The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-09-02
58~ Price three cents in wrappers.

In the Church of Rome, when layman assumes
the religious habit, or, in other words, becomes
monk, it is customary for him to change his name,
that he who in the world had been previously
known as plain SMITH or JONES' becomes
thenceforward Brother ALoysIUs or Father
AMBROSE. According 10 q similar practice,
it would seem-the coasting steamers which were
chartered by Government for the Paraguayan
Expedition, and subsequently purchased at a
cost equal to that at which the same number Of
steam gun-boats might have been built and fitted
for sea- having been metamorphosed into the like
ness of vessels of war, and permanently added to
the Navy, have also undergone change of desig-
nation. Thus the vessel which so long as she
belonged TO "CRoMwELL's Line" and aspired
to no higher mission than that of trans
porting pork and -four from port to port,
was called the uemphiS-now that she mounts
four guns and is destined to defend the honor
of our flag on the coast Of Africa, is called the
Mystic The atlanta has been christened the Sump-
ter; the Westernport is now the WyandoH, and
the Caledonia is the Mohdack. The little craft which
bore the peaceful appellation of the II. w. Chapin,
is now the AnacoStia-the Southern Star is the
Crusader, and the unucky vessel which sailed from
New York to join the squadron, as the Metacona,
will return if she return at all, called by the
of the Polish hero PULASKI. Whether in the selec-
ton of these names the Department has exhibited
the best possible taste, may perhaps admit Of some
question IF the object be to conceal the former
pacific and mercantile character of the ves-
sells, the disguise would perhaps have been more
complete, had names been given to them such as
were formerly in vogue in the British navy
those, for example, of the hvinci6le, the Terrible,
the DreadnougAt and the Victorious-or the CLASH
cal and NEUROLOGICAL appellations of the Agaraea-
non, the Bellerophon and the Bellona. 1t NAV be
doubted, however, whether even names like these
would have suficed to conceal the fact, at least,
from nautical eyes, that the vessels which bore
them were not and never had been, nor ever could
be serviceahle men-of-war. Built for purposes of
commerce, their construction renders them wholly
unfit for those of naval warfare. Intended, for the
most part, for the coasting trade, they have not
the strength 10 adapt them 10 ordinary sea-ser
vice. Comparatively new-none of them, we be-
lieve, being more than five six years old--they
were yet so wretchedly out of repair, when first
taken up by Government, as to require months
them for sea. For the most part they
had to be newly panked and newly coppered,
and had new engines and boilers put into them,
and even then when all was done, were still alto
gether unfit for the service for which they had been
chartered. The lNetdcomd broke down in few
days after leaving New York to join the expedition,
and put into Pensacola for repairs. ''Havng been
"patched up rs well as circumstances would admit,
''she again steered southwark, not, however, with
every 1ourishing prospects'-her commander
writing home that he never expected to reach
Brazil in safety. Before she reached Montevideo,
she again broke down, and upon survey, her
boiler was condemned. She is now at Pernambuco,
waiting for another boiler-which has been sent
out to her in the store-ship Relea$e--in order
to return home. The Southern Star also had
breakdown, and so, we believe, had one or
more Of the others. That any of them made
the voyage out and home again, in safety,
was matter Of congratuaton. Yet these
are the vessels which the Government has purchas-
ed, and two Of which have been put into commits
sion and ordered to the coast of Africa, and three
more attached to the Home Squadron.
The entire cost of each of these vessels, up to
new steam-sloop Pensacola will have cost when
she is ready for The Pensacola is a vessel of
1000 tons burden, and the largest of those pur
chased measures less than six hundred TONS Be-
cause our navy is small, that is no reason why
the vessels composing it should not be the best of
their kind, and with the facilities the Department
possesses for forming a correct estimate Of the val
lie and quality Of these vessels, there is no excuse
for any mistake, if any has been committed
The next House Of Representatives should look
into the matter, and see whether the peoples mon
cy has been really wasted in their purchase, or
whether the charges which have been brought
against the Department are altogether unfounded
and unjust. Its due not less to the interests of
the service, than to the character of our Govern
ment that thorough investigation of the whole
matter should be had, and we hope that at the
proper time, it will be moved for and ordered.