The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1871-04-11
Mlioblfbmp 8egister
TUESDAY. APRIL II. 1871.
Rcport of the Secretary Of the Navy.

Report OF the secretary ci '"e N"Nv'
The report of Hon. George NJ. Robe
son, Secretary OF the navy, for 1871
shows that our navy consists Of Isl YES
sells, calculated to carry ! 300 guns, exclu-
siye of howitzers. Since the previous re-
port four small gunboats have been con-
demned as unseaworthy and sold; the
tug Rescue was sold to the government
of Liberia, the Maria was run into and
sunk on Long Island sound Jan. 8, 1870,
and on the night of the Gath of the same
month the steam sloop Oneida cut down
by the English passenger steamer Bonn
bay, sunk in the bay Of Yedo with the
loss of most of her officers and crew.
Thus our naval force was reduced dur
ing the year by the loss Of several vessels
OF our present available fore so ves-
sells are of the iron.clad class, 30 are
sailing ships without any steam power,
and the balance are steamers or sailing
vessels with auxiliary steam power. OF
these As vessels, including store and hos
pital ships, mounting 465 guns, are at
tached to the several fleets, and four 9TH
ers, mounting guns, are in commission
for special service. These, with six re-
oeiving ships at the various 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 143 guns, are ready for sea-
and will join the several fleets as soon as
they receive their complement Of men
These, however, cannot be enlisted till
the ships which are returning to this
country shall have discharged their crews
OF the remainder, whose names are borne
on the register, 10 are on the stocks il
various stages of forwardness, 10 are un
der repair at the various yards, and the
balance are laid up in ordinary. or as un
fit for service or repair.
In addition to the ordinary work O
the navy in time of peace, such as pro
tccting the mail service, sustaining oul
consuls and missionaries and citizens ii
foreign lands and cruising in foreign wa
tiers ready to defend the honor Of our ma
ton by fierce if necessary, importan
surveys have been made under the au
thsrity of Congress as for instance, for
ship canal across the Isthmus of Darien
though the routes surveyed were found tt
be impracticable they have made sound
ing for oceanic telegraphs, dredged TO
the improvement Of harbors in midocean
and on our coasts, and aided various sci
entifc expeditions &c.
Our ships are now scattered all owe
the navigable waters of the globe, Il
vessels in the North Atlantic Station
which embraces about 5000 miles from
the mouth of the Amazon northward
The South Atlantic Station has at presen
but four vessels. The Pacific Station
has a North and South Pacific Squadron
the former consisting of I ships the lat
ter of FIVE ships. There are now eigh
ships in the European Station and I ship
in the Asatic Station.
The Secretary reports marked i'm
provment in the character and conduc
of the men enlisting in the service an
the general discipline and efficiency c
the crews of our men-of.war. He call
attention to the need of improving tn
condition of our navy yards, recommend
the establishment of photographic offic
with appropriations to cover needful cz
penses, the establishment Of an inland n
tire depot, the appropriation Of funds ft
the trial of ordnance experiments an
the establishment of navy yard on tf
chargeable to the Navy appropriation
since the date of the last report and u
to the LIST of December, is the sum SIS
0S5, l65 IL. This amount will be Sigh
ly, but only apparently, increased by tn
payments Of adjudicated prize-mone,
and the bouuties given by Congress
the heirs of those lost in the Oneid,
which sums, though chargeable to othe
funds, will appear in the general sum {
naval expenditure, decrease of expend
ture from the preceding year of 81 ,096
ll9. SO And an encouraging featur
Of this reduction of expenditure and tn
general administration of this departmer
is that the expenditures have fallen with
in the estimates made at the beginnin
of the year.
On the whole the Secretary's repoi
exhibits healthy condition though it
evident enough that there is need Of il
creased appropriations and facilities.