Delaware State journal and statesman. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1855-1870, 1861-09-03

So many complaints have been made against
the Navy Department for alleged ineiiiciency.
that largr portion of the American people are,
no doubt, disposed to believe that their navy
will be of little real assistance in suppressing the
rebellion, and that scarcely anything of prac,i.
cal Importance has been done to strengthen it
since the rebellion commenced All who have
been thus misled will be surprised to sec the list
of war vessels now afoat, purchased and con-
traoted for, which has recently appeared Our
Atlantic and Gulf squadrOns consist Of flfty-nine
vessels, mounting six hundred and ninety. seven
guns, and nine thousand two hundred and twelve
men They comprise four frigates, five screw
frigates, ten sloops, three screw sloops, two
steam sloops, seven side wheel Steamers eight
screw steamers, nine propellers, one steamer,
one brig, two stOreships. five ships and two
steam tugs. On the Potomac we have twenty
five vessels, embracing ono screw soop, one
screw steamer, one screw tender, six tugs, four
steamboats,, one brig, three side-whecl steamers,
four propellers, three schooners, and one gun
boat. Twelve war vessels, carrying one hundred
and thirteen guns, which have been ordered
homo from foreign stations have not yethuivcd
but may soon be expected They oOnsist Of one
screw sloop, two sOops four steam sloops, one
razee sloop, two screw steamers, aud two store
ship. On the Pacific coast We have eight vessels
stationed which carry eighty-eight guns and
one thousand and nincty-scven men. At
our national navy yards eight steam sloOps Of
about 200 and 400 tons burden are being
constructed, which will soon be completed. The
Iascdrord was launched at Philadelphia few
days ago, and three others are nearly ready for
launching Twenty-three gunboats are also
being built by contractors on the Atlantic coast.
They are to be of about five hundred tons bur-
den, OF light draught, and each to be fitted out
with one-hundred-and.i fifty pound rfed cannon
and four thirty-two Founders. Tho construction
Of twelve fast side-wheel steamers has also been
authorized, and they will soon be commenced in
our navy yards, and by contractors. Several
new fast propelers and irOn.clad vessels are also
about to be commenced. The number of vessels
Of various sizes and descriptions which the Gov
ernment has purchased up to this time s seven.
ty-eight, for which more than So, SOC, 900 has
been paid, and nineteen hnlks to sink at the
mouths Of rivers and inlets, have also been
bought. Ten chartered vessels arc at present in
the national service. portion of the purchased
vessels are already cruising upon our coast, and
the others are being rapidly fitted out.
The list of vessels captured by our navy for at
tempts to Violate our blockade or assisting the
insurgents in other ways, is much larger than the
public generally suppose 1t 10 be, as it embraces
eighty ships OF various classes, exclusive of o
considerable number whose names have not yet
been returned to the Navy Department
In view OF these important additions to our
navy, II is unjust to charge those entrusted with
the management of its affairs with idleness and
ineficiency. little time may yet be necessary
to render our war vessels as numerous and use
full as the necessities of the nation require them
to be; but it is doubtful whether any other
country ever made so large an addition to its
navy in so brief period and from present ap-
pearances we shall speedily be enabled to render
the blockade entirely complete, to drive all the
from the ocean, and to menace all the
Southern cities on the Atlantic coast.-Press