Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1863-12-17
NUMBER 81.

of the Treasury to which invite your
attention. 1t is sufficient to say
here that it is not believed that the
actual results will exhibit state Of
the finances less favorable to the coun-
try than the estimates of that officer
heretofore submitted, while it conf
IDENTIFY expected that at the close of
the year disbursements and debts will
be found very considerably less than
has been anticipated 6"". ..T..
The report of the Secretary of War
is a document of great interest. 1t
consists of: 'H@7 .... 40"
First, the military operations of the
year, detailed in the report of the
General-in.Chief Second, the organi.
zation Of colored persons into the war
service. Third, exchange Of prison
ers fully set forth in the letter of Gen.
Hitchcock. Fourth, operations under
the act for enrolling aud calling out
the National forces detailed in the re.
port of the Provost Marshal Gener.
al. Fifth, the organization Of the In.
valid Corps. Sixth, the operations of
the several departments of the Quar-.
termastcr General, Commissary Gen.
etal, Paymaster General, Chief of En-
gineers, Chief of Ordnance and Sur
geon General. 1t appears impossible
to make reliable summary of this
report, except such as would be too
extended for this place, and hence |
content myself in referring your at
tention to the report itself. ...
Dates devolving on the naval
branch of service during the year and
throughout the whole of this unhap-
py contest, have been discharged with
fidelity and eminent success. The ex-
tensive blockade has been continually
increasing in efficiency as the navy
has expanded, yet it has so far been
impossible to entirely suppress Illicit
trade. From the returns received at
the Navy Department. it appears that
more than one thousand vessels have
been captured since the blockade was
instituted. and that the value of priz-
es already sent in for adjudication
amounts to over $l3 .O00, 900.
The naval force of the United States
consists at this time of five hundred
and tifty-eight vessels completed and
in the course of completion, and of
these seventy-fve are ironclad ar
mored steamers. The events of the
war give increased interest and i'm
portance to the navy which will prob
ably extend beyond the war itself
The armored vessels in our navy
those completed and in the service, or
which are under contract and APP
preaching completion--are believed
to exceed in number those of any 9th.
er power But while these may be
relied upon for harbor defences and
sea-coast surveys, others of greater
strength and capacity will be neces-
sary for cruising purposes and to main
tain our position on the ocean. The
change that has taken place in navy
vessels and naval warfare since the
introduction of steam as "a motive
power for ships of war, demands eth.
er corresponding change in some of
our existing navy yards or the estab-
lishment Of new ones for the construc-
tion and necessary repair Of modern
war vessels. No inconsiderable EN-
barrassment, delay and public injury
has been experienced OH account Of
the want of such government estab-
lishments. The need of such a navy
yard, SO furnished, at some place On
the Atlantic sea-board, has on repeat
ed occasions been brought to the at
tention of Congress by the Navy De-
partment, and is again presented in
the report of the Secretary, which &C.
companies this communication. .r
think it my duty to invite your
special attention to this subject, and
also to that Of establishing a yard
or depot for naval purposes upon
one of the Western rivers. A naval
force has been created on these interior
waters, and under many disadvantage
es, within the lasttwo years, exceeding
in numbers the whole naval force Of
the country at the commencement of
the present administration. Satisfac-
tory and important as have been the
performances of the heroic men of the
navy, at this interesting period, they
are scarcely more wonderful than the
services of our mechanics and arti.
sans In the production of war vessels,
which has created new form of ma.
val power. a.
Our country has advantages supe-
rior to those of any other nation in
its resources of iron and timber, with
inexhanstable quantities of fuel in the
immediate vicinity Of both. and all
| available and in close proximity to nav
igabie waters. Without the advan-
tage Of public works, the resources
of the nation have been developed
and its power displayed in the con-
struction Of navy OF such magnitude,
which has, at the very period Of it's
creation, rendered signal service to
the Union.
The increase Of the number of seamen
in the public service from seven thou
sand men, in tho spring of 1861, to
about $4,000 at the present time, has
been accomplished without especial
Legislation, or extraordinary boun-
ties to promote that increase. Ii has
been found, however. that the opera
tion of the draft, with high bounties
paid for army recruits. is beginning
to affect, injuriously. the naval SER
vice, and will, il not corrected, be like
ly to impair its efficiency 10y detach,
ing seamen from their proper vocation
and inducing them to enter the army
| therefore respectfully suggest that
Congress might aid the army aud na-
Wy service by adequate provision on
this subject which would at the same
time be equitable to the community
more especially Interested. lrecom-
mend to your consideration the sug-
gestion OF the Secretary of the navy,
in regard to the policy OF fostering
and training seamcn for the ma
val service. The naval academy is
rendering signal service in preparing
IL