New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-06-29
OUR MERCHANT RgA2ENE.

except thirteen frlgaes named IN the act. This
apparently unwse measure Of reduction was
greatly exaggerated by the partisan tendencies OF
the day; but its advocates justified 1t on the
ground that as all tie cruising vessels had been
bought into the Navy, and were no longer needed,
they should be disposed Of, aud should war again
break out, others could be readily purchased from
the merchant service. Many ships were accord
ingy sold aud numerous officers dismissed from
the service. This fact shows that in the very fret
war after tie Revolution, tho Government re-
sorted 10 the mercantile marine for the prompt
creation of navy. The first ship-of-war that ever
got to sen since the present organization OF the
Navy. was an lndaman bought for the purpose, ana
armed with twenty -lour guns. Numerous 0Iher YES
sells, many of very small size, were purchased and
armed as the war with France was confined
principally to chases and conflicts with the en-
emy's pryateers, who swarmed upon our coast,
especially around the West Indies, for which
there light vessels were very efficient. Some Of
these vessels played havoc with the pirates OF
that day. firing into aud sending them to the bot
tom, without waiting for the slow fOrmality Of
trial
Between this reduction in 1901 and tho begin
ming Of the war with England in 1912, not .a.sn-
gle frieate had been added to the Navy. OF the
thirteen retained in 1901, only niue were fit for
sea in 1872; vet in that interval of eleven years,
scarce q day passed without some violation OF our
neutral rights BY France or England. War with
the latter found us wholly uDprepared for it, Our
merchant vessels whtened every sea with their
canvas, yet while England. with navy Of
thousand and sixty ships, stood ready to sweep
them from the ocean, We possessed but seven
teen cruising yessels Of which nine were Of a
class lee, than that Of frigntes. This criminal ex-
posure Of our commerce is accounted for BY the
then prevalent belief that England was inyincible
on tho ocean. Madison and lis Cabinet were
satisfied of It. They resolved to embargo The en-
tire Navy; not a ship should be allowed to sail
ior fear Of capture. Captain Charles Stewart
who hid been trained ia tho merchant service
and who Yet survives at more than eighty, gal
LIANT and patriotic n. ever, in company with Capt
cambridge protested to Madison against this scam
dalcus coyardice, and demanded that the Navy
should be sent to The Cabinet lisened to
them, but were inGexitle. Madison they con-
WINGED. for he remembered Paul Jones and his
gallant compeers Of the Revolution; our frgatcs
sailed, and England ceased to be inyinciblc.
In the three years contest which succeeded,
the merchant service acted us conspicuous part
as the Navy itself 1t is a popular belief that all
fighting must be done by irigates in the regular
way, and that no conquests are worth noticing
unless achieved by national ship. Hence the
brilliant victories wen by Our merchant marine
during that war have been overlooked, and the
capabilities of that now idle power appear to be
unknown to the present Government. But the
superior activity Of private enterprise is noto-
rious While the Government, in 1872 bought
merchant chips as they had done twelve years
previously, and thus created navy almost imme-
diately, privateers were fitted out with astonish-
inc rapidly. In three weeks after the declara-
ton of war, every New-EDgland seaport was alive
with activity in getting them ready for sea. This
city was equally active. Smart schooners were
armed manned, and of in a single week. Two
or three guns were all they wanted, while in
numberless cases single long tom was all they
asked for The next week brought them back
with from one TO half dozen prizes. The dash
and daring of these vessels was incredible, and
showed that IN the merchant service lay the great
national reliance. They secured every sea, haunted
every coast aud captured with the utmost au-
dacty on the coasts Of both England and Ire
land. Some of their exploits have never been ex-
ceeded by any performed in the Navy of any
country. The privateer Paul Jones, OF three
! guns, captured the ship llassan Of fourteen. The
Teazer, n mere cockboat with two guns, gallant
ly took the ship Osborne of ten guns and 500 tuns
burden She aiterward captured the Clark,
much larger vessel, with sixteen guns, having car
red her in few minutes by boarding. The
Franklin, of this port captured seven British
ships in a cruise of two weeks, oil of which were
armed. The John of Salem, took eleven in three
weeks. On one occasion an armed whale-boat
captured an English brig, on whose deck the boat
was aftcrward hoisted and carried by the brig
into Portland. Vessels belonging to the British
Navy were repeatedly captured by our prlvateers.
The defense of the General Armstrong, IN the
harbor of Fayal, has never been surpassed in gal
luptry All these vessels were commanded by
merchant captains whom the war had made idle,
not one of whom had served an hour IN the Navy.
Paul Jones' and in fact all the other command.
dcrs of national ships in tho Revolution, were
taken from the decks of merchantmen to the COM
mand of frgates Our early history is crowded
with the record of their brilliant achievements.
IL appears TO us that the Government is over
looking the immense power of this now hall idle
;,,orest Tho merchant service contains thou