The New York herald., 1869-09-23

Their Voyage TO Bahla-Sl0w Work-Chance
OF Their Ever Reaching Pcra-RepairS 70
be Made at Rio-The ADerican Omccrs
Leaving tho Mouitors-InterestinS Particu-
lars.
NEW YORK. Sept q. 1860.
To TIKI EDITOR or THE HBRALD:-
Having just returned from the Peruvian monitor
neet which, after ten months passage-or. rather
voyage-from New Orleans, had arrived 1t Bahia,
Brazil send you some details Of the voyage, which
I hope may be interesting to your readers. Tho
neet has now accomplished about one-dfth or Its
voyage to Peru and at the 1t ts travelling Q che
monitors last 80 long, will complete the passage out
In something less than four years. Fresh navy
officers keep coming from Peru to meet them,
although there are already more attached TO the
neet than can be stationed or employed on the diaer
ent snlps. The monitors Will have to undergo
extensive repairs at Rio Janeiro, II they are
fortunate enough to reach there Their wooden
beams and wooden decks under the deck plating,
which by survey declared rotten at New Orleans
before the neet sailed, are now in q badly decayed
condition. The ships are now 30 Timber that the
armor plates on deck work up ana down past each
other nearly 0nequarter OF antnch when there s any
sea on and the decks leak badly. The Peruvians
propose TO put iron beams and more stanchi0ns In
the ships AZ RIO, besides making other and exten-
slve repairs This will swell the already enormous
bills Of these monitors TO an extent that Will aston
ish the Peruvians home ana drain pretty heavily
tnat puano pie that seems TO support the whole gov
eminent ana great part OF Its people:
The officers IN charge OF the expenditures OF the
fleet seem to look pnilOsOphcalIy on this immense
outlay OF money, and as evidently large percent
age OF the bills they sign Is returned to them per-
sonay In cash commissions eaey Wl propaSy stana t
ing transport Pachitea, formerly the Anerl.
can steamer Arago, mas lately been doing
monitors from port to port and then going back
after the other, while the steamer Marranon, for
merry tae Havana SUI KEEPS d w sae aes ;r tba
sick and supernumerary officers. This steamer has
been abused until sue Ia past all towing duty, at
herself along at the rate Of about lour knots per
hour. The old Arago's boilers are bad also and II
she Is kept at this double duty Of towing and travel
ling three miles to make one. she Will soon be IN the
same condition as the Marranon. l do not think
these monitors can possibly reach Peru In their
present condition, as from past experience In them
am firmly OF the opinion that they Will sink In the
first real gale they encounter at sea. 1t Is only by
strengthening their decks with new beams ana extra extra
stanchiOns taking out the guns iron pilot houses
and other extra weight and closing over the tops 0
the turret5 tight and strong enough to stand the
pounding of heavy seas that these vessels can be
taken through the hign latltudes round to Peru-a
voyage that 1t would be q miracle to make without
enoounterlnx heavy weather:
have sometimes thought tnat che Peruvian off,
GERS attached to the reet intend to give up the
voyage impracticaDe and leave ths ships at Monte
videO. should Judge this from the reicarks they
themselves make about the monitQ2s. There are
now but three American deck Ofncefs remaining in
the feet. Some have left DISCUS, at che foolish
and unreasonable system In which they have been
compelled to carry on the duty, and others have
been Cloyed with the mixture Of boiled beans and
rice, that forms the staple food Of the Peruvian
wardrOOm. Peruvlans are again in command Of all
the vessels In the neet-mOnitOrs and transports
80 your readers may stand BY to hear OF another
sinking scrape, similar to the Reyes tragedy. There
win not be many Americans drowned next time
The few remaining In the feet will not stay long, as
their situation Is becoming daily more uncomIorta-