Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1852-04-10

utive. but suggested by the Senste's resoiu-
on to be made BY the authority of Congress,
nth vessels other than those at the command of
be department, to be purchased or constructed
nder special appropriation for that purpose.
ropoSed Reconnaissance Of the Seas around
China and Japan.
NAVY DEPARTMENT, April ), 1852.
SIR-I have the honor TO acknowledge the re-
Feipt of the Senate's resolution, adopted on the
Ped utimo. calling upon 1.-THE Secretary OF the Ma
~ TO communicate to the Senate his opinion of
the expedency offs reconnaissance of the routes
bf Navigation in the Northern seas. and the Chi
hs and ia IAN seas, and whether any vessels be-
longing 10 the service be used for that pur
pose; and, also, what would be the expense OF
such Reconnaissance"
So far as regards the expediency of the recon-
noissance referred to in the resolution, find tlat
the files of this department contain carefully
prepared discussion of the subject by the superin-
PENDENT of the National Observatory of the date of
December 3d. IS51-confned, however, to the
value and importance of the whale fishery in the
Anadir Achotsk and Arctic seas, as the whaling
grounds in the regions about Behring's Straits
are called, from which beg leave to furnish the
following extracts
IN the summer of lS4s Captain Rows, of the whale
ship Superior penetrated the Arctic ocean. through
Behring's Straits and encountered in his adventurous pnr
suit all the dangers OF an unknown and Polar He
successful in his enterprise. filing his ship with oil
In few weeks. Influenced by the report which he
brought back as to the abundance of whales owners in
the United States fitted large fleet for those grounds
and in 1879 Captain Roys followed by hundred
and fifty four sail of whale slips each vessel tsad bel
worth the with her outfit $4,000 and
ned by thirty able bodied each This fleet took
that 206,s5o barrels whale OIL and 2.4s1,6oo
pounds of bone.
IN the summer of 1850 there went up a whaling fleet
OF one hundred and fortyoar American vessels manned
above, and oa like average value This fleet in the
OF the fewweeks left for their pursuits in those in
whale
3,654000 pounds of bone.
I'm the current year f1s51 there went up feet of
about hundred and orty6ve American vessels; but
their returns have been received partial of
wreck and disaster only have reached They
ling.
THE lives and property stake there for the two
years for which we have complete returns may be thus
stated:
1s4e. No of American seamen 1850
- Value OF ships and outfits S4.650000
Value OF oil taken-----.--- 2,606,5l0
Value OF bone. ---.-..-..-.- s14112
1850. No of American seamen 1920
Value of ships and outfits S4.3a0,000
Value OF oil taken--..---- 3,76l.201
value OF oone-------------- L2oo,63o
- 9,341,s31
Total ships IN two years 299
Total seamen- 1910
Value ofships and cargoes II 412 453
"The losses during the year have been unprece
derted far heard from No less than seven sail of
this fine feet of 185l-the Honqua, the New Bedford
the Arabella, the America. the Armata the Mary
Mitchell. and the Henry Thompson-have been wreck
ed there and left behind of the dangers
which meet these hardy Mariners in their adventurous
calling There reports of other losses and wrecks:
these certain though several of them lost not
shoals but otherwise vet these are enough to tell of
imperfect photography and show the national mpor-
tance of looking to it for it may be that of loss
IN the ice the knowledge of sheltered anchorage
and whcha survey would give would have prevented the
exposure to the ice which induced the loss
"All our commerce with what is called the East il.
not so valuable as this for $40 and 1850.
1--WE by the above statistics that in these two wears
more American seamen were engaged in that small dis
tlct OF ocean than empoyedin whole navy any
tlme that IN these years these hardy mariners
hshed up from the bottom of the and by their
energy cleaed and added the national wealth the val
ue gilmore than eight millions OF dollars. And more
over that owing to the dangers of the land and ice
the hidden rocks and unknown shoals vessel every
twenty that therein during the summer of 1851 has
been left behind total wreck and that the lives of their
crews not less than man for every twenty enea
ged in that business have been put in jeopardy, mostly
for the want of proper charts No protection that our
squadrons can at this moment give with
of the States of Chrstendom compare with that
which good chart of that part of the would afford
national industry.
Il learn that in lat. Ga deg Is min NJ long. l7s deg w
Captain Middleton, OF the-barque Tenedoz of New Lon
don discovered shoa having only eight feet water on
it. and was two acres in extent. That the ship Ajax of
Hasre, was lost rock south of the Isle of St Law
renee ten miles from land That the entire fleet of whale
men In the Arctic complain much that charts are
wrong That the badly explored but little known
&c That several of our vessels have been near being
wrecked by unexpectedly making land rocks under the
bows at night That they have ound in the Arctic cir
Gle low sandspits extending Ave six miles out That
also IN Oshotsk there hidden dangers. That
the Honqua in 1851 was totally wrecked "a a sunkan
rock in that sea
Il also informed that the Indians are very friendly
that they wanted to trades that the whalemen frequently
went shore &c. That Captain Taylor brought spec
mems OF ores OF metals from the Arctic shose that he
obtained information from the natives of the existence of
gold among them, also iron; that when shown imple
ments of various kinds they gave him to understand
plenty an The MOUNTAINS. Such also the with gold
they knew the metal and pointed such existing among
them.
With these facts before the department. / have
no hesitation in expressing opinion favorable to
the measure suggested In the resolution, nor in
recommending such a reconnaissance and survey
as will establish accurately the positions of the
prominent eapes bays, headlands and harbors.
10 fix the positions OF the rocks and shoals that
endanger the navigation there, and to examine the
Fox or Aleutian Islands, would be the work of
two or three properly appointed vessels only for
short time. When the season is closed for these
ATTITUDES, the same vessels could be most benehci-
ally employed In examination of the seas of
China and Japan, and the regions threabouts,
whose autobiography is so defective, and an &C Gu
rate knowledge of which is becoming every dav
OF more and more importance.
In reply to the latter clause of the resolu ton,
VIZ: whether any vessels belonging to the SER
vice can be used for that purpose, and also what
would be the expense OF such reconnaissance"
l respectfully state that this department has not
at its command the vessels necessary for the con-
tempated service, unless by reducing the num-
bers OF our vessels attached to squadrons on for
eign service, and which by means recon-
mend.
lam of opinion that the necessary vessels can be
built at our navy-yards or purchased for a sum not
exceeding Sl25, 900, and that no additional appro-
priation, beyond that sum, need be made The
wear and tear of the vessels, pay of the officers
and crews stores. provisions, Instruments, &c.
can be provided for out of current appropriations
The accompanying report from the chief of the
Rnreau of Ordinance and 10