Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-10-16
fOr I
NAVAL IlEFO2N.

NAVAL REFORM.
Messrs Editors :-Wihout knowipo, whether YOU
nave published the last communication | sent you
about the late Naval Ri,rn,." or not writ. TO Won
again on the same subject.
The officers Of n well or,or;,.d oul ,sof,,, v,,v
Will have duties to perform both on land and sca.-
The act ol Congress creating the late Naval Board.
did right and well therefore, to make both these kinds
nf duty tests o ciclcncy. The Bunr,l WAS required
To report the officers who were ..iuronuhl, az mar
forming, promptly and efficiently, all their duty ashore
and atiuar." But tl!c act docs not snv bnw nmch of
mcunpctcmcv i'll one branch Of duty may b. counter
balanced by extraordinary competency in the other
Yet some cunpcnSang principle of this kind must
have been adopted, else not hall dozen officers
would have been left in the Navy.
Among the officers who composed the Naval
Bnard, | see the name Of one Captain, who hns
done shore duty only one ycar and seven months in
The urtytwo years and six months he has been in the
Navy; and, of one Lieutenant, who has done shore
duty only seven months, i'll twenty-five. Years and ten
months; while the President Of the Board has been
about Share duty twGatyf0ur years and one month, in
turty-cght years unG mDnths. Now, these three
officers can hardly be equally ,kful and efficient in
their Afnd duties. The honorable Captain, who has
served but one year on STORE, would feel little
awkward, If put at the head Of the "Bureau Of ord
nance and hydrosrnphy.' Yet this Captain and the
Lieutenant who have little sh0|t duty, are
nclfhrr u them reported by the Board ns incapable
of performing promptly ;h"ir duty o>to'c and gR9m
IL might be worth while to enquire whicl Of the
two branches OF Naval duty, prescribed as tests Of
cI!icrncy b. Congress, is the hardest I" learn and
Of the greatest value tn the country. lare very
mpnrfrci materials for deciding; but there is
this significant circumstance about itat when the
country wants su,nr kind Of shore duty done by Il
Naval officer. it has t" pay double price. | have
heard tl'i n Naval officer received double pay, Tor
severn! ycars, while preparing and experimenting
the publication of Naval nImanac-;lno,hcr was
sent ur three years to the Southern hemisphere to
make Astronomical observation, and To have dOu
bic pay all the time he WIS about it, there and ut
h"inr-an"thcr gets ihOn-and dollars extra pny for
experimenting nnd making Improvements III the ord
nance department at on OF Tie Navy yards. Why
ducs Congress have 10 increase the pay ut officers,
who undertake these knd of share duties can
imagine 10 other reas0 except these duties nrc hard
10 learn nnd d''nrrcca5e Ia perform; and therefore,
few officers lcarn thrm or like to perform them, so
that those who do, can make their own terms with
the Department. Congress nrvcr has to offer Il Cap
tain double pay for sailing a ship, any other S'0
duty. There are bonn Cuptns in tho merchant ser
vice ui this and other countries who do m"s kinds
"l o0 service we'll rs the officers who composed the
Naval Board. But there i. officer on that
court, of it, who could make as good Naval
almanac ne Lieutenant Davis observe the STARS
lisefully for the country as Lieutenant Gillss.-
Which kind of duiy, then, seems most to need the
fostering care Of the guardians Of the Navy! Com
inUn scIsc would say the one in which We hre most
deficient OF men competent tn perform them. II
there Is but one man III the Navy who Gun prepare
.NdrH 0lD,anar il were shame To turn HIM ont, II
but for the name of the thing and Il much greater
shame IN 60 it for the simple reason that he hhd not
been sa:lin,-nastcr oI ship as long by SIX months
a- Captain \. ur b.
