The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-04-09

The Proposed Reconnaissance or the Seas
around China and Japan.
The following document was communicated to the
Senate by the Secretary of the Navy, in reply to
resolution of that body
NAVY DEPARTMENT, April 5, 1852
SIR have the honor to acknowledge the receipt
of the Senates resolution adopted the I'D uti-
mo, calling upon ''the Secretary of the Navy to
communicate to the Senate his opinion of the ex
pediency Of reconnaissance Of the routes Of naviga
ton in the Northern seas andi the China and Japan
seas, and whether any vessel belonging to the
vice can be used for that purpose; and, aso what
would be the expense of such reconnaissance
So far regards the expediency of the reconnas-
sance referred to in the resolution find that the
files Of this Department contain carefully prepared .
discussion of the subject, by the Superintendent Of
the National Observatory, of the date of December
Sd, lS5l-contined, however, to the value and i'm
portance of the whale fishery in the Anadr,
Ochotsk, and Arctic seas as the whaling ground.
in the regions about Behring's Straits are called
from which beg leave to furnish the following
In the summer of ls4s Capt Roys, ofthe whale
ship Superior penetrated the Arctic ocean, through
Behring's Straits, and encountered in his adven-
turous pursuit all the dangers of an unknown and :
Polar sea. Hewas successful in his enterprise fill
ing 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 State.
nttcd out large meet Tor those grounds, and in r.
1910, Capt. Roys followed by 154 sail of whale
ships each vessel (sad to beg worth the average
with her outfit, $4,000, and manned by thirty
lebodied seamen each This fleet took that :
season 206, $50 barrels whale oil, and 2.4S1, 600
pounds of bone. In the summer of 1850, there went
up whaling fleet of one hundred and forty-four {
American vessels, manned as above, and of a like
average value This fleet in the course of the few :
weeksleit for their pursuits in those nhospitabe .
regions, took 2l $50 barrels whale OIL and 3654 0OO
pounds of bone In the current year Q95D there
went up feet Of about one hundred and forty-fvo
American vessels; but their returns have not been
received: partial accounts of wreck disaster only
have reached us They are startling The lives
and property ut stake there for the years for z
which We have complete returns may DC thus stat =
ls49-Numbr q American seamcn. 1850 /
Value q ships and outfits. ~ $4,000
Value Of OF taken. ........... 2606 $40
Naluc o. pohc...... ol4ll2 3
ls5o-Number Of American seamen. 4.32o
Value OF ships and outfits. - 100000
,a,ue q on taken. ...f...... 316l 3ol ;
Total ships in two years.. 200
Total sealuen. .............. S97O
Value Of ships and cargoes sl7 4l2 453
The losses during the year 1851 have been unprc- |.
cedented, so lar heard from. No less than seven
sail OF this fine feet of 1851, the Howqua, the New
Bedford, the Arabella, the America the Armata, q
the Mary Mitchell. and the Henry Thompson, have (
been wrecked there, and left behind as monuments
of the dangers which meet these hardy mariners in
their adventurous calling. There are reports of
other losses and wrecks; these are certain; and :
though several ofthem lost, shoals, but
otherwise, yet these enough to tell of imperfect
photography, and to show the national Importance !.
ofookng to it for it may be So that in case of loss
IN the ice, the knowledge of sheltered anchorage
near, and which survey would give, would have Il
prevented the exposure to the ice which induced the
loss All our commerce with what is called $ the !.
East" is not so valuable as this was for 1919 and
1850. We see by the above statistics that in these
two years more American seamen engaged in X
that small district of ocean than employed in our :
whole navy, ut any one time that in these two y
years these hardy mariners ished up from the bot 4
tom of the sea, and by their energy created and
added to the national wealth the value of more y
than eight millions of dollars. And we moreover
that owing to the dangers Of the land and ice
the hidden rock and unknown shoals, that one vessel
in every twenty that went therein during the sum
mer of 1851 has been left behind total wreck and "
that the lives of their crows of not less than one
man for every twenty engaged in that business have
been put in jeopardy, mostly for the want of proper
charts. No protection that souadrons can at
this moment give to our commerce with any of the
states OF Chrstendom can compare with that which i
good chart OF that part of the would afford
to this nursery of American seamcn, and to th. 3
branch Of national industry ! learn that in at
of the bark Tenedoz, of New London discovered
shoal having only eight feet water on it,
ana which was two acres in extent That the ship
| AJAX. OF Havre, was lost on rock south of
| the isle Of st. Lawrence, ten miles from land.
| That the entire fleet of whaiemen in the Arctic 4
ocean complain much that charts arc wrong. That Il
the coast Is badly explored, but little known, Sc
That several of vessels have been near being
wrecked by Unexpectedly making landor rocks I'M
der the bows at night That they have found in
the Arctic circle low sand spits extending i've or six
| miles out. That also in Ochotsk there are hid
en- dangers That the Houqua, in 1851, was to-
tally wrecked on suuken rock in that sea- Il
am also informed that the Indians are very friendly:
that they wanted to trade that the whacmen fire.
qucntly went on Shore sc. That Captain Taylor
brought specimens of ores of metals from the Arctic
shore; that he obtained information from the
natives OF the existence of gold among hem alss
ron:' that when shown implements of various
kinds, they gave him to understand, plenty in the
mountains. Such also was the case with gold
| they knew the metal, and pointed as such exist
ing among them
With these facts before the Department, have nc
hesitation in expressing an opinion favorable to tho
MCaaulo suggested ii. The rUsoiut on nor IN recon-
mending such "a reconnaissance and survey as will
establish accurately the positions of the prominent
caress, bays, headlands, and harbors: 10 fix the
| positions Of the rocks and shoals that cndanger
| the navigation there, and to examine the Fox or
Aleutianslands, would be the work of two or three
| properly appointed vessels only for short time.
When HE season is closed for these ATTITUDES the
same vessels could be most bonefcially employed in
an examination of the of China and Japan, and
the regions thereabout, whose photography is de-
fectivc, and an accurate knowledge Of which is be-
| coming every day of more and moro Importance.
In reply to the laterclau of the resolution, vz:
whether any vessels belonging to the service be
used forthat purpose, and also what would be the ex-
pensc OF such reconnaissance respectfully state
| that this Department has not at it's command the
vessels necessary for the contemplated SERVICE un-
less by reducing the number of vessels attached
to squadrons on foreign service, which by mean,
recommend. ! Of opinion that the necessary
vessels can be built at navy yards purchased
for sum not exceeding $l25,000, and that ad-
ditonal appropriation, beyond that sum, need be
made. The wear and tear of the vessels the pay
of the officers and crews, stores, provisions, instru
ments. &C., can be provided for out of current APP
Preparations. The accompanying report from the
hiafo oft o IF nrap n,I,
and papers prepared by Commander Ringgold and
Lieutenants Maury and Page, respectfully sub.
mitted as throwing additional light upon the sub
ject.
] have the honor to be vcru re nnctf1llv rnur