The southern press., 1852-04-10

cessiul IN ms enterprise, hllDg his ship With oI
in a few weeks Influenced by the report which
he brought back as TO the abundance of whales
owners in the United States fitted out larg,
fleet for those grounds, and in l849 Captain
Roys was followed by one hundred and fifty
four sail of whaleships, each vessel (said to be,
worth on the average, with her outfit, $4,000
and manned by thirty able bodied seamen each
This fleet took that season 206S50 barrels whal,
oil, and 2,4Sl 500 pounds of bone.
"In the summer of 1850, there went up
whaling fleet of one hundred and forty foul
American vessels manned as above, and of q
like average value. This fleet, in the course Of
the few weeks left for their pursuits in those
inhospitable regions took 1880 barrels whale
oil and 36540O0 pounds of bone.
In the current year (lS5D there went up a
feet of about one hundred and forty-fve Anne.
rcan vessels but their. returns have not been
received; partial accounts of wreck and disas-
ter only have reached US. They are startling
"The lives and property at stake there for the
two years for which we have complete returns
may be thus stated:
| l849. Number of American seamen, 1850
Value of ships and
outfits, S4,650,000
Value Of oil taken, 2,607,5l0
Value of bone, 8l4,l12
--$sO7O,6 500
1850. Number of American seamen, 1920
Value of ships and
outfits, $4,320000 ~
Value of oil taken, 3,76l ,20l
Value Of bone, l,260,630
9,34l 1871
Total ships in years, 299
Total seamen, 1910
Value of ships and cargoes, l54l2,453
"The losses during the year 1851 have been
unprecedented, so far as heard from. No less
than seven sail of this fine fleet of lS5l-the
Honqua, the New Bedford, the Arabela, the
America, the Armata, the Mary Mitchell, and
the Henry Thompson-haye been wrecked
there and left behind as monuments of the dan
gers which meet these hardy mariners in their
adventurous calling. There reports of other
| losses and wrecks these are certain and
though several ofthem were lost not on shoals,
but otherwise, yet these are enough TO tell OF
imperfect photography, and toshow the national
Importance Of looking to il; for it may be so
that, in case of loss in the ice, the knowledge
Of a sheltered anchorage near, and which a sur
vey would give, would have prevented the ex.
posure TO the ice which induced The loss
aAll our commerce with what is called "the
East" il not so valuable as this was for l849
and 1850.
we see by the above statistics that in these
two years more American seamen were en-
gagged in that small district Of ocean than are
employed in our whole navy at any one time
| that in these two years these hardy mariners
| fished mp from the bottom Of the sea, and by
their own energy created and added TO the ma.
f;onaI ,uaalih tha palma ~ rnora than oi0lf mil
| lions Of dollars And we moreover see that
owing TO the dangers Of the land and ice, the
hidden rocks and unknown shoals, one vessel
in every twenty that went therein during the
summer of 1851 has been left behind a total
wreck, and that the lives Of their crew, or of not
less than one man for every twenty engaged Va
that business, bave been put in jeopardy, most
" for the want ofproper charts. No protection
that our squadrons can at this moment give 10
our commerce with any Of the States Of Christen.
dom can compare with that which good chart
| Of that part Of the ocean would afford 10 this
nursery Of American seamen, and 10 this branch
Of national industry.
II learn that in lat 81 deg. 8 min. ~, long.
| I7S deg w, Captain Middleton, Of the barque
'TenedOz' Of New London, discovered n shoal
having only eight feet water on IT, and was two
acres in extent That the ship Ajax Of la
vre, was lost on a rock south Of the Isle Of St
Lawrence, ten miles from land. That the en-.
tire fleet Of whalemen in the Attic ocean com.
plain much that charts are wrong. That The
coast is badly explored, but little known NC.
| That several Of our vessels have been near
being wrecked by unexpectedly making land OF
rocks under the bows at night That they have
| found in the Attic Circle low sandpits, extend
| ing FIVE or six miles out That also, in Ochotsk
seaihere are hidden dangers Plat tho IIonqun,
in 1851, was totally wrecked on a sunken rock
| in that sea-
Il am also informed that the Indians are very
friendly; that they wanted to trade that the
whalemen frequently went on Shore &c. That
Captain Taylor brought specimens Of ores OF
metals from the Arctic shore ! that he obtained
information from The natives Of the existence oil
gold among them, as also iron that when
shown Implements Of various kinds, they gave
him TO understand, plenty in dbs moun,ains
Such also was the case with gold; they knew
the metal, and pointed, as such existing among
them"
With these facts before the department,
have no hesitation in expressing an opinion IA
vorable TO the measure suggested in the resolu
ton, nor in recommending such reconnaissance
and survey as Will establish accurately the posi-
uons OF the prVm"eu' Sapesi paJs, hcaulanuS
and harbors.
To FIX the positions Of the rocks and shoali
that endanger the navigation there and 10 ex
anime the Fox OF Aeutian Islands, would b.
the work Of two or three properly-appointe'
vessels only for a short time. When the season
is closed for these attitudes, the game vessel
could be most bencicially employed In an ex
Summation OF the seas OF China and Japan, ant
The regions thereabouts, whose photography !
so defeetige, and an accurate knowledge o
which is becoming every day Of more and NOR
Importance
In reply 70 the latter clause ofthe resolution
viz: whether any vessels belonging TO th
service can be used for that purpose, and ais
What wonjd be the expense Of such recon
nossance,S respectfully state that this depart
ment has not Al its command the vessels neces
-. a.. H. nnlafod aarvioa unioca hV RI