New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-12-04
NewNork Daily Gribmsrs
REPORT or THE SECRETARY or TIE
NAVY
NAVY DEPARTMENT, Dec. ], 1856.

service with rtcommcnda:ion Of further leg station.
sQU,DRoss.
The new steam.frgaie Wabash, Captain Frederick
Engle the hip the s'pps-ofwar Saratoga, Com
msncer F.. @. Tlton, aDd Cyane, Commander X G..
RObb, form the Home Squadron, which ]. still under
the command Of Commodore Hiram Padding 10
this force the steamer Fulton Will again be added so
soon as repaired sufficiently for service The ngate
Potomac, recently the lsgslip Of this sq1adrnn, has,
sit &C my last report been put OFT Of commission, and
her crew srd most Of Der ofh g transferred 10 the
Wabash. This chip, with Commodore Peulding on
b"tro, having ysited San Juan del Norte, for which
place sic sailed from New York Oh the - h OF Nov,
lS55 for the purpose meDon ID 10 the Sast report ar
live Of Havana thu 10th of Janu5Ty, 10 company
with the Put ton which hnd also bean di'pstched 70
Snu Juan. On the 22d Of March ,hey we're joined by
the Sars,cga end Cyane which ha1 been on 2 cruise
smorg The Windward I-lands. The squ41rol, after
making n short cruise, scpsrated-the flag ship, IN
company with The Saratoga running down TO WIND
ward rs far II. Thomas, whence the Potomac sailed
80 KY Wet, and the Sarat"ga 20 Ssn Juan, and
thence 10 Aspn wall where she arrived July y, a1d
has been stationed for the purpose OF protecting our
interests III tbst region. Sso will b. 1000 relieved bg
The Cysre which saied from BO-t on the 9TH of
November This latter vessel, after separating from
tie squooron at Havana, and making cruise IN the
Gulf OF Mexi O. arrived az Boston the 9th of Au-
gust which poIt she returned on the inh Of Oets-
ber after having been 10 tie eastward as far az >,
~
Balizc IND tie By of Islands, touching IN at Key
Wet protected TO Washington snd arriving there
IN The 3OIh Of June, was temporarily put out OF con-
ssiGn.
were by foreign naval force ia tue progress
across 'he Ishnus at San Jaan del NOrt" orders
issued 70 Con Modore Pounding Oh he 18th OF May TO
proceed TO that por immediately With view to dis
patch the Commcdores fig was transferred to the
Steam fIigote Susquehanna, Capt. j. K Sands, then
fitted out for the Mediterranean.
The delicate and important investigation was prose-
cuted at Sun Juan by Commodore Pauhpg with com
me- dable zeal and prudcn q. The circumstances
which gave rise to emporary misapprehensi0n were
satisfactorily explained, and Commodore Padding re-
turned to the POOmac at Key West, after looking ia
az A,ritvuI. The Susquehauna proceeded thence to
II g Mediterranean. Tie Wabash left Philadelphia on
a trial trip on the sth OF September for New York
whence having taken on board her supplies she pro-
ccoded 10 Portsmouth, n. H. AZ tins place she re-
ctived ON board the Pcsident OF tie Unl,ed Stats
Ind cobvey ed him to Ancap lie, VI land. She sailed
from HtW-Yok The 18th OF November for Aspldwasl
TIE Brez Squac ron, Commodore French Forrest,
consists of be flag ship, the gete ST. La Rrence zap
tain j. Is. Hull noT OH her way ont and the sloop0l-
var Germantown, Commander YIN. +. Lynch for
whore &c urn to the United States orders cent on
tie 3lt OF October ut 1t Is dcsgned that the soop-
ofwar Falmouth shall join the squadron IN few weeks
The riga'e Savannah Comm ,dOre Samuel Mercer,
late the agshio for whose return orders were seat Gu,
on tie 10Th Of July arrived Mt New York on the PIT
of November. The brig Bsnb1dge VIII Oh, til lately
formed part of the squsdrOn, returned TO Norfolk
Va, tie nth of Scptember under the command OF
Lieutenant &. +. NJ. SpOswO1d. The stDre-ship Re
lief, Lieutenant Commanding J. W. Cooke returned
to New foIk lie l2ih of July, and sailed again for
the station the 9Th of September, with stores for the
squadron Noibipg Of material interest has occurred
on the Brazil Station during the psst year, although
The vessels have been actively cruising.
