The New York herald., 1862-12-02
The Report OF the Navy Department..

The report OF Secretary Wellcs, presented
yesterday to Congress, is State paper highly
creditable to the American people, but reflects
little credit upon the Secretary himself From
his own showing tho nation is everything and
he is nothing mere cipher, an old fogy, in
coInpetcut to direct the magnificent forces
placed in his hands by the spontaneous enthu
siasm 81 The country
Fo,u powerful squadron- have been called
into existence sufficient to guard the entire
sweep Of our Atlantic and Gull coast from
the mouth Of the Chesapeake to the mouth
of the Rio Grande. The West India
Islands in the possession of the Bri-
tish government give peculiar facilities
70 English vessels to run the blockade: and yet
such il the risk that it has become losing con-
Germ and at least one specuator in England
has been broken by it. But with such force
under hi. direction the Secretary Of the Navy
ought moi to allow o single breach Of the block
ade, and he ought to have swept the Southern
priyateets from the ocean. The Nashville. the
Sumter. tie Alabama and other vessels in the
rebel service have committed tremendous de-
predations on American commerce, notwith-
standing the enormous naval force at the dis
posai Of the Secretary Of The Navy
Again: New Orleans. Memphis. Galveston,
Port Royal, Forts PULASKI, Macon. Jackson, st.
Philip. Henry. Doneson and Pillow have been
captured. but tbess victories, though brilliant
and glorious. have not been decisive. The de-
oisiye points of the war Secretary Wcles has
permitted to slip through bis fingers. He did
not render the necessary and stipulated aid to
General Mcclellan on the James river in the
plan TO capture Richmond. Hence the humia-
ton Of our navy in Hampton Roads By the
Mcrrimac, the paralysis of the operations oil
the army. and the final disastrous retreat from
the Chickahomny and the James and the rout
Of the army of Pope, the invasion OF Maryland
and Pennsylvania and the narrow escape of
Washington. Secretary Welles did not play his
part in the programme. lie tailed, as the New
York republican papers OF yesterday admit
that he War and Navy Departments have mise.
rably failed in the carrying out OF their roles in
cooperation with Burnside on the Rappahan
mock. What avails it to us that we have one
hundred aud four sailing vessels and three hun
dred and twenty three steamers in the navy
amounting 70 four hundred and twenty-seyen in
all land mounting thrty-twc hundred and sixty
eight guns. IL there is not some intelligent, encr-
gctic mind to guide their operations. The Mer-
rimac was permitted to keep at bay our whole
navy in defence OF tho James river till the
rebels accumulated such an army at Richmond
as it was impossible for Mcclellan to resist, with
his expected reinforcements cut off by orders
from Washington.
The manner in which Secretary Welles CLOSES
over the results Of the terror inspired by the
rebel steamer is as unique as his claim to the
credit OF the design Of the Monitor, whose
achievements caused the great rebel steamer
to commit suicide. The Monitor was at first
private enterprise, Of which Welles never
dreamed. He was all the time fast asleep, like
Rip Van Winkle, ir the famous hollow, while
the world advanced twenty years.
There is one thing for which the Secretary Of
the Navy deserves some credit and that is
tha, he did not award one of the contracts to
New London, I'm his own State but to differ
ent locality. What effect the exposure of the
two and half per cent commission to his
brother-in-law Morgan, and his purchase OF
worthless ships at high prices may have
had in bringing him to this point. we cannot
determine. But II seems to be health
full symptom, mainly produced by the
recent elections, like some other indications in
the documents laid before Congress yesterday
by other servants Of the people
On the whole We come to the conclusion that
the report Of the Secretary Of the Navy is the most
decisive testimony ever borne to the energy and
naval resources Of great people, while, by the
contrast Of tho means at his dispose. and the