New-York daily tribune., 1861-09-13
THE DRpRNsEs OF NRw-YORM.

cIcCdOu VI new htItHsts IOI toIl NUbPVCtfo
cities. II is not fear of rebel iaroads that gives
impulse to this movement, neither is it appre-
hension of attack from foreign powers, their
present peaceful attitude toward us being such
Ms to render hostile demonstration extremely I'M
probable even in the distant future. But it origin.
ates in settled conviction that our detenses are
inadequate for the protection OF two such ceuters
of commerce and manufactures; that such CEN
ters nre the chosen targets at which hostile
fleet would first strike; AID that ships and can
non have within ten years been 81 revolution
ized in heetness, power, and destructyenes', as
tO render the old defenses worthless. Wide at
peace with other nations and among ourselves,
| we have been content to leave the Notifications
of our harbors tO the Government. 1t has been
lavish of expenditure for this object, but sectional
preferences have caused it to be made for the
benefit of mean and insignificant Southern towns,
into which foreign commerce enters, and from
which the product Of Slave labor alone Is eI-
ported, while every commercial metropolis at tho
North has secured, alter humlating urgency,
only the stingiest appropriations. 1t built %
forts in the Slave States. the two at Saynuush
aud Mobile costing than $1,000, 900; and
sixteen of the whole number, costing SG,5OO,-
coo, without estimating the value Of the ,262
cannon and armament they contain, have
been stolen by the ingrates for whose protection
they were built. While these enormous sums
were being expended upon contemplate South
ern hatbOrs, the corrupt aud cOwardly repre-
sentatives of Northern commerce and manuiac-
tures devOured by lust for place apd spol,,
either asked for no corresponding appropriations
for their own magnificent cities, Or slunk back
from any demand they might have made, at
the first crack OF the plantation lush, yielding
every thing tue slave interest demanded, and
abandoning every just requistcn of their own.
Fine harbors in slaveboidng States have bern
made the convenient plea for the establish
ment Of vast nuyy.yards, on which untold
millions have been expended, even the stone ani
iron required for their construction and efficiency
being supplied from the North. Ships were
there built, poorly and at great co.t; fleets we're
there required to rendezvous TO be- pad oil and
reiicted; aud the skilled North was contemptu-
Ousy tsbooed along thousand miles OF sea
coast that high prices might BE- pad for chatiel
labor in Government works The consequences
of this sectional fayorltism are now apparent
in the weakness of our defenses and the feeble
ness of our navy-yards.
Being thus awakened to full consciousness of
our true condition, it is natural that twO such
communities as New-York and Philadc. phla
should move for the protection Of the vast in-
terests they have at stake. The latter city has
no land batteries Even the feeble breastworks
thrown up around her suburbs during the
threatened invasion Of the British in 1872, have
disappeared to make way for new railroads or
new buildings. Her harbor detenses are not
only meager in conception, but wretchedly In
complete. One of them is represented to be
crumbllng TO pieces, and all, if brstEng with
cannon, are not what such a city requires.
New.York has been better cared for. We
have secured some concessions, but even they
were wruDg reluctantly from the fierce Oligarchy
which jealously demanded a for itself Our
Chamber Of Commerce has done good work in
asking the Government to see that this metropo
LIS is made impregnable.
The recent war of France and England against
Russia is full of meaning for American seaports
teaching them what they may expect should
either Of these nations wage war with us. That
was emphatically maritime war. As the Allies
then struck first at the seapOrts, 50 will they here
after strike ut ours; and those most vital to the
commerce Of the country VIII be the first OBJ
iects Of attack. The defense of Cronstadt was
of immense importance TO Russia but not more
50 than that of this city to our whole country.
II was, accordingly one of the first points
attacked. If Cronstadt fell, the capital of the
Empire would be open to invasion. But 1t was
the great military and naval depot of the En-
pire, and its safety had been so well provided |
for by forts mounting upward Of 600 heavy
guns, that in vain did the French and British
fleets occasionally attack and constantly threaten
it during q period of two years. The approaches
TO ST. Petersburg BY water had been ofiectually
guarded. IL was the same thing at SeyastopO
where the water approaches we're thoroughly de-
Tended. 1t was the unfinished condition Of the
land deienses which alone caused the city to fall
SevastopCl was merely the Russian naval depot
on the Black Sea--tO which fact it owed all its
Importance; yet it was defended by 700 guns,
500 Of which were in casemated batteries.
The single battery at kinburn, mounting - ggns,
was knocked to pieces in four hours, its edifces
burned. IFS cannon dismounted and the whole
work made wreck. But to effect this it re-
quired, as the English quota, six steam line-of-
battle ships, II steam fdgates and soops, l6 gun
and mortnrboats, with l3 tenders and transports,
52 in all, carrying l,5OO guns and 5000 troops.
There WAS on additional French force ofliucrs,
rs,.t,.s ond cunhoots beside three heavy floating