The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-05-27
The Navy.

Three very important bills have been intro
duced into the House Of Representative at
Washington by the Naval Committee. The first
IL law to provide for a retired list in the Naval
Service, which snaets that any naval officer.
who has served thirty years without dishonor,
may, with the consent Of the President, retire
from active service on full pay, subject, hOwev-
or, to recall in case of war. Commissioned Of
fcers and masters, who have been on duty less
than thirty years, may, with the Presidents
consent. be placed on a retired list at half duty
pay, &c..
The second bill provides for the construction
Of twenty slOop-of-war brigs, Of not less than
four hundred and fifty tons each, carrying heavy
guns. One million Of dollars is appropriated.
The third bill prescribes the age at which
candidates for mdshiPmsn may enter the Ma
Wy. 1t enscts that the applicants must be over
fourteen, must remain two years at the Naval
School, and three at sea, before being examined
for promotion as passed midshiPmen. IL fur
ther provides for the performance Of active duty
on the part Of the scholars of the Naval School,
and regulates the appointments Of the mid
shiPmen from the different States and Terri
| tories
| The Washington correspondent Of the Phila-
delphia North American furn ishes the following
notice Of an important report prepared by Mr..
KING and presented to Congress;
| Mr.. T.. BUTLKa KING, the able and enterpris-
ing chairman of the Naval Affairs, has lust pre-
pared report ON the subject Of cur commerce
Il 49, Ill L.. l..
he recommends TO Congress, Of employing the
four war steamers, now building in Norfolk
Philadelphia, New York, and Kittery, ss a ma.
| line from Monterey or San Francisco 20 Chang
hal in China, which is well worthy Of public at
| tention.
He proposes this as an entering wedge 10 the
opening Of more extended Commercial inter
course with China and Japan, to be expanded by
increased facilities Of communication and pros
pectively by aconnection across the continent l,y
railroad some other facility Of connecting
the two oceans with expedition. This line o.
steamers contemPlates continuation Of the
mail communication from New York 10 Ore
gon, by way Of Havana and Chagres. The ad-
vantage Of employing the public vessels, par
ticularly steamers, in suck service, instead Of
locking them mp in the Incidence Of foreign
stations, is apparent without argument II
would open good school Of instruction 10 our
officers, familiarze them with the navigation Of
the Pacific, and interest them in a system OF
commercial exploration, which heretofore, has
been too much disregarded in the navy Il j.
high time We were beginning experiments Of this
sort-that we were seeking new markets for OuI
productions and manufactures, and identifying
more closely, our navy with the great interest,
Of our commerce.
The statistics collected aud compiled by Mr.
King, from mass Of crude figures and infor-
nation, obtained at home and abroad, are ex-
ceedingly valuable for reference and a. source.
Of profitable instruction, not only 10 the states
man, but TO the merchant and every other class OF
pursuit. was particularly struck with one fac
in this connection, which goes 10 prove the ne.
cessity Of adopting some policy by which oul
/ trade with China can be extended. The Excess.
Of our imports over our exports, exceeds some
| four millions annually, which is usually paid by
bills on London, thereby increasing the balance
Of trade against MS in England. to that extent
He analyses the condition Of the whale fish,
cries Of the Pacific, and shows their importance
in brief, but conclusive narrative. In January
40 there were 1876 ships engaged in this trade
with 2S5,l AZ tons burthen, employing over thir
teen thousand officers and ssamen, with a CAPT.
tai Of twenty-nine millions and half of dol.
lars. The annual product Of the whale fishe.
ries is about ten millions. Tine vessels engages
in this branch Of commerce expend about tire,
millions year, TO recruit in foreign ports.
Mr.. King recommends the establishment Of /
naval depot and Notifications on the Pacific, a,
the American terminus Of this line Of steamers
to afford rendezvous for Government vessels
and place for repairing and reftting ships en-
gagged in the whale trade.
| This suggestion forms bu. link In an en-.
| tended and great chain Of naval and commercial
Improvement, for which the country is mainl,
indebted to the labor and zeal and ability O
Mr.. King; whose acquaintance with this vas
subject, in all its bearings, is unsurpassed In
Congress, and whose industry in pursuing Il q
large practical results, against formidable OBJ
structions, entities him 10 the thanks and ap
probation of the country at lsrge, whose inter.
ests II will so materially enhance.