Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-11-09
!siom the Washington Sentinrl.--Hy request !
LILLE NAVY BOARD.

From The Washington sentinrl.--Ry request
TIE NAVY BOARD.
The Navy OF the United States has been regarded
with nnriOnaI PRIDE only for itS gal!antry in war;
but its supposed Glivalry and high of honor
| home and abroad, whether aloat shore. Well
thsn may the milton be amazed At the finding of the
late navy board, which has pronounced tHH ORr!hlrd
| uf those officers unfit for the positions they
pied If that be true-if The dclusion iu tho public
mind has been gross--if those oiccrr, in the
| prime OF life. whose supposed brilliant achievements
had extended the fame unI reputation OF their country
through all civilized nations, were in fact, when dis
rUnd of their tulse drapery, HaW t0r Mrr po'H.0ns
Oh" thing will br found true--tr CJnniry "U n@ h
d'ccritd again. 1t will place no such false estimate
on The rrmaning two.tlir,l-, and will not be as much
surprised year m two hence, at being informed one
half of that remainder ARE a disgrace instead of M
honor III the navy. Rivals abroad hal de, crhed us
brnggarts who traded extensively OH small capital
In our sell conplarency II produced only II smile
but II this verdict Uf Jury of the vicnhgc ht just
the ilnpua.ion ia true, aud must feel, if We d"
| not confess the humiliation. The loss of confidence
in the galanfry, chivalry, gentIemany bearing, III
the "rtilcrnry' III our navy officers, which this DIS
elimination has produced nny prove fur greater than
all lis advantages and even thosr who promoted
and seemingly benefited by il. may find il, like The
favor which Pnyph-nus desired for Ulysses, in nrk-
lng HIN only the last Ia be dcrOHI0t. But, gentle
men, concur with your eloquent correspondent "Rr-
spon-ibilIty" that the Board has mtsg!,Tprrd the
law which conferred no PO~c| To supcrsrdc u gallant
officer. il l had Trveravnded duty and when ''lm the
line nj his duty, If he hRi ulways proved himself
efficient in every srn:e. lt not the intention
of tho lnw to constitute an inIuS"m fo' the tria ~
officers without proof, without evidence of even thr
| dignity Gf hrarsay-pcrhaps Oh ruIn"rs only, set
atmf rOvrrtly aud lruifiy for the purpose Without
making any imputation upon the court beyond I"
mi-imtrrprcthtiou ui the law, We know they were bW
mcn with the iralltlrs necessarily bcongrg to hi-
maity. and if they believed II was their duty, under
the aw 10 discriminate all whu, for ANY reason, III
hNl
not I" continue in :nc line of pr"nntI"n, no officer
couI! be- safe before such tribunal. II. by posi-
bility, without the Knowledge o! the appointing pow
er, Il niuritv OF the board had been innniical Abo-
litinn>is, they might have retired, lurioughed, or
dropped any officer who happened To be the owner ol
slave if that majority hnd hcem fana'lcnl soiIs OF
| teInprrn.ce they might have ds"rniuaed the very
best officers in the service merely because they ha
been reported in private whisper. by brother "i
temperance, rs having some one OCCASION, sight
or ten yenrs before, ink.n hi extra glass at wine.
when not on duty u!id in private house. II
zenlut. in relgion-is it imas Unable they had the
POWER tu degrade All officer Tor not confirming ~
il III nl.h No kuuws upon what sort ui evidence
this Board acted Ii il should ever appear they were
such deS a,rcs or temperance ~ 10 have tt IL Their
dulv for the -Giie Of example Ia Others, 10 degrade
first rusc officer, i'll every RESPECT, when on duty,
merely because he hnd some one or more occa-
sons, Thcn ~Ot 1aty drunk wine or brandy is II
p,ssible The nation will raIy such "a pot t0ct0 in
Justice! II be- crime Ia drink wine ut all let be
proclaimed, and then the offender cannot complain
All will ayrrr, ii M officer, when on duty, dsqua!ilrs
himself in any way for iis discharge, he Is aulohDlr
for IT, But il Is vet to be learned in this country
that hirh. toned officer of our nHvy-brave, intr
GENT patriotic. aud scrupulnus TO perform r'H every
official ACT il not at liberty, when not nn duty, when
for instance, leave of absence or on iEronEh. I"
indulge other gentlemen III The social circle, rr"fi-
led il does not go to t.c extent OF haGtnai inrbra
ton.
| Who would consent TO be officer such terms'
What nih would e safe, II such rule were, with
out notice. 4mparL1Uy appicdi Why not arbitrarily
adopt some utier. .rnllty "i our nature, ana decree
without notice that every officer should be drgraird
'ns Inefficient who had been known Tor reporteiI
to have taken oath without its being III some ju,
dical proceedingl 1t is against the moral CODE una
might for that reason, be dcciiieu ny tue ooar SUM
| p.ccudlllo in the catalogue Of human irailties.
! make these suupositiuns tn show the law extended
only tn cases Of .'Inriclencrs as generally UNDER
stood and not to capricluus or ianr!u! ineihcieucy
/ have perhaps in bad taste, d've.t more on this
;ou, bccaue public runnr hus proclaimed the board
did utcnd TO visit its upon all "ho offended
against thrir srrse OF The proper measure OF tempe
rance; aud in the general nstuns'nt AT tie dscri.-
un,iun of this aud that officer, who wns thought to
br equal to any in the service, and almost without
fault, the inquiry is mGdc WAS he ever iutenpernte!
