The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-04-12

Our Navy Yards-whsre shssld TAey Bes
TO THE KDIroR or THE HERALD.
The prospects between this county and Great
BRITAIN lately menaeing, have naturally called alton
sn the defensive condition Of coast and
particularly those points at which our principal navy
yards and arsenAs situated and In view Of the in
portanoe Of the subject permission to offer few
suggestions which, while they may possess merit In
themselves may yet suffice to attract the notice and call
birth the views OF ADLER and more competent men.
II Ia conceded BY most reaecdog persons, when auud-
ING 70 war with England that fleets Of the size power
and oom position those which that nation has at the
present day aAoat in the Baltic and Black seas could
without material damage force entrance into any one
q our seapors and destroy the public WORKS. ship wards
and arsenAs and heir only consolation Is in reass.
ton that IN the Of year two We should Do
sbe to place ourselves in posit thrust back the In
ude and nple vengeance fur the injuries inact-
cd Indeed the general popular opinion is that n such
suffer terrible losses bat that our great natural
would develope under that after ths
prostraoD Of the arss series Of heavy vs. should
arise, Acteuske, With renewed vigor and astonsh
civilized world with the evidences # prowess; ana
this assertion he's been made long and often
out contradiction that IL Is nov generally regarded
ncoatrovertibe. Yet Of reasoning could bs
fAacieus; conclusion less deducibs this
from the experience recorded ths annals Of history
Lot Us examine the subject little more closely
In of q with such maritime power Great
Britain having commercial tonnage equsl to own,
and offensive naval armament nine times greater,
there could undoubtedly but result long
dsproporon Il the latter respect c,ntnued great
II present. Our only course, them would proceed
~ once and rapidly possible to build additional
ahips If and convert steamers aud Arst
ourselves upon something of equality vita
our better prepared adversary. Tae question
tuIaliv arises "Wbers and how is this building and
alteration to take place. "A natter of purse
principal port cries aud navy yards. But 1t oas al
ready been ed that these been destroyed
that our dry docks have been blown burat, our
shp yards demolished and the sp iii feet of
and oiOper ships laying At waarves auuihiisted
sweep the dsg Of Bri from the ocean 1t is
ehcish folly TO Dodge he question smooth che
answer We so ou,o inevitably be driven rom the Sc
beard into the nteir lat least Temporarily aad wnilc
oer and character OF population preeu IL the
possibility OF our conquest yet sh ud os excluded
Knitted at arthest 70 the exploits Of stray prvasesr
two sailing FRI Of more Insignificant ports
6uoh, with PROBABLY jess yto1 operations
our land forces, wosld, beyond DOUBT, be the oro
grAmme of between ourselves and England, under
sac existing state Of circumstances.
Acmi ting, the sake OF the argument, thai such
blew 70 resources nahoul well as individual,
% the eestrucn o. great ship yards aud arseaes
would not DO cmoe'ey prostzatng IN pecunisy point
Of view, where would repsas is the navy be
sreatsdp II is .vdsnt. that, vii open to st
tack, this work could only be carried nts upon
principal rivers ich should be inland to
- from BOLD by the uisers Of the enemy
and betwen which and the there q suhi.
dc oth of armed of large
The Potomac river ~ Washington the Hudson me
highlands and the are the only inaod waters
which would at all fulfil these condi ions. Bat the for
Nor liable TO be turned by the Chesapeake BAY AMI
Baltimore, done in 1874. rhe navy The La :
ut Memphis has with cbarac istic nsti,na
ssness and Of foresight been already aband ,ne
while the third and in reality Liuch the lost important
81 ALL has never been located, even on paper para
mount importance will appear glance. Let sup
pose sta OF war viii Great Britain, With tine admis
sn thst the port New York efficiently defended
topreveEt the of he feet There
vhsrveso of this average OF than nund
Add fifty first GLASS and which could ut
proceed up the river to point ab'v the Highlands
where the necessary docks sh yards and
be locatec and from which. in the course of few
nonths would Issue powerful feet, well mauned and
This opera be nterfsred or prevented ~ the
narrow and crooked passes OF the Highlands easily
y made impassabe to enemy vessels and the let
10 tine would ~ays be free for although hostile
Aeet might dash in and destr vast Of property
IN and the harbor of New York it is not TO pre-
summed for that this CT y could held for any
length of time by the forces Of ,elgn yer What
Mean viii the inland navy yard would be
from tack the fate OF fresh in the rninds
OF ALL whue the nlnnd position OF Ncoaief stands
scatned after years of most vigorous We should
profit by such lessons of experience ia the history
dsgrac record Of Does it n, them appear
that the location Of the public works alluded upon
Hudson river would offer leas position for
the development of the great natural wnch
undoub tedy possess?
The re establishment of tue No phs Navy Yard would
1er Ike facilities . second ,n for the preparation
ajudcious sta egical system of the ray
ard 1T Washington might be pa,ed . like condition
II security. We should thus have less than three
oints 1T which could uninterruptedly sys
ten of preparation; ana theo-bst until then-can
with prcpriety, We should suffer greatly at the
beginning Of war 9Th England ou. YOU d soon be in
condition to cope With her on eq nal terms
With regard to the system Of fortifeaons and the
necessary TO defend eectusly the entrance
principal hsrbors, there is much to be said There
- ir for doubt whether they have been modified
10 successfully with fleet med
u this subject would however, consume too much
IN your valuable psper. l.