Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1852-11-15
From the London Mercantile Gozrte, October %
THE NAVY AND FISHERIES OF
TEE UNITED STATES.

A ereat object with the United States of America,
for considera le time past-indeed, we may say
ever since 1888, when the independence OF the
country was established-has been 10 create a
powerful naval forces moi, indeed, by building slips
of war TO rot in their ha,bors and be periodically
broken up. but by ensuring for the country nu-'
| merous body o. scamen, available at any time Tor
| the purpose OF war. But. even II war were never
| contemplated by this extraordinary republic, its
geographical situation would show the people that
all their strength AMI power, all their wealth and
prosperity must lie sought for through the medium
OF the ocean. The whole territory lies along the
| sea coast open TO and inviting the trade of every
nation, its internal communication is conducted by
mighty rivers, such as only known IN America,
and by vast lakes, which, from their extent, are III
| themselves inland oceans. The United States are
not insular, like Great Britain; but for all the pur
poses of commerce, they are quasi nsular Exclude
Them from the sea and the whole country is para
LIKED. Great Britain, it is said, is maritime nation
through necessity; and the same observation VIII
apply with equal force to the United States Of Anne
RIGA. 1t did not require any premeditated plan to
make America naval power. Before the power
| lay the ocean, behind them almost impenetrable
forest-nnd they naturally launched their bark
upon the deep as their only means of communica-
ton with the rest of the world, the great highway
by which all these operations would have to be
carried on, that were to make the country what II
has beoome-a great and powerful nation.
Fisheries and maritime commerce are the obvious
means by which the seamen are trained and pre-
pared for their hazardous pursuits, and the northern
| portion of the United States, us New England,
| Massachusetts, &C., equally with our American
colonies, had embarked extensively in the fishery
off their coast long before the war of the American
revolution. During the recent dispute the
fishery question, this has been put forward as one
of the claims of the United StateS fishermen. 1t
has beer said that they fished in the disputed wa
tiers before the revolution and that 1t was nm nhe-
rent and naienable right, of which they could not
be deprived. From launching fshing-boat to
launching larger vessel isonly step in progress,
| and both British America and the United States
| have made extraordinary adyancesin this way. The
merchant tonnage of the latter country in particular
| is fast approximating to an equal amount with the
British tonnage; and according to the specuiatons
of the Americans, will soon surpass this county
an event which, from presentappearance, we think
by no means improbable. But it is not by maritime
traffic alone that tic CnlteaiSates are becoming
great naval power. They hayesedulously pursued
fishing operations, not merely for the cotparailve
| smaller fish taken the coast OF America; but
| they have followed tie great monsters OF the deep
from sea 10 sea, with wonderful perseverance and
success. There be no doubt of the profit
of the whale fishery 10 America as nation;
but it Is great question whether the coast fishery
which is maintain, by heavy bounty, may not be
| a national loss According to the principles oil
political economy tInt prevail at present in this
country, it-would he considered; but, while in
| England we look only 10 immediate consequences,
the Americans, probably Nth more prudence, LOOK
| further ahead to remote and collateral results.
| The Americans canddly ayow that one oil the
purposes for which they encourage the fishery on
their own cost or, more 'roperly speaking, OIL The
coas, OF the British colonies, is to train seamen for
| the country. That this object has succeeded and
| is succeeding is but TOO well known. The number
| of American ships engaged in the southern whale
fishery alone would OF themselves be nearly suii-
Client TO man any culinary fleet of siIips-oi war
| which that country nigh require TO send to sea. II
will be sufficient to in this place TO observe,
wthou. attempting to state why wits so, that, while
the American " hale fishery has been tended with
extraordinary success, that offEngand has been
gradually dwindlins away. The northern whale
fishery, inGce still prosecuted by this country;
but the Southern fishery has been entirely abandon
| ed TO the Americans. The reasons assigned for the
greater success Of orr competitors in this trad =
| some fiscal, some Inaritime-are too conflicting 10
allowsus TO enter into them III the columns oil a
newspaper; nor could we do so without entering
into history OF this fishery and IFS connection with
the trade i'll oil for the last half century. We must
content ourselves, therefore, with observing that
the ayetagc number fAmerican ships annually sent
to the southern sperm oil fishery, and fitted out
for the most part from the State OF Inssa chusetts
is $50, manned with about 1900 seamen. But
besides this, they have within the last three years
penetrated into the Arctic region by Behring s
straits where, sofa the accounts are yet known,
they Layebeen very successful. In 1s49, the num-
Der of ships that proceeded TO this fishing was 155.
manned 10y 4 500 seamen, and their take through
the season was 2O6,S5I barrels OF oil and 24sl, loo
po:,udS of bone. In the following year. lSoU, the
tcet sent TO that des inaton amounted 10 Id YES
sells, and during short summer the take was 243,
$50 barrels OF oil 36,S30 barrels Of oil more than
III the season of lSi9 Last year, about l45 vessels
| were sent out. Their returns have not yet been
received, but they are generally supposed TO have
been unfortunate and To have experienced many
disasters. 1t would appear, however, from the re-
port made to the Secretary of the Navy, at Wash
ngton, that it is the intention of the Americans 10
prosecute this new aud extended branch of the
whale fishery. And our object, in noticing it so
particularly, is to show the facility which this
| fishery alone affords to the United States of be
coming gre al maritime power. and, indeed, what
they aim to be-the greatest naval country in the
world.