Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1847-01-09
THE NAVY.
ron THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE.

THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE.
What is the with the Navy the general inquiry
to-day Ships briggs, and steamboats, being Lost with
unusual speed There is the loss Of the Tuxton," then
another brig of the class, only four years old condemn
ed and sod which ought have lasted years least
Then the loss Of the fine soop-ofwar Boston, in
perfect order and but few days of port. And
hear of the loss Of the brig Somers unusual way for
-owar, say the least of it. merchant vessel may
be knocked down and shift her cargo but man-owar, if
her guns well secured ought be free Of this risk and
least be able herself the expense of her mass
or the accidents the "Cumberand" figate, the " Per-
" brig (ashore at Key West the Washington" survey
ing vessel and sundy Steamers nothing need be said but
that they make up the chapter Of accidents and the in
quy, "What is the with the Navy !" and els it
thus other services !" Perhaps Of your pane friends
can solve the query. CIVIS.
REMARKS BY THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE.
If the question is proposed to us, we answer,
without hesitation, nothing is the matter with the
Navy. 1t is gallant, brave, skilful, and eff
cient as ever. But none of these qualities proof
against hurricanes of such tremendous violence as
drove the Perry and Boston ashore, such ire
mendous seas as deluged the Washington. The
loss of the Truxton, the Somers, and sundry small
steamers the Mexican coast is chargeable in part
to the dangerous reefs, shoals, and breakers, and
and partly to the fidelity and enterprise of the COM
manders which led them to disregard personal dam
ger in dscharging what they believed to be their
duty. The Somers was lost in consequence of be-
ing struck by terrific squall while guarding the
entrance of Vera Cruz against what was supposed
to be an attempted running OF the blockade. To
enable her to do this eecually she had all her sails
SET and the squat struck her before they could be
taken in Now suppose, consulting her own safe
ty and the comfort of her officers and men, she h{d
suffered the blockade to be violated, would not the
question still be asked, and quite as earnestly as
now, What is the matter with the Navy ~ 1t is
very easy for sitting in their parlors by good
warm fire to find fault with the conduct Of their
feow-citizens who, on hostile and most danger
GUS shore, are daily perling their lives for the COM
mon veal but complaint comes with bad grace
under such circumstances, and should be withheld
unless the evidence is clear and decisive. Disasters
are necessary incidents of war; and the wonder is
that we have had to record so few of them in con-
nexion with our own service, both land and naval.
| What was the matter with this same brig Somers,
when, few days before her loss, boats crew
of her intrepid officers and men went and burnt
Mexican brig moored to the Castle of San Juan,
carrying off seven men whom they found on board
What was the matter with her when another boats
crew landed in the city of Vera Cruz ITSELF and re-
connotred with view to subsequent enterprise
of the most desperate character! What was the
matter with the gallant HYNsoN, CLEMsEN, and
others, when, with generosity which almost ex-
ceeds belief, they encountered death itself in order
to secure the lives of their companions! Rarely,
indeed, have many deeds of daring, amounting
almost to desperation, been performed in two or
three weeks by crew Of eighty men, as were per-
formed by the officers and crew of the Somers dur
ing the last two or three weeks of her existence.
The loss of so many of them, especially Passed
Midshipmen HyNsoN and CLEMSON, than whom
drawer men never trod ships deck, is deeply TO
be deplored,