There is nnuthcr thing about duty a.hore and
ofoa which will notice. How does it happen that
the United State. Coast Survey" is not now and
never has been, believe, under the superintendent
nf naval officer Ii mast place our Navy III very
Illuminating attitude before foreign nations. To con-
tess thus, year after year that we have not scientific
officers enough in the Navy 20 -p"re 0ae Tor this
work, which, It seems 10 me- bciongs peculiarly 10
the naval service 80, ngaii, when 1t wni decided
BY Congress 10 make survey ui the lake,, why WAS
!,. work taken from the Navy md given To the army
officers except that u the higher officers "t The
Navy would undertake. IL Sarveys OF this KIND ta!l
pretty much ,hous no; altogether under the head "t
land d"iy: all the scientific calculations, writings,
&c. wholly shore tucs So II might BE- said OF the
"pncic Exploring Expedition '-mnre than three
iDur;hs ni the work duly. Indeed "n not
sure Lieut. Wikes!- yet quite done the shore work ot
hi, cxpc,;i,ioli The charge oi that expedition was
captains post and 1t ought to hnve been Under u u
captains command. recollcc; that at the time, It
said none Of the captHlns were willing 10 take
charge Of the expedition, except one. lie has been
put on the retired list in the late reiOrn whether Tor
prcsumlng to be fond Of scientific service Or not
cannot say. They were all afraid OF the shoTe duty
Of the expedition
The history Of the Navy shows that the land duties
of it less efficiently done than the sea uaties:-
There more good sea:nCn among the officers Tor
sea-work than there nrc scientific men tor shore
work. That would be very good reasun Tor bullu.
ing the naval school at Annapolis; but surely bud
for turning out Of il at one blow al! the science
the Navy can boast uf. These shore duties uhny OF
which cannot be discharged at all without science nst
have entered into the consideration OF Congress- else
WHY does lhe act speak Of duties dst0rc and GfoaN'
In "a q
ashore and aliuat the test u efficiency. Now you seem
tu think that the Board retired Lieut.. injury because,
not having been TO sea tor MANY years, lie must nave
forgotten his seulnansiip. Even if he had, (which
is the fact,l IL nan any more incompetent to
discharge his duties, both "ashure and auht, Oy nav
ing forgotten the than another is by never having
learned the other Ii Maury has forgot his duties
dfJ0t, there not an officer on the Court whch
condemned him in secrel and whouta Il hearing, that
ever knew how to perform those splendid services
ashore which have done more for the Navy oil Tie
United States, than the combined scrvces oi the Whole
Board. Which is the more Inefficient oiilcer' the one
who never knew his duty ashore, or Inc one VINO,
from short disusc, is grown rusty in his duty Gt'at!
In n week Lieut. Maury would be as fresh ana com
peeut for sea duties, any member OF the Board;
but which OF thcm in week, nay, III ilic.timo,
would be competent To discharge Maurys duties "t
the Observatory VIII any say his duties there arc
not necessary Then what did Congress build the
Observatory and put him there f"r
Ii seel, to me- Mcssrs. Editors, that in the present
condition of .hc Navy, the Naval Board has transcend
ed its powers ii it undertook, ias you seem to sup.
pose 10 make competence to discharge duties nf1Gl
better tent OF efficiency for naval service than com
pecnce for duties ashore The act OF Congress makes
boia tho test, without assigning to one prc-cmnence
over the other although the previous action Of Con-
rress in pa wing Increased salaries Tor duties ashore,
would seem TO intimate TINT competence for hnd du-
ties, was the more important test of the two. The
true standard OF efficiency is combination of the Of.
iiccrs fitness for duties OF both kinds, Us tho act OF
Congress contc!npatcd and this would be 3sccrtaIncd
in most cases. By the time the officer has been en-
Gagged in each In order arrive at this have been
at The trouble of preparing, from the Navy Register
for lSI5 table, showing the length Of time III the
Navy the service ashore and atoat and the time ui-
cmpiovrd first of the members OF the Court, tnonc ui
whom Of course, are retired and second, of two OF
The retired officers.
v,,,,s u; tLr TOtgi ShOrs FH-n. H0ri0hH