New-York daily tribune., 1861-07-17
A uARINE GUARD.

ing the Secretary of the Treasury 10 employ sui
fcient force to protect our commerce from
. rates, meets, 40 far as we can learn, with uni-
versal appreciation. II is step in the right ai'
rection. aud the recommendation Of the House
can be put iuto practical operation within three
weeks from date.
There is now lying in Northern ports large
1cet Of schooners. thrown entirely out OF EN-
ployment by the wsr, and which are peculiarly
nit as auxilaries for this service. MaDitestly, the
first step to be- taken is to establish complete
coa,t-guard which shall prevent the pirates Row
in port, and fitting to 60 to seq, from getting out,
aud those now out from getting in ngain. 10 DO
tIis, vessels of good sailing qualities, and With
two OF three or more guhs, according 70 theif
tunnage, on board, should bs stationed, with
cruising ground of about tn mies or even less,
along the whole Atlantic coast, from Cape Henry
to Key West. and in the Gulf OF Mexico from
Key West to the mouth OF the Rlo Grande,
where, however,. on portion OF the coast tne
blockade need not be so rigorous. These vessels
should keep almost coustansy III slglt oi each
other, and, by proper system OF Signals, could DC
IN constant communication. They could be ol
weight enough ~ engage any OF the ordinary
pirates that would be likely 70 60 to sra from
any of the smaller Southern ports while their UNI
yersal presence along the coast would enable ihe
larger Layal vessels and revenue cutters u Con-
centrat. aud blockade with the utmost vigilsnce
the larger ports, such as Wilmington, Charleston
Savannah. Apalachicoln, Mobile, New.Orlcans
and Galveston. Ii any pirate too formidable for
the coust-guard 10 engage should by chauce get
out or get in at any lees important point, n
sgual sent through the feet TO the NEAREST naval
station would, In few hours, bring naval
steamer to the spot to pursue or to cut nim cut.
Some such plan as this, il seems TO US, is per-
fec,ly feasible, and would prove thoroughly effective
1t would require feet Of from two TO three
hundred scho0ners.
For such a purpose, schoouers are unqucstion-
ebly best, both because they can be bad OF va
rioss sizes from 70 tons to 300 tuns, and because
the cost of sailing them would be much less than
tnat of square-rigged vessels. They eau be
manned with fewer hands, aud their frat cost
on which their charter should he pfedlcaIed-iS
much less. They can be rapidly fitted Tor seas
and drawing, according ~ their tnunAen, from
6 to ~ feet of water, they would be adapted TO
every variety of cruisne-ground. II vessels Of
even less draft than feet should Be wanted,
they can easily be found in fat-bottomed aud
centre-board craft, which CON go anywhere
where there Ia a puddle.
We understand from practical men that scboon-
ers of about 800 tubs require about to lO
hands all toId; those of $50 tuis, q 10 hands;
and those OF rs tuns, 4 To 6 hands. The ex-
pepse Of running such vessels per month would
be-. for the Grst class, about $500 TO $500; for
the second clssr, $20O or $500; ard for tlo
third class, $50 to $780, varying. Of coursc,
somewhat according 10 demsnd for svamen and
prices Of provisions, both, at this moment, low.
The coat OF building such vessels is from s35 t.
$50 per tun. according TO the material and last
enng used.
We have good reason for believing that vessels
of this class can be had, in any number that tue
Government may want, at the rate Of 10 per cent
a.year on the appraised value, the Government,
of course paying oil the expenses OF sailing the
OF sailing one of the larger vessels, schooner
of 800 tuns, calculating her value aud her run
uiog expenses at the highest figure, would only
be about 5000. 1t will be la ge allowance
to add third to this sum for The expense OF
ordnance and artiler, -men. But, calculating tho
cosi at $4,000 each for tho larger class aud
5000 each for toe smaller, aud the whole cost
10 Government of feet 100 OF the first class and
200 Of the second would only be about 5000
900 year. Double that cum may be lost, aud
probably will, before tue Let of September, for
the want OF solne such protection as this plan
proposes for our merchant marine,
We should not be willing. however, to guar
antee to Government that the cost of the feet
will be anything hke so small as this, il the
business is put into the hands of contractors.
But # proposals arc advertised for, We have no
doubt tnat honest merchants viii come forward
who will agree to have ut and ready Tor sea
within month all the vessels of this character
that can be wanted, and within the figures We
have named. The only care the Government will
have to exercise will be to have proper arna-
ment on board each vessel. with men to serve it,
and, il it should seem best, proper commanding
officer; though, as to this last point, probably, in
nineteen cases out Of twenty, tho present skipper
would be just the right man to sail and 10 Ggnt
if need be, his own vessel.
But this feet of small fore and aft vessels Is
not all that is needed. essential as such vessels
ore. If tho war is ~ continue sia months longer
and he is bold man, as things 20 on, who
win predict when It is hksly 10 end-a pretended