The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-08-15

lNEXPLICABLE lNEFFICIENcY OF THE NAyY-AN
AUTHENTICATED BUT INCREDIBLE SiArEMENr.-We
publish to-day most extraordinary correspond
ence between Commodore Vanderbilt and w
D. Bartlett, of this city, from which it appears
that whole feet Of steamships, consisting of
the Vanderbilt the Ariel, the Ocean Queen, the
Champion and the Daniel Webster, have been at
the command of the Navy Department, at va
luation to be fixed by appraisers entirely of its
own appointment, ever since last May The
Vanderbilt was offered to the government ORR
ginally, as our readers will recollect, by Com
modore Vanderbilt, as present outright. She
is splendid steamship7the finest, the fastest,
the strongest ever built. On her recent excur-
sion to Fort Pickens, under charter of the govern
ment, she carried the largest freight ever taken
by any vessel from this port in addition to whole
regiment Of men. She was built entirely Of the
best material, by days work, and was freely
admitted by Mr.. Dobbin, at that time Secretary
of the Navy, to be far superior to any vessel
ever constructed for the navy. She can carry
heavier armament than any ship in the navy,
and she can catch and-armed and manned as
she ought to be--conquer anything that wind or
steam prOpels. She cost nine hundred thousand
dollars, and a ship like her could not be built
by the government for anything like that money
The whole history of the government from it's
foundation presents no other instance of an
offer from an individual so princely and munifi-
cent as that made by Commodore Vanderbilt of
this splendid steamship. And when that propo-
sition, SO eminently liberal, is declined by the
government, the Commodore, through Mr.. Bart
lett substitutes another as conspicuously fair
lie says" This ship ought TO be in possession
of the government. If you will not take her as
present, appoint fair men to fix price upon
her."
The Ocean Queen is second only to the Van
derbilt and inferior to her in nothing but speed;
but the Queen has made the passage from Havre
in ten days, which shows that she is by no means
a slow ship. The offer includes three other
valuable and desirable steamers.
Can our merchants believe that the Navy De-
partment allows these ships to lie rotting in our
harbor rather than to take them at its own price,
while our commerce is swept from the ocean by
privateers? They must believe it, for the proof
furnished by this correspondence is incontro-
vcrtible. The inactiOn Of the Secretary of the
Navy has been explained upon the ground of
his incompetency and want of adaptation to his
place.
1t is to be hoped that no one in or about
the department has been actuated by any i'm.
proper motive or inducement in the cause of
the sad delay we have experienced in purchas.
ing vessels for an effective blockade. Incom-
potency and even dishonesty can be checked by
vigorous head of government or depart
ment; and it is to be expected by the public,
who are called upon to furnish five hundred
thousand men and five hundred millions of dol
lars for the repression of this rebellion chat
neither incompetency nor dishonesty are to be
permitted to hinder the wishes of the people
from being carried to a prompt and successful
issue.