New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-01-17

,Iieb II de.msobiectionable and which cited 10
conArn its positions and reflect on the action oil the
Department. r..
,;,,ao ia no haas NJ fair an exposiO0 M could be
o. cd "a 10 the polcy Of the Department Oh the ore
- GA tIo;r eco nmendaIOn on The ether. VIM
ON, con,ing ot bngh the sla'tment Of the Comm
tee or ii Q letes and decisions OF the Department,
the fac,s are these: TIE Navy Department, IA 'ne
rnc,th Of Nav addressed letter 10 Co'nhoaoie
Traese then il command of the Navy-iaro az
B,ookIyn. directing hin, ia conj 'nc'l2l WIN or
George d. Moran, to purchase two o. three W"ai.us
sL;rs 10 be u,ed as coal hulls, for the DlOcha,n5
sondrou. Tie vessels were pnrchasei, 10, " eIi.
Moran. but by avail officer. The Committee say
that Commodore Is eese, ,,-,,. ...,o.,, citizen Of
NewYorI Mr. " lan II. Aspin~sll who Is wen IS 'ne
c. mmodore seed with entire good lsih IN !ne 70
rurchn.s for the Goseromep two whale hlps tor ths
odcsted lie furnished with uIos ~ r si ,bs, -,
price paid roth ship de Rs,sE the he .Sp R
, qa5,ha h, sod Mr. Starbuck the Roman at b" own
.,br in New sIford for +40O cash never having .esn
ming Mr. Baker wro bill Of sale to Mr. ssrbucs VINO TO-
Snrtea him 70 inset instead Of bic own name tnst o.
lend Mr. Henry J. r. 1mas. who then io' the nf "' ~
peaed in connection wiz, tie Roman; ,, ,b,e
This was done, andi name OF MI. lhoinsS tuus
appeared as that Of pufShaser, ana his Gheehs
given for the paw. Ioe shlp william bacge1 wo
pur hs.ed for s., 500, in q sr1iar manner, by star
buck. IN the presence OF Thomas, who accompanied
him in this iustsnce; but the bill OF fae WA niaoe
TO Thomas, at the request OF St.r6d'k, ana lnoma'
peye his checks for the amount. From TIE testimony
~ the Cashier of IL o bank on which these checks
were drawp-Mr. L. Williams Haryey, see page
3l9it appears that Starbuck placed TO the credl' oi
Tbonnas In the same bank, sums CORRESPONDENCE
The checks tnus drawn by Thomas IN pay ment LOT
the vessels. the same day the checks were drawn
Indeed Thomas hlmsef reluctantly confesses osi9le
the Communicated bis testi noDy, page 3oi-ooi-
that Starbuck paid all the money for these ships
and that he had himself no interest In tueD. Ills
language WAS, Il got all my money; am neither
out nor in in the business lie immediately trans,
lerred the ships in blank; yet both Thomas and
Starbuck MADE afdavits at the Navy Department,
that Thomas sold 10 Siarbuck the ship Roman Tor
g. 400 and the ship William Badger for - ioo, and
that Thomas war the bona fde owner OF SAID ships
| Ibese remark able sfidavits ars as follows:
certify that on eighteenth day Of May, 1901 sold
w II S,srbuck Of the hTm Of TspPan s'sIpue1 tne 30
Roman, for the Of 40 and The stP m bsdfer io
tie .uni Of 49, ard III. bona dde owner Of both tn.
sid having purchased iben dsDsntlrd and hed then
up with rsgng sail, boetI. &c. with my own money
oep,s given the time gave him an agreement to slow ~
mission Of y cent on the amount OF tne sac o. tnr
ships. pay the expenses OF hitting the sps here
further certify hs the sald W. H. siabuck acted only
for the sale Of said hs sad had no iuteies what
ever IN The business 0s'''' inc 'V %HESRY THOMAS
hCommonWealh
me WV. W. tH,PO notary Public"
This is to certify tina, under authority from Commodore
purchase two tires whsns vessels inepded t'i
coal helt. expressly on that business; and examined
81 purchased OF Heury + Thomas the william Badger Tor
the , TO- aud the Roman for the Sum OF $40 had
direct Indirect the transaction beyond tue
u.uL Hi.,on Of cent on the ,se TO ever my
r-ns.. aud roub In addition to which commission Of
.r cent paid sdyaciDs the money athe owner DE-
handed cash on delivery Of bills 81 sale.
sd the above tips thoroughly eIsmlned and bored oy
n..i., caro.n,.r W h. sTARBUCK.
aud sworn before this sd day Of July
1861 ASDRkW X CULVER, Notary Public"
! Upon these aihdayits the Government paid Star
buck xIiil0 for these two shIs, for which, willie
acting rs the Government agent, he paid only So,Jo
lie Was pad, in addition per cent commission upoI
$li so for his own services, aud the additional com
/ mission OF =, per cent upon the same sun Tor ad
waning the money The Committee would ask
comparison o; these aidayts with The testimony be
lore referred TO, found on pages III 10 3bl, anC
especially with that Of Thomas himself, page 81
aud confidently invoke the condemnation OF the
House urou the whole transaction.
This il the statement Of facts presented by Oh,
/ Committee A pal able and gross fraud war perpe
ttaied IN this purchase. and money was obtsine,
/ from the Government by islse swearing. The Com
n itte- CONVEYS the impression that the Department
ana its mercantile agent were culpable Tor tbs grea
wrong But the Department had nothing TO do will
Mr. Starbuck, the broker, or Mr.. AspinwalI who
with Com. Breeze. selected him, and advanced Toe
money and advised the purchase. Had the nava
officer followed the orders that wers given him
these frauds would not have been penetrated. But
Com Breese employed MIR. Aspinwnlls broker, and
not Mr. Morgan, and the results were a gross fraud
and tie purchase Of inferior vessels, which would
no, have been the had the policy which the De
partment was then lnstuing prevailed, and iis or
des been obeyed.
NAV be allowed to add what the Committee en-
fafa hat n plV ta hl I.
for these vessels when sent forward, from convic.
ton aud also from such information as could obtain
that there WA something wrong i'll the transaction
and / wrote Commodore Breese that should not
order payment until the original bills were produced
or verified by OATH Whatever, therefore, there ls on
wrong H. this entire transaction liz not attributable
10 the Department. 20 ts policy its agent, bat
TO the naval officer whose professional skill the Com
mittee deem Indispensable TO successful business
Transactions, and 10 that system which they CON-
mend ~ preferable 10 commercial usage. l deem IL
important that the correspondence between the De
psrtment aud Commodore Breese, at the time, IN
Ltion ~ this matter, should be published ia ord,
that all the facts may be Known, and accordingly
annex q copy Of that correspondence TO this report.
Ii is proper to add that copy of this same corre
spondence was forwarded by NE TO the Investigating
Committee of the House of Representatives - early
as last. do not perceive, however, that
any allueon Ia made to it in their reportan ouis-
sion which, considering the character Of the report
aud the character OF the Correspondence, ID certainly
remarkable.
Among the large number Of purchases that were
made under the mercantile usage, which the report
alluded 10 denomnates a Z" remarkable arrange
nent," that of the Stars and Stripes is selected ~
furnishing the most pointed testimony that the policy
Of tie Department was wrong aud the agent an iui
proper person to be selected for that duty. "a pres
ented by tue Committee and in point Of fact, it is
probably the strongest, and perhaps only case tina,
can he sddueed in their behalf The Committee Say
they desire to present:
"A simple Instance Of deception practised upon
La