The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1851-12-03
aEroRT OF sEoREpARv OF THE NAVY.
NAVY DEpAarmrsr. November %, 1861.

partment:
The former organization Of the vessels employed
| in active service the into six separat'
squadrons has still been continued.
| The Home squadron, yet under the command o
Commodore Parker, consists of the steam. frigatt
Saranac, Commander Pendergrast, bearing the
broad pendant of the commodore; the sloop- Of wal
| Albany, Commander Plat; the sloop Decatur
| Commander Green the eloop Cyane, Commander
| Paine, and the steamer Vixen, Lieutenant Com
handing Smith. The vessels of this squadron
| have been engaged in cruising among the West
| India Islands, and along the COATS of the Carib-
| bean and of the Gulf of Mexico. The com
mander OF this squadron having been ordered
to the north on special service, was not in
position to prevent the late illegal and disastrous
| expedition from the port OF New Orleans against
the Island of Cuba, but, Fastening thither under
| the orders of the Department, he commenda-
bly, active in preventing any repetition of the of.
fence, whilst at the same time afordng protection
TO American interests in that quarter, and giving
| assurance that the United States would in good
faith observe their treaty obligations and the law
| OF nations. Commander Plat, commanding the
| Albany-which happened to be in the port OF Ha :
| Vana when the expedition landed-deservcs also
| the commendation of the Department for the pro-
| priety and delicacy with which he acquitted him
self in the trying duties of his command, for his
vigilance and industry in procuring and transmit
ting carly and correct information of the progress
of events in the island, and his humanity in visit
| ing and nterceding for the deuded persons who,
in violation of the laws of their country, had been
induced to embark in adventure of such seri-
GUS consequence These occurrences at the south
detained the vessels of this squadron from cruise
| to its northern limits, which was commenced and
| proceeded in as far as Havana when the invasion
| Of Cuba took place.
| The Mediterranean squadron, Commodore Nor
| gan commanding, consisted OF the flag ship the
razee independence, Captain Jameson; The steam
frigate Mississippi, Captain Long, and the frigatc
| Cumberland, Captain Latimer.
| In June the latter vessel returned, by order OF
| the Department, to the United States, and upon
her arrival the officers were detached and the crew
| discharged Since that time the Independence,
with the commander in chief board, has visited
| Trieste and other ports within his command, and
the Mississippi has been generally employed in &C
| tive cruising.
| In compliance with resolution of Congress to
that effect orders were in due season sent TO the
! commander of the squadron, directing this vessel
to be held in readiness to proceed to the coast OF
| Turkey and receive board the distinguished
Hungarian. Governor Kossuh, and his associates
in exile, and convey them to the United States, so
soon as information should be received from the
American Minister at Constantinople that they
had obtained the Sultans permission to embark.
She accordingly took on board, at the Dardanelles,
in September, the illustrious exile and his family
and party, in number sixty persons, and brought
them on the homeward voyage to Gibraltar. Here
Governor Kossuth, having determined to visit Eng
land, took passage in mail steamer for that coun-
try, intending TO come thence by ike convey
ance to the United States, and the Mississippi
sailed with the remainder of her passengers direct
| to New York, where she arrived early in Novem-
| Der.
The independence being the only vessel remain
| ing in the Mediterranean, and, from her large
draft, unsuited for winter cruising in that sea- this
consideration, together with the fact that the
| istment of her crew and the term of the COM
mander of the squadron will expire in the ensuing
spring, induced the Department to recall her ALEC,
and orders to that effect were despatched in Oc-
| tober.
The new steam frigate San Jacinto, destined for
the squadron on the coast of Brazil, is preparing
with all practicable expedition for sea- and will sail
| In n al IT tD w
interests in that quarter until the arrival of
new squadron early in the spring.
| The squadron on the coast of Africa continued
under the command OF Commodore Gregory until
the month of May, when, after energetic and
efficient service on that station, he relieved,
| and it was transferred to Commodore Lavaette
This squadron comprises the sloop- of war Ger
mantown, the flagship of the squadron, Com
mander Nicholas; the sloop Dale, Commander
Pearson; the sloop John Adams, Commander Bar
ron; the brig Perry, Lieutenant Commanding
Foote; the brig Porpose, Lieutenant Command
ing Lardner.
These vessels have been assiduously employed in
the duties of their cruise; and the observation Of
another year justifes the conclusion expressed in
my last annual report, that the vigilance and
tlvity OF this squadron together with that of Great
Britain have suppressed the slave trade the west
coast of Africa, and that it is carried only
on the south coast, more than thousand miles
distant from the station OF the Cape de Verde
Islands, established and main tanned since the con-
clusion of the treaty of Washington, in the year
1912.
This result has led to the consideration of the
expediency of removing the depot of supplies for
the squadron down the coast to St. Paul dc Loando
other point on the southern coast but since the
inhibition by Brazil of the African slave trade
among her subJects,it ia doubtful whether il ia
necessary to continue this squadron perma-
nent force anywhere along the African shore; and
1t Ia accordingly proposed that notice be given to
the British government of the termination on our
part of the eighth article of the treaty above men
toned as therein provided.
1t is believed that Brazil and the Spanish West
India Islands the only countries TO which slaves
have been imported, in any considerable numbers,
for many years past; and by strengthening the
squadron on the coast of Brazil, and requiring of
its vessels periodical visits to the of Africa
the traffic probably be effectually checked
than by keeping up the squadron on the African
COAST while, in regard to the Spanish West indies
the vessels ofthe Home squadron will suffice TO pre-
vent the use of our flag for its protection among
them The climate of the African shores is motto
rously insaubrious, and the health and comfort of
the officers and crews would be greatly promoted
by the change proposed of this squadron.
The squadron on the coast of Brazil, Commodore
McKeever still being in command, consists of the
frigate' Congress, the flag ship of the squadron,
Captain Mcintosh; the soop-o war jamestown,
Captain Downing; the brig cambridge, Lieutenant
Commanding Manning; and the storeshp Relief,
Lieutenant Commanding Thatcher. Orders, how
ever, have been despatched directing the Balm
bridge to relieve the brig Perry, in the African
squadron. which, owing to the approaching termi-
nation of the enlistment of her crew, has been or
dercd to return to the United States.
The general duties assigned to this squadron, in
giving protection to commerce and interests
between the mouth of the Amazon river and Cape
Horn, in preventing the use of the American flag
to cover the African slave trade, and in enforcing
neutral rights and relations in the state of hos
tilities which have long prevailed between tie Ar
gentine Republic and the Banda Oriental, and more
recently between the former and Brazil, appear to
have been zealously and faithfully performed; and
the reports OF its commander quite satisfactory
The Pacific squadron. Commodore McCaulcy
commanding, consists of his flag ship the frigate
Rartan, Commander McKean; the frigate St.
Lawrence, Captain Dulaney; the soops- Of war st
Marys, Commander Magruder; Vandalia, Com
mander Gardner; Falmouth, Commander Pearson;
Vincennes, Commander Hudson; Portsmouth,
Commander Dornin; Warren, unseaworthy and
used as storeship; the steamer Massachusetts,
Lieutenant Commanding Knox; the storcship Lex
ington, Lieutenant Commanding Radford; and the
storeship Southampton, Lieutenant Commanding
Turner.
The frigate Savannah, Captain Page, recently
returned from this station, in consequence of the
expiration of the time of service of her crew. and
the Falmouth is supposed TO be likewise on her
homeward voyage. These will be replaced respec-
lively by the frigate ST. Lawrence and the sloop-