The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-12-05

mand more men than division, the command
of a major general and yet its highest commits
stoned officer, captain, ranks with a colonel.
By resolution Of the Continental Congress in
l776, providing navy for the war Of the Revo-
luton, the reutiye rank of officers in the land,
was established as follows, viz: an admiral, as u
general vice-admiral, rs a acknowledgement
rear-admiral, us a major-general commodore as
brigadier-general; captain Of ship OF forty
guns and upwards, as Il colonel, &c.
This scheme of relative rank prevails in the
British service at the present day. 1t is worthy
of remark that, although at no period since has
there been less than one maor-general OF tile
army Of tho United States, our naval officers,
though in addition to their proper commands
thev are, from the nature of their service, much
more frequently than those Of the army, called
TO act for their country in diplomatic Intercourse
with distant nations whose artificial states OF
society render rank so important consideration,
have never been advanced beyond eommandant
of regiment. No comparison can possibly be
INDUCED to the disparagement of either of these
necessary arms of our defence, which have so
unanimously co-operatcd against the public en-
emes wherever opportunity has permitted, and
no good reason can be perceived why the high
est officer of the one service should not, as
general rule, now as in 1776, and here rs in
Great Britain, be equal in rank to the highest
officer of the other If Congress shall think
proper to add the rank Of acknowledgement to
the army as a reward for the long service and
brilliant success of Il veteran soldier, it may be
accompanied or followed by its correlative Of
vice-admiral in the navy, according to the plea
sure of the legislature.
OF the two rear admirals proposed, one might
be most usefully employed at the Department
| Is u,ban pti lutv u uph
supervision and direction Of the personnel of the
navy rs might be assigned him by the head Of
the Department, in analogy TO the connection OF
the General-in- Chief and the Adjutant General
with the Department of War. The other, when
not in command at sea, should establish his
quarters at San Francisco, or other point on the
Pacific coast, and should be invested with COM
mand over all the naval officers and seamen
west of the Rocky Mountains, as well as the
naval forces in the Pacific and in the China and
East India seas, reporting all his orders and the
operations and proceedings under them to the
Department, at stated and early periods. The
distance of our Pacific coast from the seat of
government even by the most expeditions route,
is too great for an energetic system of naval
operations, by means Of the transmission of
| orders and dispatches to and fro, or even for
the enforcement of proper discipline under the
existing law. In the latter particular our squad
ron there is in a less eligible situation than it
was before the acquisition Of California The
commander of squadron on a foreign station
is empowered to order courts martial, and to
approve and carry into effect their sentences
but, if it be within the United States, court
can only be ordered by the President or the
head of the Department. Thus military justice,
which was formerly Of easy enforcement where
the squadron was sufficiently numerous to fur
nisll the necessary officers to constitute Il court
is dependent now on orders from Washington,
and has become too tardy in its administration
for the ends Of the service. This Inconvenience
is seriously felt and demands an early remedy.
1t is, however, but one Of many illustrations of
the necessity for stationing on that coast All
officer OF higher rank and larger authority than
any now existing in the navy.
The object in maintaining our naval force in
the Pacific and demanding that it shall be in
the highest degree Of efficiency, is two-fold:
lst TO protect II coast more than one thou
sand miles in length, occupied bya sparse popu-
| latiCn, prob IDLY not exceeding in the whole
100000 souls, two-thirds of whom are depen-
| dant on SEA going comniorce tor the supply OF
their ordinary food and raiment, and are sepa-
rated by mountains aud deserts of thousand
miles in extent from our other settlements.
ID To give adequate protection and encour-
agcmcnt to our countrymen engaged in the
whale fisheries, In commerce in the South l'aei-
lic, and to that expanding commerce with East
ern Asia, which our possessions on the Pacific
will enable US to command, with proper i'm
provpmont of our lawful advantages. A naval
policy adequate TO these ends seems to be inds-
punsably required. 1t is fact, perhaps not gen
orally known, that the longest voyage in the
time necessary for its accomplishment, now
made by navigators, is that from our Atlantic to
our Pacific ports, and hence it will appear mani
fcstlv eXpedent in cruises on that ocean to tit
out naval expeditions from the Pacific coast
Which shall return thtIer at the end Of their
tour \ vessel sent there from the Atlantic, ac-
cording to the present arrangement, to return at
the end Of three years. loses one year Of the
three in going and returning. And from the
marked difference in the navigation Of the two
oceans, if tie design be to bring her home to
rcht she will need condition of repair to ena-
bic her to weather Cape Horn and pass up the
boisterous coast Of the Atlantic, which will
qualify her for al extended cruise in the Pacific
; The extraordinary state of prices now prevailing
forbids the idea of building vessels or recruiting
seamen on that coast. Indeed the flagship of
the Commodore Of the Pacific squadron was, at
last advices deficient by more than one half in
her complement of men, without the ability to
recruit more, except at wages far above those
now allowed 1t must, therefore. be greatly to
orr interest, at least until change in the none
tary affairs of California
lst TO build ships and recruit sailors on the
Atlantic coast for tIre Pacific fleet.
I'd When sufficient number of vessels shall
be placed on that side Of the Continent to retain
them there for permanent use and
Sd. That when crews are wanted to man them,
af or the expiration Of the term of those origi-
naliy carried ont, to enlist them in the Atlantic
ports, and send them out in Government trans
ports on the ordinary line Of travel across the
lsthmus Of Panama, as they are now transported
from one Atlantic port to another.
With dock for repairing vessels on the Cali
fornia coast, as contemplated by the act of the
last session Of Congress-, such course Of policy
would enable us at all times to keep an effective
fleet in the Pacific, and operate vast saving
in time and money to the service in that quar-
ter
BY judcious disposition of our vessels, and
the Improvement of the organization and disci-
pline of the personnel to the highest point Of
efficiency, it is believed that naval force need
not be immediately augmented in any great