The New York herald., 1870-12-05
\ THE N a v Y.
Annual Report OF Secretary
RGbesOH.
Work of Our Ships-of-W War
During the Past Year.
3M IATER0CEANEC CANAL SURVEYS
NJ -@-,~~~-~---~.>~~>>~---~~--
encouragement of Iron
ship Building.
M IHTER0CEANIC CANAL SURVEYS.
Expenses and Estimates OF the
Naval Service.
NAVY DEPARTMENT, Dec. !, II


SIEr--I respectfully submit the following report OF
the Navy Department and the naval service for the
last year.
At the date Of my last report the navy OF the
United States consisted OF ISs ships OF all
classes calculated TO carry, when in commits
sion l,S22 guns exclusive OF howlzers. Since that
time four small gunboats-the Seminole and the
Clinton Qug, at home and the Maumee and the
Unadiln in the East--have been condemned as un-
seaworthy aud sold. Tne tug Rescue was also sold
under an act Of Congress, to the government OF
Liberia, through the agency OF the President OF that
republic, who visited TINS country with authority to
carry out the requirements OF the law.
On the 81 OF January last the tug Maria was run
into and sunk on Long Island Sound, with loss Of
four men, and on the night OF The 24th the same
month The steam soop Oneida, cut down by the
English passenger steamer Bombay, sunk in the
bay of Jeddo. with the loss OF most Of her officers
and crew. &
Thus reduced, the navy consists at this time or
ls1 vessels calculated to carry 1909 guns or these
dy-two Of the iron-cad or monitor class O! the
remainder thllty are sailing vessels without any
steam power, and the balance steamers or sailing
vessels with auxiliary steam power or these forty
I've vessels, Including store and hospital ships,
mounting 465 guns, are attached to the several
reets, and four others, mounting seven guns, are
receiving ships at The stations and the tugs
and small vessels ON duty at the navy yards and
stations, make the naval force now In commission.
Ten Others mounting las guns, arc ready for sea,
and wil join the several neets AZ soon az they re.
ceiye their complement Of men. These, however,
cannot be enlisted till the ships which are returning
to this country shall have discharged their crews.
Oi the remainder, whose names are borne on tho
register thirteen arc On the stocks in various stages
Or
" unfit Tor service or repair.
During the period which has passed since my last
report the United states OF America have seen
at peace with all nations, and the duties
81 her navy have been nowhere those Of active hos
Mlty Eut the attitude Of this branch OF the public
service must always be III some degree wariike
since 1t represents abroad the military power Of the
Inc country is expected to protect the rights which
mat represents from the attacks 0f barbarlc gnor-
snce ana the encroachments OF civilized power.
Our people, peaceful, prosperous and secure at
home, and representing peculiarly the civilization
VI humanity and peace are slow to realize trials
tQ which their governmental, commercial ana reli.
Klous representatives, scattered throughout the
world are often subjected and the sudden and
sometimes appalling dangers which threaten 80 ire
quenty their personal safety and our national
honor But those who are charged with the duty OF
anticipating as far as may be, such dangers. and Of
guarding against them are ever oppressed Dy their
y presence and by the want OF adequate power at
command for protection or redress.
Almost every foreign mall during the past year has
brought, through the appropriate channels, TO the
Navy Department, from our citizens aud representa-.
III
are sometimes appeals Tor that assurance Of safety
and protection abroad which is only Afforded by
the presence OF an armed vessel Of the govern
ment.
Wherever civilization is backward commerce and
Christianity ire only safe under The guardianship OF
power wherever governments are unsettled or ar
bitrsry the property and the persons OF strangers OF
every class are in continual danger, and all over the
world, wherever war 1nnames the passion,
OF civilized man, the authority OF law
Is loosened, the securities OF government unsettled
ana the influence OF civilized society weakened
their governments constant and careful protection.
On our own continent war In the West indies and
complications on the fishing banks have called
simultaneously for the presence OF our cruisers at
both eXtremities Of The North Atlantic station. From
the isolated groups OF tine Pacific and from every
struggling government OF the south we called
upon TO protect the persons and property OF our cti
furope' from the Baltic to the Bosphorns the Sc.
Curity of American interests and tue rights OF Ame-
rican citizenship demand al TINS juncture the pres
ence OF our nag: and IN the haf-civiIzed East our
commerce is constantly startled by outbreaks which
DEFY the power of even friendly governments.
at our last adviccs Christian missionaries. fright
ened from their chapels and school houses were
being returned on board man-of.war, and any
day we may hear that some preventative o our gov
ernment more than ten thousand miles from our
capital, has found his only safety under cover OF our
naval guns.
stances entail the Navy Is at this time
prosecuting, under the authority OF Congress,
Two surveys across the isthmus which con-
meets the northern and southern portions of our
continent, ana making, under Ike authority, sound
lQgS aud gurVeyS 11r lines OF telegraph and
dredging and improvement of harbois OF refuge and
rcsert on our coast end IN midecean we are also
about to contribute, under special legislative drec-
Nop, vessel and Its appliances To scientific eXpe.
! tijlion toward the North Pole.
10 answer as lar as possible the requirements i'm;
our navy, but the iulfllment OF this duty
must, OF course, depend upon the proper
ton which the means aG its command bear to
the Character and frequency of the circumstances
calling Tor attention and the vast distances which
must be traversed tc apply them. The navl cable
nf I'm erfn arntAt tlnin af
100000 600 square miles, are DIVIDED for the purpose
OF our naval operations, into i've distinct cruising
stations, to each OF which Is assigned such OF our
naval force as the circumstances Of cach may re-
qn,re and the means at the command OF the depart
ment permit me limits M o. these @ stations a1 have not
has the department been able to increase, to any
great extent the force assigned TO each OF them.
The North Atlantic station, extending northward
from the mouth OF the Amazon and westward from
the fortythird degrees Of longitude west OF Green.
wich, embraces more than 5000 miles Of our own
coast line the Atlantic and tine Gulf and Includes
within Its limits all the West India islands ana the
countries OF South America. the force on tnis sta
ton Is under the commander Rear Admiral $. P. Lee
VINO relieved Rear Admiral Y. OR on the 10th Of
gress, the TuscarOra, the Swatara, the Nantasket,
tse Yantc, the Kansas ana the Nipsic with the tug
Pilgrim, and the lron-clads Dictator Terror, Ajax
and Sangus, and the Pawnee as q hospital ship,
making In all fourteen ships including the tug, and
yesseis-the TuscarOra the NaBtasket the Dictator,
and the Saugus-have Deen reftted or repaired dur.
ng s pa yey Ke, Tss s
senent station, within six hours sail OF Havana,
and IN direct communication by telegraph with
Washington. or this 1eet the four monitors, with
the hospital ship and tug, cannot be considered as
~crulsers:-the latter is stationed permanently at
headquarters and the former, whose movements
are slow and expensive, are kept ready for emer-
gencies, and move only to points where display OF
force s called for The steamera Nipsic aud Kansas
OF this squadron, are at present engaged special
service connected with the surveys OF the Daren
and Tehuantepec routes. During the past
year the vessels OF this feet have been
largely engaged In cruising among the West India
Islands. especially 10 the nclghbornood OF
san Domingo, to the government VI which
AZ the pending treaties; and In the waters o Cuba,
where condition Of civil strife demanded the con-
stant presence OF eur ships for the protectien OF
American interests. These waters embrace an area
W 500, 600 square miles. The island Of 81 poningo
itself has coast line OF over 100 mites, white that
waters the force Of other and distant naops lar ex-
teedcd our own. The French and English neets on