Conn anC er 4. j. Page, having completed the sur
vey of the River La Plata and its diercot afioents,
IetuIntd with TIE United States steamer Wa or Witch
IL Tho Of Va ofou
OIL tie 9Th Of May last The very Interest ing sccom-
PAVING synopiical report of Commander Page gives
ul inform alton Of the Of the survey, the charts
OF which are low being prepared for publication.
The Mediterranean Squadron, Commodore ). i.
Breese consists of The flag ship the igae Congress,
Commander IhOm9s T. Craven; the sloop'of war Con-
ISOLATION Captain Chas II. Bell and the steam frigae
Coptaio j. K. SANDS. This last vessel
ion ed he squadron ia July The steam fgate Saranac
Captain D. G. Lorg, which had been on the station
reary ihie yeps returned to the United States the
2Gh Of June arriving at Philadelphia. The store-shp
Supply, Lieutenant. Commanding David ID. Porter, Is
in The Mediterranean sill oDgas cd III special service
upd er the War DEPARTMENT. The vessels of this squad
ROD have shown the fag at many ports 10 the Medte
rapean where American commoice makes It's appear
ab(e.
81 posed the flag ship the sloopof Jamestown,
Ct mmander James ii. Ward; the sloop of war st.
Louis Commontor John W Livingston, and The brig
Dolphin, Commander Ed Ta'd K. Tho npsop. The
from this station January III, entering Norfolk, Va
The reports from this squadron are favorable as 10 ts
health and activity.
The East India Squadron, Commodore Jas Arm
str ne is composed Of the hsg-slp the stesnf rgae
Sob Jacinto Commander II. H. Bell the sloops-cf var
Jeyant Commander VIM. Smith, and Portsmouth,
Commander a. III. Foote This latter essei lett New
York May 3 and arrived az Hong hons on tue 2'ta
Of August Tic steam. frigate Poxhatan, Cspt w. j.
NJ, ClSpty arrived II, NewYork from this station on
TIE 18th Of February; the 81 op-of war Macedonian,
Cupt John Pope the flag chip Of the late lamented
G, nmodo,e Abbott, at Boston on the 'th of August
Rooies at Portsmouth, n. H.. on the 3oth of Septem
Der and wee al put out OF commission The san
Jacipto on her passage to Hong Kong put IN at faio
Penang for the purpose OF receiving on board Town
sel Harris esq Consul General TO japan, and en-
yeying him TO Babkok, siam, with which Government
he vas charged with special business by the Stste De-
PAL tm.nt. After having completed this, he San ia
ci1to procoCdod 10 Hong Kong and at last advlces
ives about statiI for Snods Japan, for the purpose
Of atfd6mg passage 10 Mr. Harris ID that place She
will then proceed to ShaDshaet to join the ant which
has been schf there from Hong Kong with our Com
pjsscher to China (Dr. Peter Parkel who was deei-
lous Of visiting the intermediate ports q. the north
The Pacific Squadron, Commodore VIM Mervine,
conshts of the agshp, the frigate Independence,
Commander Henry h. Hof; the slooI: var John
Adams Commander Edward B. Boutwell,; ~ Mays,
Command er L. Bailey Decatur, Lieutenant Command
ing Edward Middleton and the steamer VI assachuse,
COMMANDER y. Ssartwout The Independence let San
Frapi co in the middle OF January, and PROCEEDED on
cruise 70 the southwark via toe Sandwich ISLANDS, Tor
the purpose of ascertainng whether guano was to
he fupd on an Island the location Of which had been
,r6o rn,isilv commune ated by company of genie
and ON. or two Old and experienced captains,
Who p1,sousllv gave assurance that it abounded IN
Lang. sht arrived at the ,sguatci poin, on the lih
&c March. Commodore Mervine reports that OWING 70
Ltsyy b.eab ers all his efforts 10 lana were odei'
TLs deeply to be regretted for although ne states
,L,t n sean from the ship, the island was manted over
win uxuriaut yegc.aicn, and expresses an opinion
s6verse to tie ssnsu'ne hopes snd eHpeciahons oil the
s,i, r,nrsI community still there seems TO exist an
,stied state Of the public mind because Of the So
bhfouNHN" I, Ia nOashis