The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-05-16

calling into exercise the serner virtues ead IN the
end, to a vast increase Of our power We are becom.
ing sir, too cTeminac, luxurious, and extrava-
CANT, all these tendencies would be checked by a
war:
SWEET the uses Of adyrrsIiy'
"h.A hAr the toad ugly and yeuomous
Wrur'N IT precious jewel IN us head
And as for speedy recovery from the III effects OF
war, sir, no nation on the globe possesses half the
reCuperatlyC energy tina, ours possesses. This our
history proves. Who believes SIR, that the late war
was Of any injury to US: Though many fell
though much blood was splt-our foreign COM
merCe broken up, and all industrial pursuits crippled
and derhnged, and not one object attained for which
the war was declared and waged at so much expense
of blood and treasure, no doubt that 1t was Of
immense service to us, weighing all these against
that one item which It gained for us-the respect Of
all other powers, and the high eXaltatlon Of ma
uona character And we recovered from its effects
in few years, and with renewed life and vigor have
since pursued our glorious and successful career.
The senator from Delaware, sir, Mr.. J. NJ.
CLAYTON, took occasion, in his remarks upon these
resolutions, to contrast naval force with that of
Great Britain, and read to the Senate d prepared
statement Of her military and commercial marine.
But the senator did not seem to recoect that the
number Of vessels of war possessed by nation is
no criterion by which to estimate its power. Eng
land has many ships of war, sIr-ahe has the
wooden walls, but has she the sinew and muscle
| recolect reading last summer, sir, in British
magazine, an article upon the defences of Great
Britain, and, among other things, the condition Of
her navy both to the nlaterie and the personnel
in which 1t was stated that Captain Lushngton,
one Of the most popular officers in her navy, had
great difficulty, and had been unable, up to that
time, TO ship crew for the steamer "Retrbuuon.' -
Now, sir with this fact in view, would ask that
senator how It is in the power of Great Britain to
man one half Of the vessels on that formidable list
he presented to the Senate, even by resortng-as
she certainly would resort--to the press-gang' She
cannot man them, sir The senator showed, sir,
10y his statement, that IN proportion to our COM
merce as compared with that Of England and some
of the MINOR powers Of Europe, we had fewer
guns for ITS protection than any of them; but the
senator did not seem to consider the capacity of
this nation to arm itself on an emergency and he
eft the inference very fair that he believed ours was
the weakest naval power on the globe think sir
little consideration of, and examination into, ee-
ments Of naval power will serve to satisfy every
senator that we have the capacity to put afoat in
very short time, more powerful navy than Great
Britain ever possessed. Ii cannot be denied sir
That we are capable of constructing vessels with
more rapdity, and with better equipment and sailing
qualities, than any other nation; and If war comes
instead of finding UMPIRE pared in this arm of an
noyance and defence, we should be found in few
months, the best prepared nation in the world. 1t
is true sir of national vessels we have but seventy
six, all told, but we have commercial marine I'M
surpassed by any. All our packet ships. sailing
from the ports OF New York and Philadelphia, are
larger, better fitted, sauncher better sailers, and
capable of carrying more guns and sustaining their
recoll, ana resisting an enemys broadside than
second-Cass frlgates were in the last war or could
soon be made so by additional buIwarks, the work
of few weeks These, with whale ships arm
Ell and fitted, to say nothing of our STEAMBOATS, with
ornaments on board will enable us to put anont
more efficient navy than Great Britain ever possess
ed; and for shipping crews, patriotism would supply
the place of the prcss-gang.
If you will look, sir, at the list Of the British ma
Wy, you will find that many ships named in it are
not scaworthy, and cannot be made so; MANY Of
them are old shlps-shIps engaged in the battles of
Trafalgar and the Nile; they are now old hulks un:
fit for service.
Mr., J. NJ. CLAYTON desired to correct the honor
able senator in one or two particulars He did not
say that we were the weakest nation, nor had he
endeavored to place the strength of Great Brit
ain in a striking light before the Senate He had
merely stated the relative naval power Of this
country and England, in reply to the remarks of
the senator from Ohio, Mr.. ALLEN1 He had
SAID nothing to disparnge our naval force but
lie had thought it proper to correct some state
ments of the gentleman from Ohio in regard to the
naval power of England And he had done so
from facts then in his possession Since he had
made that statement, he had seen a still later au-
hOrlty, disclosing more particular information as TO
the naval power Of Great Britain than he had been
in possession of the time he had the honor to adj
dress the Senate. He stated at that time that Eng
land had 67l ships, carving an armament Of 1922
guns BY the latest official documents received by
the last steamer, | perceive, so much has she in
creased her naval power within the last quarter that
she has now l7,772 guns in her navy. This is a
great increase and this has been effected in the last
quarter Of the last year. The number Of her war
steamers, according to the account we were in pos
session of when he last addressed the Senate was
90. He perceived by the documents lately received
that there were now l2l. He had also stated that
her military marine amounted to 40 000 and he did
say, too IN reference to the commercial marine to |
which the senator from Illinois had now alluded |
that ours was about equal, perhaps little inferior
TO that Of England But the recent information
showed that that estimate was somewhat erroneous,
or ateast that their commercial marine had increased
since the former statement
The tonnage, foreign and coastwise of the United
Kingdom Of Great Britain, at the close Of the year
1898, was 2,42O, 759 tons. The same statement is
made by McCuIloch, title british Empire" and by
Baron Charles Dupn, in his "PnrslsIs des Trois
Prinetpnts' Marines do UniUss."
rare work, very recently published and re-
celved within few days past at the treasury, mic
liregor's Commercial Tariffs, &C. referred TO and
relied upon IN the sscrearys report thsdsy, brings
down the information on the subject as late as the