The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-05-22


Duke of Wellington, the James Watt, or the Aga
memnon. Our most efficient steamship, judging
from her success is the sidewheel Mississippi; and
the British Board of Engineers appointed to inspect
the sidewheel ships of the royal navy, during the
past year, pronounced them all totally unfit for
| fighting naval actions. The Mississippi consumes
but about twentyhree tons of coal per day. and can
cross the Atlantic under steam or sail.
While, in reviewing the condition of our own naval
establishment, we cannot but express the confident
opinion that, with unequaed mechanical skill, abun-
dant material and resources we have within ourselves
the means OF exceling all nations in naval power,
we cannot but acknowledge, at the same time, that
no branch OF the public service has exhibited, with
in the last twenty years more ruitess expenditure
of these Forgetfrl that the purpose and
the only purpose, OF navy is-to protect commerce
and sustain the interests and honor Of the country
upon the great Deep and that all expenditures not
Immediately conducting to these important
objects, should not be charged to the navy,
we have wasted millions upon ships which have
never made cruise, upon navy yards and stations
and naval docks, absolutely useless, and upon CHI
merical discoveries involving hypothetical improve
ments, and that after all, we have not ship
Of the line in commission.
| The exgencies of naval warfare, now seem to de-
mand, as the perfection of naval superiority, the
greatest known speed with the greatest known ar
mament. The British screw ship Hmalaya, OF nearly
900 TONS has made fourteen knots, and the battery
Of the Pennsylvania is 40 guns. union then of
these requisites would produce the most formidable
naval structure-and their combination should be
governed by the character of their destined service.
! The steamships Of home squadron, with harbors,
workshops and coal yards ever under their lea,
should sacrifice power for speed.
THE PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY.
it is not a little remarkable that the American
eamen who, during the war Of 1872, fired more ra-
lidly, accurately and destructively than those of
81 eat Britain or France, are now far behind them in
this respect. We have not retrogaded. But we seem
TO assume that every sailor is born cannoneer,
that artillery practice on wavetossed deck, at an
equally unsteady target comes by nature; and we
II unit IN n
instructed judgment dictates, or at least, as the
officer in command may fancy While Great Britain
and France have by the establishment Of schools of
gunLery practice, and by the most assiduous atten
ton to the theoretical and practical teaching of the
art created thousands Of thoroughly instructed and
practical naval artillersts for their service, we
have paid little or attention to this matter. We
have no such schools--no such practice-no such
skill.
We may build and equip the finest ships in the
world and officer and man them with the best sea-
men of our country; but If we do not instruct them
in the skilful use OF their guns, the day may
when tier utmost efforts in naval contests viii bat
rerve to salute trumphs Of their enemies Long
practice only enables the markslnen to bring down
4 q bird on the wings how much more practice would
be necessary were bird and marksman both on the
wing And yet there are not wanting men in our
navy who derde the teachings OF science in
practical gunnery, and who, II they do not
believe that sailors are predestined cannon
GERS, seem to regard the art of rapid and
accurate delivery of shot and shell as of
very little Importance or very readily ac-
quired. Instances have occurred in which our
4 val vessels have sailed from he United States and
returned, after two years cruise, without having
\ once handled shot or fred a gun. Can seamen
under such circumstances, their very first artillery
practice being, perhaps in the midst of an engage
mont hope for success against well instructed, skill
ful, and practsed artlersts equally brave, and far
more cool, because doing only that with which they
arc familiarl
We think not and we deem school for the edu-
cation Of naval gunners essential to the service.
1t cannot be concealed that some most culpable
negligence and needless extravaganza and wasteful
expenditure, to say the least, have characterized
the service of late years and that attempts to
place the parties responsible for it before the coun-
try have failed. 1t is needless to call attention to
special instances.
The Secretary of the Navy should, in all such
cases, be held responsible in the first instance. He
possesses ample power to protect the public in
terests confided to him-power to compel
every officer promptly to do his duty, or
TO suffer disreputable furlough-power to en-
force guuncry practice, ut sea or in port
power to prescribe relative rank-power to preserve
a just and fair distribution Of the tolls and the in
dulgences of the seryce-power in short to breathe
into bis noble profession, life, activity, and zeal by
teaching the officer whose cruise Is in the tropics
or on the African coast, that his chances for just
and honorable employment and advancement are
equal to those whose cruise is within the precns OF
Washington
One instance of sad neglect Of duty your commit
tee will specify, to illustrate how much the naval
service TO be effective, must depend upon strict at
tention to details sloop of war sailed from the
United States for the West Indies not long since,
and not until she was near Jamaica was 1t disco.
vered that there was not shot on board to fit
gun. Her guns were thirtytwo's and her shot
forty .two's and she was compelled to put into ia
maica to obtain shot. Surely we do not need an
other Chesapeake affair to teach us the perils OF
such neglect.
1t is not the purpose Of your committee, in this
report, to do more than advert to some of the pro-
mnent defects of the naval sevice-those most ur.
Ii, aY1,
and discarding the consideration of minor evils, it
comes at once TO the
RANK, PAY AND PROMOTION OF THE NAVY
1t is evident to all conversant with the subject,
that we have more commissioned and non-comms-
stoned officers of the several grades than neces
sary useful to the present naval services and that
Just regard for the public interests requires not
only that many should be retired or furloaghed, but
that the present manner OF appointment to the ser
vice for obvious reasons should be changed
We have endeavored to find employment for SUI
pernumerares in the coast survey and as assistants
TO the Lighthouse Board; but such employments,
which properly those OF civilians, we cannot but
regard calculated to impair the general usefulness
OF an officer in his legitimate vocation. His noblest
aim should be to protect the honor and the interests
of the country by his ships and guns, upon his Pc
culiar theatre-the sea. Some of the most accom-
pshed young officers in the service are at this mo-
ment engaged upon what is termed the hydro
graphical" branch Of the service, whose most fire.
quent duty is making those soundngs with line or
pole with which all boatmen are familiar, and re-
ducing the same upon maps Others are
appointed to do the duty which our col
lectors Of the customs always performed, and per-
i formed well, until the Lighthouse Board was de-
vised. What can be more foreign to the tastes and
pursuits-what more destructive to the professional
ambition of young officer, than travelling about in
rail cars, stages lighters from lighthouse to light
house. inspecting the cleanliness OF the towers and
tie keepers premises the kind and quality of lamp
oil, wicks and buff skins used, and reporting upon
their keepers special qualifications. The sea Is
jealous mistress, whose honors arc yielded only to
the assiduous and we cannot but regard the labors
OF her yotares upon these services rs calculated to
wesn them from and unfit them for their first love,
retired and furlough LIST will relieve the service
for while but the supply OF officers being greater
than the demand, we should begin by restricting
the appointments to the Naval Academy to about
one half the number now made.
Promotion in the service is regulated exclusively
by seniority of commssion--a system, in the iudg-