The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-12-10

registered seaman of more than twenty years
eervice continuing in the navy only to forfeit his
| additional pay when such forfeiture shall b; adj
judgedbya court-lnartial as a punishment for
| grossly immoral insubordinate conduct. BY
such sentence also for such offences his additional
pay may be suspended by court for such time as
they may adjudge
g. No registered seaman Of the navy to be sub
ject to any corporal or other punishment of de-
grading character, and to such only as may be or
dercd by a court-martal on charges duly pre-
ferred and tried This prohibition not to prevent
the punishment without a court-martial OF such
minor delinquencies in conduct and discipline
may be corrected by Withholding the usual ihdul-
gences OF the service, stopping portions OF the
| ration, or increasing ordinary duty.
4. Every registered seaman to be entitled alter
any term Of three years' service to furlough Of
| such reasonable length as may enable him to make
one or more voyages in the merchant marine. not
extending, without special permission, to more
than six months; such furlough to be granted by
the commanding officer Of the squadron, or the
commandment of the navy yard nearest to the port
at which his cruise may terminate, and only to he
granted In any cnse with expressed reservation
| and notice that the seaman TO which 1t is given
shall report for duty in the navy when any public
emergency shall render it necessary so to order
him, the order for his return to duty to be ssued
by the Navy Department or by such officer as may
be authorized by the Department to do fail
to report in accordance with this provision to
render him liable to be struck of the registry by
the Secretary Of the Navy. Every registered sea :
last cruise, and being thereupon ordered to duty,
to be entitled topay from the date OF termination
of his last cruise.
All furloughs to be regularly reported and noted
at the Navy Department.
5. Every registered seaman to be entitled to
wear on his dress come appropriate badge by
which he may be distinguished and known in the
navy, which badge will be designated and pro.
| vided by the Navy Department.
6. The petty officers Of each ship to be selected,
far as convenient, from the class Of registered
seamen, and the appointment always to be re-
garded as dependent upon the merit and good
character of the person selected. to be held on
good behavior, during the term of a cruise.
| 7. record to be kept, under the dir ction OF
| every commanding officer Of a squadron or ship,
| of the actual amount OF sea service performed by
each registered seaman whlst under his COM
mand This record to be returned to the Depart
ment at the end of every cruise, and to be trans.
ferred to the general registry of seamen. Upon
the evidence OF this general registry the additional
! pay to be granted ...
S. Every seaman to be admonished to give his
true name, age, and place OF birth upon signing
| ship in merchant or other vessels whilst on fur
| Tough by any other name. His being convicted of
violating this engagement to render him liable to
be struck from the list of registered seamen upon
| the order of the Sec rotary Of the Navy.
9. In every case of dismissal from the service
| a registered seaman, the party 30 dismissed to re-
| ceive whatever moneys may be due to him, unless
the same shall have been forfeited by the sentence
| offence committed by him. A seaman dismissed
from the registry not to be entitled to be restored
but upon the permission of the head Of the Navy
Department, granted in consideration of the mer-
| turious character Of the applicant
| 10. Seamcn, ordinary seamen, and landsmen in
the service, not belonging to the registry, to be
subject to such discipline, duty, and penalties
| as Congress may provide in q code Of regulations
adapted to their government, under such restric
tions or notifications as the Department may
think proper to make.
IL. A printed book or circular to be made by the
Department, containing all the regulations and
conditions relating to the establishment of regis
tered seamen, giving full description of the obi
cations to be contracted by them, and OF the pri
vileges to which they may be entitled. Copies of
this book or circulars to be furnished to every
squadron or single vessel in commission of which
copies one shall be given to every seaman, in order
that he may be fully informed of the nature of the
the service of the United States. These regula.
tons to be read and explained to the several crews,
and, far as may be necessary, to every seaman
before he signs the registry.
r. The Department to be authorized to make,
alter, and modify all rules and regulations, 80 far
as it may be found expedient for the due estab-
lishment and support of this purpose Of crestinga
corps OF registered seamen, in accordance with the
general objects intended to be promoted in the
above plan, and for the supplying of any defect
which experience may show to exist in it.
The term seaman, used throughout this plan,
s to be understood to embrace every class of mari
ners on board public vessel, whether denou,ina.
ted scamen, ordinary seamen, or landsmen.
IL limited number of boys to be received into
the navy upon obligations contracted according to
law, to serve until they arrive at the age of twenty
one years. Their number. the quota to BIO allowed
to each vessel, and all needful and proper rules for
their government and duties, to be regulated by
the orders OF the Navy Department.
This system of providing for more effective
marine ! respectfully submit to your consideration.
There already exists prwer in the Executive to
adopt nearly the whole of it's details. 1t may be
hnu tn amir t.,t bo r
Congress, with n view to obtain for it legis ntive
recognition. and especially to procure such enact
nents as may be necessary to give the sanction of
law to the establishment OF the registry which con
sttutes the ground work of the plan
Increase Of tie Navy.
In the activity and diversity of enterprise which
the busy spirit of this time has exacted from the
navy, it has now become manifest that the increase
of the naval establishment of the country is not
only recommended by the most urgent public con
sderaons, but is also forced upon the attention of
Congress absolute necessity. The honor as
well "a the successful adventure of the nation, and
! might even say the indispensable obligation of
national defence and the constantly recurring
need for the exhibition of the national power all
combine to present this question TO Congress az
one OF the fret magnitude. During the past year
this Department has been impelied, by due re.
gard Tor the great public inter es's committed to its
charge, to put in requsition nearly the whole dis
possible force of the navy. The details of this
report will show that constant and various en-
ployEnent nus Oeen demanded OF Of0cers, ships,
and crews. trust that Con will see in these
r. quisitions how much the demands of necessary
service engross the means provided to accomplish
it. and will deduce from this fact an argument in
favor OF charging the naval resources for still
larger naval operations.
Whilst other great maritime powers are
streng thcning and extending their capabilities for
aggression and defence, and bestowing a sed-
ulous labor upon the creation Of steam navies Of
singular efficiency, they have imposed upon US a
new obligation if not to track their progress with
equal steps in effort to bring ourselves abreast
with them in their advance, at least to maintain
that position of relative strength which it has been
our policy heretofore to assume.
The actual exigepcies Of our own service, 20 con-
spicuously multiplied by the rapid extension OF our
domain and the settlement Of marts of trade
and the establishment Of new lines of commerce
on the Pacific cannot but present to every citizen
OF the United States an altogether irresistible ar
gument to persuade the nation to a much larger
provision OF ships and men than we have heretofore
kept in commission. The Pacific, during the
next ten years, ia likely to become the theatre of
the most interesting events Of our time A nation
lie growing up upon its shores, which will both at
tract and supply an amount Of commercial enter
prise in the rapid growth and activity of which the
world has yet had no parallel. The discovery of
America did not give such an impulse to this ppirit
We MOI yvit in he nd