, John Adams and Enterprise
have returned home, been put in ordinary, and
their crews discharged The squadron IS under
the command vi Com. Daniel Turner.
In the Pacific ocean there have been employed
the frjga,es United States and Savannah, >ioop>
Crane Levant and Warren, schooner SHARK and
.ore-ship Relief The United States and Cyane
have returned home been put in ordinary, ana
their crews discharged. The new sloop Ports
mouth has been fitted for sea, and is under orders
10 ioic this squadron. Com. ThoS. ap Z. Jones
was relieved from the command by Com. Aie1-
ander ]. Dallas, b.. whose -mented oeaih IN me
n.onlk OF June last, the command aevolved on
Capt James Armst. ong, the second IN ComuaNa'
Com. John D. Sloa; mas beer ordered to The Pa
eli, 10 assume command on that station.
No change has bcen made in the vessels com
posing ire East 'ndia squadron, since the last an-
nual Report. The trigaie Brandywine arrived al
Macao. with ,ie Hon. Caleb Gushing on board
in February last The sloop 81. Louis and The
brig PERI, have since arrive al the same port
Roih OF the Q vessels were detained on their out
ward passage by the illness OF Comr. Cooke oil
the St Louis, and OF Conn. Dupont OF The Perry
To the modification of both these officers, and 10
the regre! OF the Department, each was compelled,
b. the state OF his health, TO relnqulsh his com
mand and re.c.n 10 the u. States. Captain Me-
keever ara Con!r John Stone Paine were sent
out 10 supply their PAGES. Thesquadron IS com
manded by Com Foxhall A. Parker. The 1rigate
Constellation, bearing the pendant OF Comino-
dore Kearncy, returned home in April last, alter
a cruIZc OF nearly four years. she has been iaio
up ami her crew discharged
The squadron ON toe cost OF Africa, under
command OF Com. NJ. Z. Perry, consists OF the
friga,e IJaced raian, sloops Saratoga arc De
ca;lr. and brig Porpoise mounting nineiy-lhree
guns The Scoops Prchlc ami Yorktown, and
BRIG Trux;oa, have been sent out TO relieve ne
Saratoga, Decatur and Porpoise. The new
slcop jamestown mas been launched, ana Is IN
3ctiye preparation TO go to sea 10 relieve The
Macedonian Com Charles w. Skinner has
been ordered . proceed i'll her 10 the station, and
relieve Com. Perry Another Sloop will I've or
dered 10 the station with all practicable dispatch
The SQUADRON, IS thus constituted, will mount
ejeh,y-ttree runs. Ii is found that single decked
vessels are best suited 10 this service. and That
in ,ha, The he Glib III rha officers ana GROW vii!
l.. more secure than an those OF q larger class,
md more difficult Of ventilation II affords me
pleasure 10 stale. that the apprchcnsions which
were en.er.aia4d for the heaiin of the squadron,
have moi t,eu realized. While a, sea, i; is found
ina. their heath is good. and the deleerious in
nuence OF the climate is only felt by those on
shore The opc atoms o. 'he squadron have. II
is believed exercised favorable Influence III
preventing the s.a"c trade With the provision
.. our law den5nncne il rs piracy, and the
presence OF or own Naval forces, with autho-
my 10 visit all vessels under the American flag,
it is NJ, probable that citizens will engage in
this dssraceiul and perions traffic OF our flag be
used by others 70 any great extent.
II other Christian nations would lniict the
samc punishment on the offenders, II Is not I'm
probable that the trade wonld cease.
The store-ship Erie is about 10 sail from New
York with stores for this squadron. The un-
healthiness OF residence on shore, the influence
q he climate III deicrorating provisions when II
store and tie difficulties Of landing them, make
i; very desirable to have 4 large and well fount
store ship permanently attached TO the station.
No alteration has been made in the cruising
grounds of the several s9uadrons since the las
annual report
The following vessels have been employed or
special service. The frigatc Constitution, Capt
p.Iciyal, sailed from New York on The 29ih May
last. on cruise in the Indian Ocean. The Hon
Henry a. Wise took passage in this ship, anc
was Landed al Rio tie Janeiro on the 9th August
Wncn she proceeded on her cruise.
The steamer Princeton, Captain Stockton, ha:
been employed in gun-practice and experiments
She is under orders 10 be prepared for cruise tt
test her qualities, as we'll under her sails rs hcl
steam and 10 determine the advantages OF hel
mode Of propulsion.
The steamer Poinser Lieut. Semmes has beer
employed in making surveys between Apalach
cola bay and the Balizc. The work is finished
and she will be laid up for the Winter.
The brig Truxton, Lieut.. Upshur, returned
from Constanlinople in January last with the re
mains of Com. David Porter, and in June sailed
10 loin The squadron, on the coast Of Africa, under
command OF Comm Bruce.
The steamers Col Harvey and Gen. Taylo'
were transferred from the War Department ioi
the use Of the Navy. The former las been EN-
p!oye1 in the transportation OF recruits aud sup
plies for the Navy, and is now under orders &c
sail without delay under command Of l.. Lynch
to proven; trespasses on the live oak and other
timber on the pablo lands between Cape Sa-
bic and the Ba!zs, with instructions TO give aid
10 merchant vessels in distress during the coming
Winter The General Taylor, Lieut. Farrani
has been employed for like purposes during 'he
pas, season.
The Schr Phoenix. and brig Oregon, have
beea succesSiveiy cmplCsced under the command
uf Lieutenant Arthur Sinclair as IA packet be-
:we4n his country and the linus Of Daricn.-
'ra- mails for the squadron, and for such OF ON
citizcas as choose L adop this mode Of convey
ance. are regularly forwarded by this route. The
schooner Fir, Lieut.. Davis, will be employed on
the sane duty. 1t is believed that great advan-
tage 70 Inc servi,c and 10 the public will result
from this mode Of communication with the Pacific
Ocean.
The Pennsylvania, al Norfolk; the North Ca
rolina, a. New York. the C.iio, at Boston; the
Experimer IA; Philadelphia the On-ka-hy-e, al
Charcs,oa, and the Ontario, at Baltimore, are
employed as receiving vessels.
The force estimated for and proposed 10 be
employee during the year, commencing on the
Is, dry OF July, 1915, consists of 10 triga,es,
- SloonS .,r W. hriuS > Schonnors 4 ar.na