New-York daily tribune., 1859-07-07

" Of the great ss prlse. p" "pul'at'oos OF .ne '0'
/" heart" beating tims to the seas'us'' ana PA.
a pi,,tps sl.o to the wiods ssd the rnaa
All of ~hich. aad much moro OF the same se''
ccuee qui,e too oe~ to urmi'igsted nonsense to oe
spproved or paid for BY tie United States- Inc
us,,rr is often very much Of piece wi'n tue sV'o
and the illustrations frequentlJ no more 'auso'e
than either. Thu, We have dissertation on tue
csuses Why Charleston, S. C., is not go large s
Neu-Yori; spd there are nineteen or t~enV
plates in one volume devoted to crabs, Holsters,
unllusks apd their feed.
Now We have no complaint to make against any
roap for devotng bimself to any sort of ronancing
which be may happen to Like, aOd none against the
writing ard publication Of just as many such
specula,iops as the most ardent zeal and ambition
NAV prompt suy one to utter. Ne'tber do "e very
seriously otj.ct 20 Government bureau whose
duty il sbal be 70 prescribe llae OF ply iaVes
ti2sticp for our lo.eriug ships OF war II by such
process they can bs made Of any service to the
world or to scieBce lei i be done; IL is better 'aan
doing noting, which is the work they mO-tls per-
form. We certainly would not undervaiue the
smsllest sddtion 10 the stock Of human knowledge
or even stop to di'psrsge spssmodc stra'nios' a'e'
scientific reputation, or ludicrous attempts at noe
writing provided We ere not ,led upon to become
rspon.ibIe for uufouuded pretensons orto aP'
prove the payment OF very large SUNS for sn ef-
credpel, email amount of useful iDform,tion. We
will not 60 20 far as TO say thst brief mauuA OF
sailing directions Of soue value miget not be de-
ducsd from the crude besp Of msterials got To-
getber BY Lieut. Msury, but i. would be yer!
small level in the besd Of very big and very
sh.p4less toad. And even il the work hiss such
s.m hidden ia its dark aud repul'ys mass, 1t does
not follow that il is sny part of the business OF the
Government 10 furnish such q manual Tue wants
of our mercantile marine create such works and
cause their publication, without the Intervention
of the Government
The truth s that the ocean in all its aspects, has
been plored by ho.t of seograPhers na'lsa'or''
and observers, Of every kitd aod degree, embracing
the most distinguished nance, such as Franklin
Humboldt Reid. Bowditch, aod Blunt, and Others
OF equal distinction Their labors have passed INTO
history, and are accessible to all, aud comprise,
along with the personal observations oi the naVi
gator (of more value than all, the stock OF informs
alton which guides the American mariner, ana
has made tis fame. Mr. Mauy may come under
the head of an observer in this field Of research,
and ~e have - deposition to sbrdge any just claims
of bis to recognition on this scsre. But he cer-
tainly the most Of speculs,Or, the most OF theo
rist the most of pretender, as we'll as the most
bowbsstic writer on such topics, that we lave
ever been obliged TO read In bis field Of research,
be may have collected some useful facts which may
hereafter be received as contributions to the gen.
eral stock Of u'ica knowledge; but as yet they
have taken no definite form. The rules for max
Jog short voyages from our shores to the Pa
clfc, which he has profrssed to deduce from
bis own charts, are declared not to work We'll
in pr,ctice; in fact they only operate dis
sstrously in leading the navigator from the old
aud approved paths We are not aware that any
thing else of practical value is claimed as re-
sultiDg from the confused notions aud poetic
tancies of the author of these Wind and Current
Charts
But the great objection to Lieut.. Maury is
TO the issue at the public expense of mass OF
crude observations and more than questionable
speculations, of no earthly value to the practical
snlor As well might the Coast Survey publish
LET Of the varieties of mud and sand and shell 1t
has accumulated in ten thousand bottles, the fruits
of ten Thousand soundiogs, as the means OF
TEACHING what is the character of the ocean bottom
on our COSTS Yet in real utihty this wouli much
exceed any thing that Dir Msury has yet furnished
Perhaps, however, if be would confne his pro-
auctions to oDe duodecimo Of dozen Plates and
fcrty psgps, published once every five years, they
might be tolerated, provided be would be content
to fbd his remuneration, Like other authors, in the
sale Of his work