Not because such Il Suspicion had ever been enter
TUNED, but there must be some reason, ana u"
othrr could be imagined and as rurn"r had l'dica-
t., tb. views of the buurd that head the inquiry
was naturally enough made SO dilgrnt, 1t Is sau,
were of the members, as TO make inquiries III
the streets, "a to the habits OF particular Officers
and in uuc instance at least, the answer as hat
respondent knew anything against brother oiiccr,
who had no opportunity q! explanation, he would
not bctruy him. A. 10 the approval {" Inc trcsunch''
il il irithing-wG all understand that! lie hud I" ap-
prove all or annul the whole. He had no time Tor
examination into individual cases. Il Is like his ap-
pruva ni onchaf o the acts OF Congress "n the lust
nigh: OF the session. lie cannot read even one III
notwithstanding the intention OF Congress 10 nave
been carried out, he approved the proceeding
But such il his Of this papable INJURY 10 lhe
public and tu the officers, him re-app"nfing I"
places OF the highest trust and Importance otlcrr'
who have been yefirrd ~ "ineitcrnt, althouSh he
has no power to restore them 10 he 'a 0j Prom'f'"H
In ,olnr instances the public sense iins been =" Vi
oluri, that meetings have been held by extensive
commercial communities askin the restoration OF the
retired officers. The speech uf Commander N'h"t'
to his crew, urging them, on hi1 retirement I" s""
their future good conduct hG had not been "nridclrnt
in teaching them their duty, Inns produced thrill
throughout the nation. Otl.r gallant and merit"-
rous oiicers have followed bis example IN ntterinS
no word of complaint deeply ag8refeu a' they ieei'
i Numbers of them have been named.
| would usk your attention to that oil Commander
William Green, who after 3. years OF service IN l,'
navy, and disqualification Tor other pursu'ts, NM
himself shurn of his supposed hOnnrs nid reduced 10
hnlc NM which hr nusi ri,fdHHy rrtnns n Ill" on
lv scnity support of his IS Ia. ana daughters rom
,. a. rl uis, not lOg since, he Returned VIA IH
sbu the Drrutur in splrnicd Urdcr-clcitinI The hd-
lniratinu of hi, brother officers and winning from te
Secretary such IL compliment 10 himself anu ms ere"
| H. ha never been pas! before. Three w-"ks leasr
of absence given 10 the whole crew NJ inc pre-
else expiration OF which, such had been the dis
cpinr uf the ship that every sailor al l+ post
liz Ind done vtng since forfeit, The respect ui the
department. yet he found himself retired Oh turlougi
! pay -,
AN extensive family who hrd any office under Gov
eminent His grandfather hn raised the fist c"mpa-
ny of minute in Virginia III the keH"uiIoi'--r"s"
tn the command of the Gln rrrlnrBi--srrN"i through
ou; the war; and died Of wounds received III it lav'
inr lost two SONS IN the service. wlill" thirG con-
tiuu.d in command IL the end u. the war C"iIina-
der Green's father, Gcnrral NJ Green wn- III The war
of lSl2--hinsclf in that with Mexico, having obtained
uermissjnn from the Navy Department Ia 90 win
iurd troops, there be II" prospect "t service at 1ea
He entered the Navy in ISIS served ''T"rai Years II!
the West Indies IN search OF pirates, where he harrow
" cscaprd from two attacks o yellow irrtr-
Ins never avoided duty, but las sought "!I"nrysrhe
thought there prospect ut efficient service !"
hi. c,,u,try. Blessed with strong constitution ~
good now, in the fierce energy "f his youth he
possessed great strength o mind and person; was re-
iunrknhv skilled in all the weapons at warfare ana
,r several occasions had added 20 III" national rci-
;ntion by his triumphant superiority III ioFeig ports
, MAS always enulous when III command to discharge
his duty, and control his ship, with d!stinSui=iir"
cred;, and was not m having HiItd, MI recri'-
" notified of his n"ryng discrimination ior reaS"'s
uuds closed aud unknown. go
An anrcdote OF lis younger days showed driine-
rot, cuouess in limes Of trnl that might have been
"plicient" and would still Lr. for hls county, II thr
opportunity presented. Having, in the heat OF excite
! u.ut, given grave ni,r"ut 10 Il brother Officer iic
was called 10 the field of honor lie offered 10 apo"-
vi.e but the offence was considered t"" grave i"f
Ill .d;rstn.uI and he returuc,i his adversary = fire
by ds,huryin his pistol in The air: Another fire YRS
! 6m,u,!r, and a second time he fired III the ar
third was ,!ennndcd by the adversary, 4. brave ami
honorable mar.l who hn1 been mnch o1cncSa' ana
s..r.J DIET, rmined that 6. should return his fire,
! when ill.,. s,coad Of G ssiI to him, you have tired
twice lu the ur, and un,s. you now promise met" do
y,ur best til. next time, will leave you INSTANTLY
His reply was, well, was wrong III the 6-ginninS
and was willing to atone for IT, but think have got
right now, aud you may say where shall hit hun