The New York herald., 1862-02-09

number, untl he declares his warm attachment 10 Mr.
Morg and Mr.. Aspinwal although the letter ordering
the whaieshTs requested him purchase them with the
approval OF Mr. Morgan still, in his absence, and the
press necessities Of the purchase and considering the
high eulogiurns pronounced by the secretary
pnwali. the following statement n the lster Of the
Secretary is remarkable, and unsustainet by the ev
denco-
Had officer followed the orders given
him, these frauds would been perpetrated Bus
Mr. Morgan and the results we're gross fraud and The pur
chase OF which could not have been The case
prevailed and It's orders been obeyed. A
Tho attempt TO sacrifice Mr.. Aspnwal and Commodore
Breese In Mr. Morgans defence requires no comments
Still more remarkable is the charge OF the Secretary
when is remembered that the person referred 10 as
w. VApincds broker was Starbuck, the very man en-
poyed by Mr. Morgan as broker even the
purchase Of the Roman and Badger as appears BY tho
following letter
an ssr NJ rV% shall 90 j. The %s.
see y0u Very truly your 0OsdieGs EosoE sssSsn MORGAN
a1:.ss,es y & ss.s:. Jsss ssi l. .ss issi oa"F a-l
Il duo Breess that when the shpo
brought to the Navy Yard he discovered the fraud
informed the Secretary and desired have them consider
Mr. Aspinwa purchases which he understood vas done,
also refers TO the Penguin Abatross bought by Com
modors Brsese for SIS 900 EACH alleging that they
OF no greater tonnage than the stars and Srpes Ths
Albatross wero built for seagong vessels, with double
engines, and cost, probably in construction, onethird
tAoto snau tuo otaib uuu oN hho
says
In single transaction originally made with large ship
owner By commodoe Breess for Ave valuable steamers
Mr. Morgan was e%Royed to relieve the " s
sosysernnmen by his action In that TRANSACTION above
The explanation, as understand it, is this-The Com
modore in charterng the Eve vessels, required tho own
TO insert price at which they would sell to govern
ment. It mere proposition on their part 1t WAS
accepted; neither the government bound TO pay
t. The Secretary also adds
hey BY s lon Of this system purShsse
ppressed or aggrieyed
transaction In the month Of May last Rudolph Sieg
and James Jewett Co., Of New York city, own
by the name OF Burr claiming % be an agent and ad
wiser Of the Navy Department, proposed pur-
chase Jewet Co., TO prevent the extor.
of June wrote q letter TO the Secretary Of the
Navy offering to charter sell that vessel ut valuation
by thsm to the President Of tho United States The Sec.
retary returned an answer refusing TO charter pur
chase as she was unsuited for an armed ship Burrl
shortly after appears saying that he sell the rejected
steamer that he had returned from Washington and
asked authority from them TO sell to government which
July Burr came again and made an offer from tho Sec.
retaryof the Navy for the rejected steamer the con-
dition that the owners should pay IS 900 to him besides
to government officials for their assistance in selling this
vessel s9ewstt 4 Co. refused, procaimng that they
wss
60 70 bribs sov.rnmen, ofncias;. requesting Bur
rin 70 say . those who sent him, il the
an the place Of the New York sxty-ninth. Burrll
he had heard rom Wsshng.sn, and sha. he would with
draw tho condition. and they need only pay what they
at to allow him for his services They accepted and
the day gave Burrl bill OF sale for the Do
partent and be presented Of alterations required
IN the handwriting Of 9. n. Pook tho Naval Constructor
and Of the Board 10 examine vesse5 On the 2h OF
uD tho
through Burr Much TO the surprise Of the owners the
Secretary sent requistion 70 pay Burr the 500 900
for tho Merceda although the 10 the bill Of sale
that Of Sea OF and Jewsst Co.
threeenths. They succeeded in arranging that the
days after the date Of the requston an order was
the SubTressury for the money Mr.. George D. Morgan
did not appear in the negotiation until after the rsqus
tion for the money. He then cagno and demanded
sell or purchase, ~ the ewnsrs could not get
,,,i would copsen. to pay, he would write to wash.
ngton and urge the immediate remittance Of the money
The above facts must have been known to the Secretary
They written to Conn., Hudson, October 81, with
q request that they be fled in the Navy Department,
which doubtless done. Since the letter Of the
retary the committee have not had time to examine the
OF the Mercsdia but the foregoing and subss.
quen facts in connection with the purchase sustain
Cd by afhdavits Of Rudolph sieg and James Jewett
They testify that they did not know anything Of
George Morgan until after the purchase and delivery
Of the bin Of sale 70 the Department through Burril
that the 10th day of November they called Mr.. Nor
gam demanding repayment Of $2 $780, and he he had
credited to the Navy Department. That he had only
taken this sum 30 the Department might have 80 much
back IN case the Department elected 70 keep the
same the ground that he understood the Mercedita
only Ss4 Oo0 yet Mr.. Morgan, when be took the
sale Of the MorcsAa The owners deny that they ever
asked s120 600 for the steamer. although Mr. Morgan
claims in his statement that such amount was demanded
Of him. The Department fxed the value and negotiated
through the medium above stated. On the 17th OF
January Jewet Co. wrote another etscr TO the secre
tary which they rscto the Of their former com
plants. showing that they have been OpDree0ed
grievsd, in which they say
Do you think right 70 snae.yor 70 carry to the public
obtain $4,000 value and TO fose
o
PURCHASE HALLS CARBiSEs
Another remarkable transaction was the sale by the
Ordnance Bureau to Mr. Eastman OF five thousand
Halls carbinss which needed alteration TO
be useful for So so oach This private sale
time when the Department was buying arms which
had been condemned and sent from the arsenas of u
rope. After expenditure Of from rs cents TO 25
neral Fremont for s22 No wonder our expenses are
50 600 900 por daygovernment sells at 50 So In
short time buys back at $22. Or. Cummings bought
hundred Of the carbines for s15 The evi.
derce Of Major Hagner shows that Mr. Stevens was an
agent aid OF General Fremont This Mr. stevens de.
MES However the rel relation was one one Of ~ warm psrso-
structions TO purchase His despatch TO Fremont was
just such as an agent would send or one who had the
would be taken. AT all ayshs, the bargain was an
unconscionabc one whereby Stevens was to make about
in one day without mourning any risk or invest
ing any capital.
DEPARTMENT or THE WEST
There seemed TO bo green spot In the republic The
gross frauds upon the seaboard by the Potomac found
counterpart the banks OF the Mississippi The con-
tagion spread and fastened itself upon Department OF
the West bevy OF cormorants gathered around Fre-
mont who fsasng upon the blood they draw
ing from the nation-mors mpudent in their claims,
unblushng in their extortions There, here no
sales could be made with the government except through
the medium OF heartless contractors. There, here,
none but special avorites could share OF public bounty
Those willing to furnish choaply and well cast aside
while hardware firm, Child Pratt h Fox, were allowed
to furnish nearly 81 900 900 without ths formaty OF
fixing the price advance they procuring from tho very
who offered to supply the government, and the
offered prices while they charged advance OF twenty
FIVE 10 fifty per cent. Men In league with Quartermaser
McKnsry and his inspectors would rst extort from the
honest farmer and then unblushngy rob from the Toa
sury In building the forts 1t st. Louis more than
500 900 squandered upon prongate, unprincipsd
favorites These plundsrers, some imported from Cali
fornia, and somo for . long while in the employ and
receiving food and ramsnt from the gather
Cd around the person Of Fremont, and suffered to