The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-12-04

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Lincoln.
We submit his Message to our readers. i
furnishes good chart Of sailing directions for
Congress; and by it the two houses can hardly
80 astray, II they are controlled by the same pa.
triotic devotion to the Union.
The Report ofthe Secretary OF the Navy.
The report of Mr.. Secretary Wellcs embraces
three or four points Of very general interest and
Importance and Is therefore document which
will be extensively read by all classes Of the
commG2ity. The document is plain, intelli-
cible and simple statement Of the work Of the
Naval Department 81 e. the government since the
4th Of March last. The pub.iic will be somewhat
surprised to learn the vast augmentation Of our
naval force that has been effected within the
short space Of eight months. Mr.. Welles gives
the facts and figures, and we will take theliber-
ty OF summarizing them.
Our effective navy at home and abroad con-
sisted, on the 4th of March last, Of AZ YES
sells Of all classes, carrying 555 guns and about
1900 men. The Department set to work to re-
pair and have put in commission the vessels ly-
ing at the various navy yards dismantled and
in ordinary; to have additional vessels con-
structed, and to purchase and fit out mercantile
vessels; and so theoretically was this work per-
formed that we have now navy Of 264 vessels
Of the aggregate tonnage of 21S061 TONS manned
by about 22 900 seamen. Compare these figures
with those Of March last, and the wonderful ener-
gies which the Department has put forth will
be apparent in the result. The estimate Of ex-
penses for the fiscal year ending June 80, 1868,
is s44,G25,GG5 OF.
Secretary Welles Is prudently reserved on
the subject of the blockade. 1t is apparent that
ON that point he does not claim much credit for
the navy. He does speak, indeed, Of "the brief
and feeble chase" Of the privateer Sumter by
the steamer Brooklyn, aud says that an investi-
cation into the matter was ordered But if he
cannot take credit to his department for the
manner in which the blockade is enforced, the
successful naval expeditions furnish him with
sufficient cause for satisfaction. He gives sue
cnct history of the capture efforts 1iatteras and
Clark, ON the North Carolina coast, by the ex-
petition under command of Commodore String
ham and General Butler, and Of forts Beaure-
gard and Walker, at the entrance TO Port Royal,
by the expedition under command Of Commo-
dore Dupont and General Sherman: also of the
occupation of Tybee island, at the mouth of the
affords him the gratifying opportunity ofsaying
that ''the fihg Of she Union is again unfurled in
Georgia" The report contains short para
graph referring to the projected movement on
the Mississippi river 1t also alludes to the
operations of the @stone feet which was sent,
it says, ITO Distract the channels of Charleston
harbor and Savannah river"
The Secretary Of the Navy commends and en-
dorses the action Of Commodore Wilkes in in
tercepting the British steamer Trent, in
the Bahama channel, on tho 9Th Of
November, and taking from her the
rebel conspirat0rs Mason and Slidell. He
does mot speak Of them as minister's or
commissioners" or "emissaries," but only as
"dis!oyal citizens and leading conspirators.v
1.-THE prompt and decisive action Of Captain
Wilkes" he says, 'merited and received the en-
phatic approval Of the Department" and he
iatimates thai the non-seizure of the Trent her.
self must not be regarded as precedent
hereafter.
Mr. Welles manifests like sklful avoidance
of the use of word Of doubtful propriety when
lie comes TO discuss the question of fugitive
slaves, as he does in discussing the arrest of the
rebel Commissioners He does not once ailude
to them as slaves, and no one would imagine,
from reading the paragraph on the subject, that
it referred to negroes at all. He speaks Of them
simply as "fugitiyes from insnrrectionary
places" and he expresses his opinion that these
fugitivcs, if insurgents, should be handed over
10 the custody Of the government; but if free
from any voluntary participation in the rebel
lion. they should he cared FOR and employed in
some useful manner. There is no question Of
color or Of statas in this 1t applies to white as
well as to black. We recognise the ingenuity
Of Secretary Welles in this matter, and do not
know that we have any fault to find with his
proposition. These are all the points in the
report Of the Secretary Of the Navy to which we
deem it necessary to refer.
Annnnf ReuCrf on Past Office.