New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-05-10
OUR NAVY.


tions with that agreeable fiction which is curren
throughout the country, that there exists such al
establishment q the United States Navy, and that in
the event Of squabbe with Great Britain, should
take the concet that Britannia rules the waves out
Of her - efectuay as we did in the last war. NOW
the dsagreeabe fact is that we have, comparatively
speaking, no navy, and in the event OF war win
England or France their overpowering neets would
sweep our domestic waters with the besom OF oe.
struction, utterly annihilatng our rev governments
vessels should they not have the screon 70 nee INTO
port like frightened barnyard fowl but commit the
fatal error Of relying upon American nvincolllty
on the waters, and opposing their feeble ewness to
the multitudinous foe.
Recently 1t was necessary to get up an expedition
for service IN South America, ana iof -FOUR months,
day and night with largely increased forces all the
northern naval stations we're bused IN the hitting out
Of that celebrated eet which could have
been got IN readiness and dispatched from any one
Of the navy YARDS Of England withn week, even II
had consisted % hve tunes tne number OF guns and
vessels. And what did TINS great fleet consist OF al
Ter ans Mostly OF rev scarcely seaworthy steam
ers hred LOT the and We believe that the whole
q y could nave been SUNK OF disabled oy couple OF
actively served nrst-class war steamers. This expe
dinon Illustrates the extent and might OF what are
caeo our naval resources sort OF confused idea
Of which leads people to imagine that in few weeks
several nondred steamers OF the merchant marine
could pc converted INTO vessels Of war and constitute
force which would DEFY the navies OF Europe.
There are NOT nail dozen merchant steamers in the
country Wnicn could, 10 less tnan TWO or three
monsns time, De adapted TOT doing emcient war ser
vice. and u case OF declaration Of hostilities by
France or England. our coasts, from the st. Croix
70 the Rc Grande, would be pillaged and wasted BY
their squadrons, and the ships that bear our flag be
hunted nom the ocean. 10 De ready for such an
emergency we must oe always 10 readiness, and let
precaution precede not follow, the event-as would
seem % % tne astute pollcy OF this great western
rover.
Things are not now as they used TO be- when in the
last war chivalrous commander OF swift ship
could rove the seas and do doughty deeds with some
chance OF bringing his vessel and his prizes home.
The days Of sailing vessels are over, and powerful
war steamers as thick as beebirds IN pea field, will
swarm the ocean, snap up national cruisers and pesi
lent privateers and genturesome or incautious mer-
chantmen, and such warfare must be met with like.
Even # steam naval service were not absolutely pre-
ferable cheaper and more Efficient its adoption by
one great power would make it necessity With
others-a new clause Of the universal law OF self
preservation. To dare war against England or
France with our navy would be like equpping our
land forces with bows and arrows to meet theirs,
with their MIME rifles and improved artillery In
1858 Great Britain had three hundred and ftythree
war steamers, nearly two hundred of them OF great
tunnage and mounting very heavy ornaments. The
number is being constantly increased.
TO be sure late Administrations have given some
little attention to the naval department OF Government
and the result Is that we have steamers
Of various classes and these are worth ten times as
much as all the rest Of the navy really constituting
large proportion Of its numerical as they do all of
its efficient, force. The Government Naval Register
makes fine show, II is true, but does not show the
truth. It records ten ships of the line' and the