The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-12-03
CAPITAL NOTES.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY
OF THE NAVY.

OF THE NAVY.
important Review Of Our Foreign Conn
Accommodation as to
Our Merchant Marine.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2.-The Secretary Of the
OF vessels In tie navy, as follows: Sxty-seyen
steamers and twenty three sailing vessels six
and 81 thu hs rdp9
and by whom they are commanded and a full
statement OF the condition and strength OF the
adjust the appropriations to the necessities of
the service and the condition Of the treasury.
paas nsre g gre rss Twelve m 9 @ ads hdd At be@ 9 e
ployment when needed. In the list OF vessels
In active service, in ordinary, undergoing re-
stocks at New York. SO decayed (having been
built of white oak timber) as not to be worth
completing. The MASSACHUSETTS, is in the same
condition at Kittery. as also the Oregon at
The wreck Of the Huron Gis alluded to- and
the Secretary will make the report of the board
toinvestgate the cause of her unfortunate loss
the subject of a special message to Congress
when the result is ascerained The Connect
cutand Pennsylvania are at Boston; he Iowa
and Susauehanna at New York; the Congress,
Kansas and Sabine at Kittery; the Worcester
and Shawmut at Norfolk; the Saco Nyack and
Cyone at Mare Island, and the Frolic at Wash
The New Orleans, at Sackett's Harbor, is also
mentioned as SO much decayed as to be untitled
for repairs or completion. The Rio Bravo was
sent up the Rio Grande river more than a year
ago and Is anchored % at BrpWsyille from which
stream in consequence of tho shallowness of
the water. She can therefore only render such
assistance to thtt exposed frontier as could be
afforded by a local fortfication with the same
number of men and guns, and by transferring
men for military service on shore in case OF ne
cessity.
The active list of the navy is composed of s29
officers Of the line, 594 officers of the staff. and
posed of 1876 officers of the line 1903 officers of the
staff, 81 warrant officers. and professors OF
mathematics.
ber 1877, 702 enlisted men and boys.
An active navy. the report states, Is positive
necessity but the main difficulty Is 81 IN Z. deciding i
dient and proper to carry it: The leading ma
tions In Europe have such close political rea-
tions that the fear of disturbing the existing
balance OF power is constantly communicating
itself from one to the other and thereby each ts
influenced to keep itself in readiness for any
military or naval exigency that might arise.
Hence the necessity for large standing armies
and extensive nayies; But what they may do or
not do as regards their intercourse with each
other. whether in peace or war. does not direct
ly concern US as nation, and yet has such an
indirect relation to US. as one. Of the great pow
degree be influenced by theirs.
Our situation about midway. between Europe
the uned With hg f5e
of the nations possessing either OF those CONT
nents, nor is 1t reasonable to expect that
many years to come, with questions that seem
1nseparable from their relations with each
other that they will find it to their interest to
adopt an aggressive policy towards u.s.
We may safely adopt such course, therefore,
with reference to our navy as is dictated by our
own domestic relations alone. separated as they
are, except by commercial intercourse from
those Of all other nations, and constantly ia
creasfng capacity to become one Of the leading
commercial nations in existence.
Our national pride, and our agricultural pro-
ductions. the basis of our prosperity. exceed
In many WA Ways. n Our a oondition ion IS eontsing %
enc both as regards our example and the
necessity Of other nations being supplied by our
Not only have we given responsibility to labor.
put IN various ways we have Increased its pro-
aE and value II the meehh1e s arts
haustible. and already its vast importance is
& are suRPng bs Amer
their immense depth, while ours are not only
Everything in fact, combines to show that we
which only needs The fostering care Of the gov
ment which can not be surpassed by that of any
other nation.
During the last year the value of this COM
merce transported on the various lines of rail-
road Is estimated at s.. 1.OsO,O0O.OOO. and during
the present year. In consequence Of the in
creased product and value OF grain. it will ex-
ceed that As our internal commerce increases
bar 9ar pS OF the zee cess
upon the producers. All commercial nations
understand this, and therefore their efforts to
foreign markets n 6o for their exports
nations, in considerable measure is owing to
this sregard. There is no inlet in any sea where
the vessels OF her merchants do not penetrate
Even at the present time when our own trade is
slowly recoveringfro its parlyzation demand
Ing additional M means Of supplying the wants of
enWno are out OF employment, her merchants
andcapitalists are actively engaged in making
our own foreign commerce tributary to their
own by forcing us into dependence upon British
vessels for the transportation of our surplus
productions They snatch the trade Of a CON
from our hands, Brazil exports to England
annshaily over @ Of her productions
equal amount of imports.
The trade is carried on by direct lines of COM
mumeafion, M and in great measure by steam
paid while for want of lines of steamships be-
tween our Eastern cities and Rio, our most ex-
pEeditoo,us routeto Brazil is lost: OF the exports
from China more than three times as much 20 |
TO Great Britain as come to us. and with i'm |
ports the difference is still greater.
a,cae rae Poi;,cX OF tns Japanese government in;
Snterests, has secured to English and French |
nnes OF steamers almost her entire trade, while |
an American line of steamers from Yokohama
TO Shanghai has been compelled to withdraw
Austria exports about $240. .Oo0. 600 a year and |
ttmIorts nearly as much. and almost the entire
peIdencies. -' AoA uo-
,, The superiority which both England and
Frsnce have obtained over the United States |
WIN n reference tb nee to this vast trade be attrb
pays yearly to steamship lines between four and
nve millions In subsidies, while the govern
meat of the United States has, by pur- ring the
ePfnsite course only contributed to their sHpe-
rioity, which England has thus acquired by
alss paying subsidies to her steam lines out Of
its Dwn revenues. " "
1heresult has been to increase foreign over
our domestic tonnage so steadily Since the
close Of the war our interest in ocean mercan
tilenavigation is yearly decreasing Before the
wal our foreign export and import trade was
carried on hundred pei, cent mora in Ameri-
can than in foreign vessels while since the war
it has been carried on hundred per cent more
in fordgn vessels than in American. Until fbiS
condition is changed our commercial indepen
dence 'annot be established on such a basis as
it deserves. " N'''A' 'e
~. While our navy is not engaged in commerce
1T is lH important and necassaru al1r anI L