The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-12-15

Santa Fe The work is still under the direction OF Capt
Pope, who has hitherto had ii in charge.
MILITARY REsERvIz.
Several military reservations heretofore established for
the occupation of troops upon the Indian frontier having
become useless any military purposes and calculated
to reard the settlement of the country have been sold
under law passed at the last session of Congress With
the exception of the at Fort Ripley the prices Of
fered for these lands satisfactory The bids for the
lands of the latter reservation being considered too low
the sale set aside and the property retained
MILITARY
Under law of the last Congress directing the sale of
the western Military Asylum at Harodsburg Kentucky
effort made to consummate it, but without effect
After due and extensive advertisement of the day of SALE
and upon the assembling of bidders the property Of
fered at public outcry but the highest offered
considered by the agent for the sale inadequate that
the property withdrawn.
The asylum in this district is, to limited extent, an
swering the purposes for which it established 1t
furnishes quiet and abundant home for the invalid sol
den who are admitted to it,
NATIONAL FOUNDRY.
The Importance to the public service of establishing
national foundry has been so often brought to the aten
ton of Congress by my predecessors that nothing but
conviction of its great consequence to the public and p
vate interests of the whole country encourages TO
mention it again.
we'll managed national foundry would very speedily
develop and establish facts which would add immensely
to our national wealth 1t is scarcely to be credited that
with the infinite variety of iron and their boundess
extent in the United States should not have yet dis
covered mine capable of making the very best gum or
if such be discovered, that there no means by
which the public service can be benefited by it but such
is the fact .. ....s ..a..
national foundry would great laboratory at
which the qualities and value of metals throughout the
whole confederacy would be tested and fixed. Every
riey of iron with it's especial adaptation to particular
uses would in few years be amiliarly known to the
country and individual enterprise would be saved in ex
perments many times the amount which the works would
cost whilst great national branch of industry might by
this receive legitimate and efficient encourage
ment. .... .......
are equal least to those of Norway and the national
amories driven by necessity to purchase from abroad
the Norwegian iron for the manufacture of small
Choosing to have the best quality of arms must go
abroad for the best quality of iron national foundry
wouldsoon teach to improve the manufacture of iron
and we would be saved the modification of bringing
iron from abroad and the money, too have to pay
| for it. s... ..
The cost of heavy guns would presently be diminished
and their quality would be, undoubtedly very materially
| improved. ":
it. therefore, appears that every consideration of
sound policy and economy demands the establishment of
national foundry, which accordingly respectfully rec
| ommend.
! ORDNANCE.
The report of the chief of ordnance will explain in de-
tail tbe condition of that most important branch of the
public service Its general operations have in the main,
been satisfactory The manufacture of small arms at the
national armorics continues with very much the same
results as heretofore. The fabricated of the
most superior quality, although is than question
able whether the rihed grooved musket is any i'm
proyement whatever upon the musket of the pattern
adopted in 1912 for the of infantry in the field
The valuable property at Baton Rouge belonging to the
is being greatly injured by of the de-
cayed condition of the wooden enclosure which
structed many years since 1t is therefore advisable that
some provision be made for building substantial iron
fence and thereby preserving the buildings and grounds
which are subject to serious damage and constant
depreciation.
would also advise that for the purpose of still further
improving the grounds authority be given to purchase
u Of land the principal building and to sell piece
of land at the extreme end of the property of little value
for government purposes. For these objects small APP
preparation will be required.
As school of practice for the artillery is established
at Fort Monroe which much needed by the service it
is very desirable that two small tracts of land in
the immediate vicinity of the post and directly affected
by the target firing should belong to the government
therefore authority ought to he given to purchase this
land and thus all distractions to the satisfactory
establishment of the school at this important post
THE NATIONAL DEFEScEs.
The report of the chief engineer will inform you of the
character and condition of our seacost deences 1t will
be seen that these works gradually but certainly ad
vancing towards completion, and when finished will con-
stitute system of maritime defences formidable in
tent and of great magnitude
New York. the great heart of commerce on this conti
nent where and greater interests concentrate than
any point Atlantic coast may he considered as
mpregnable from attack from the when the orti
catons in progress shall be finished The forthca-
tons will be better the guns heavier and more numerous
than those of Sebastopol .. ar...
Upon the general system of coast defence it is hard
y necessary TO word at this day. The policy of the
government to be fixed in that respect and wisely
too, doubt ii the works be prosecuted with wise
economy. Forfcations very justly esteemed
the cheapest and far the most eecual means of defence
for every important commercial point With the heavy
guns of the present day feet match fertilization,
and when completed these works be kept in perfect
repair very trng cost until needed for actual service
A fortfcation costing not much than double the
sum necessary to build and equip afrstoass lneobatle
ship will constitute formidable defence for harbor and
will continue TO do throughout any length of time.
The value of this mode of defence is becoming ap
parent every day AS population increases, and the
facilities for INSTRUMENTATION multiplied militia
ry force of any extent with and readiness
be concentrated any given point in the shortest posi-
BILE time Fortifcations which will naturally reard the
landing of foreign foe must give time to concentrate
force at any given point equal to any emergency. "A
larger force could be thrown into New York in two weeks
by means of internal communication than could be brought
there from abroad in year by all the which any
European power could possibly command ."s
Our ramied system of railroads spreading throughout
the whole country-those snews of iron which bind with
ndissouble ties the commercial interests of
nityconfer upon the nation capability for defence
which obviaes forever the necessity of standing armies
or of navy than is necessary to give
protection to ships in the prosecution of extended
commerce,
The attention Of Congress has been frequently called to
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