The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-02-01
Tie Coast Defencea.

The New York Herald has an article on this
subject, designed TO show that our Notifications,
under existing circumstances, instead of sffording
security, are in fact wide open to be occupied by
any enterprising naval power with which we may
happen to be at war. From PASSPORT, in Maine,
says the Herald, to New Orleans, and the lakes,
we have about four forts Notifications, large
majority of which; are completed the others far
advanced towards completion To defend these
forts well trained artillery force is necessary in
each. It is estimated by the engineers who plann-
ed and constructed these Notifications that to man
their guns fifty -four thousand artillerymen will be
required The actual force in all of them is at this
time but six hundred men. Some of them are
entirely deserted, and there is not of them but
in the present deficiency of artilerymen, could be
easily taken by q sudden ncurion of an enterpris-
ing foe, and once TAKEN and manned by English
or French soldiers, it would be long time indeed
before they could be retaken 1t is true that vol
untsers could garrison the forts near our populous
cities, but how, in sudden emergency could
those be garrisoned, which are distant from these
gr eat hives of population The whole present ar
tilery force of the United States Army is about,
three thousand men, two-thirds of which are in
Florida and on the Western frontier, so that, de,
Quoting the eight field batteries, the number left
for garrison duty would be reduced below twelve
hundred Certainly, we had better look, before
leaping into foreign war. r.---,., q. 8.
This subject, says the Herald, Sought to com.
mand the especial attention of gentlemen of the
South and Southwest Indeed, it ought not to
escape the notice of the Southern Commercial Con.
vention appointed soon to meet in the capital of the
Old Dominion. The amount of produce which
inds its way TO market by entering and passing
over the Gulf of Mexico, is so vast that the whole
country is alive to the Importance of our command
ing the entrances to that Gulf 1t is regarded IS
Sd important that very large portion of our people
would be glad of any tolerably good excuse for
seizing the Island Of Cuba as one means of secu.
ring that end. But not yet having possession OF
that Island we have adopted other precautionary
measures. We have expended large sums of money
in erecting Notifications at Key West and the
Dry Tortugas; but we have so entirely neglected
to provide garrisons for these works that if war
should suddenly break out between this coun-
try and England perhaps the wisest course for
the engineers having charge of those works to pur-
sue would be to blow them up, to prevent their
falling into the hands of the enemy otherwise the
chances are that our own works would give the
enemy the command of the entrances to the Gulf
But this is not all Every one who knows any
thing about the entrance to Mobile bay will under
stand that if Fort Morgan were occupied by an adj.
eauate English garrison, Mobile would be very eff.
feetualy cut off from the Gulf What is there to
prevent the occupation of that fort by an enemy9
We are not occupying the forts in Pensacola har.
bor' Why should not an enemy occupy them and
then the Navy Yard at that place would be at
their mercy, and the finest harbor on the Southern
coast would serve to shelter enemies fleets |
Inc important works OF Forts Macomb and Pike
are ready for the reception of garrisons We have
meme In them. An enemy having any ulterior de-
signs on New Orleans would not fail to see their
Importance, and they also would be occupied