Daily national Democrat., 1861-10-20
The Express on Maritime Warfare.


The Marysville organ of Sterling Price had
an article, yesterday, concerning the naval
| expeditions which our Government has in
contemplation against the buccaneer coast
rhe writer is evidently perfectly at home il
naval matters No better evidence of thi'
is required than is contained in the folio wing
profound sentence:
ave have but little faith in the practica-
! blitv Of penetrating the interior OF the South
by means of these naval expeditions"
We very much doubt whether this has oc
cured to any one else than the learned edito,
of the Express, and yet how sef-evdent it i;
when once suggested. What folly it would
be to attempt the penetration of the "interiol
Of the South in vessels of war The Adj
convinced 10y reading the Express, that any
attempt to travel into the interior, 10y land,
with ships OF war; will prove ridiculous
failure. The talents of the Express editor
should not remain hidden under bushel
There is need of his wisdom and forests hit in
the Navy Department. After showing the
decided advantages Of railroads over ships,
for travelling by land into the interior, the
Express repeats with tirmness and dignity;
&" The expedition" (meaning the naval expe-
ditions) "are impracticable so far as pene.
trating tie country is concerned" Let the
Administration heed well the warnings of the
Express The Indignation of the people will
know no bounds if naval expeditions are
taken from their proper element-the water
and placed upon land, to be sent into the
"interior of South" But there are uses to
which naval vessels may be advartageously
put, and the Express thus enlightens us upon
the subject:
"They may be used advantageously to an
noy and harrass the enemy on the coast
though there are not very many Southern
ports of importance where they would be
likely to avail much"
The above sentence will not only instruct
our Government now, but will be treasured
up for the benefit Of posterity. We mean of
course that portion Of the sentence which
points out the use to be made of naval expe-
ditions. The latter portion, in which we are
told that there are not very many Southern
ports Of Importance" does not meet our ap-
proval, If the Express were prejudiced
against the South (Which we do not believe)
that would be no good excuse for under
rating the Importance of its sea-board cities
Perhaps the editor does not know that Will
mngton, Charleston, Savannah, Pensacola,
Mobile, New Orleans and Galveston are ports
of some Importance, and that they are all
Southern ports" We think he must be
ignorant of the existence of those places, for
the closing sentence of the article seems to
forbid the supposition that the writer is an
enemy to the gallant traitors of the South.
lie says:
The numerous reports about these ex-
peditions are probably designed to alarm the
South and, if possible, break up the grand
rebel army opposite Washington. We do
not believe much will be accomplished by
them toward subjugating the South"
This anxiety lest the South should be
alarmed, and the grand rebel army oppo-
site Washington be broken up, would seem
to give assurance that the Express is still
true to the Southern Confederacy cause. Its
touching allusion to the impossibility of Sub
ljugating the South" will draw tears from
many eyes. The Express is worthy to be al
instructor of the people