, 1877-12-05

HfCIE- II ~ It's AHil EtsEFetHEf A1ts IL
should be at al times rraly to furnish Its prt,-
tectton IN whatsoever sea II NAV be required.
All the nations kt.,uId understand Int ~o are
as ready to n{Enr Il this protection "A we arr Il,
avcn&o az insult to cur national ilag. With
out foreign ctmtHerrw we must Rink iat0
1ntcrturttY, AMI without 4 navy anlnlv, SUI
fclent for this protection all thu profits VI our
surplus productions wilt lie transferred from.
tue euIcrs of our own To thosc of fUrclgn tapt'
ta}tefs Is our nary In tth present condition
sufficient 10 furnish tho neccssarv nn'nlnt II
protection to otlr eomfnercci live cotseidcr
o,lr commerce ut It's present Stage nj develop
ment, or arc content to leave Il 70 lse trnnA-
ported abroad In foreign ships. and thus iepvve
labor. # may he sufficient Int II We to taKc
The Position afnncR tic commercial uatt1ns to
which VIC nsn Justly entitled. II nc nre 10 secure
p1cts sf n 70 pa1 ts
Of tllo world they may DO demanded. ~ that tic
profits n1nv be returned to !ncrcasc the nggfe-
gate Of our national wealth, tfrn, in my onin-
ion, It Ia not In such condition. There may
repair, TO !ncrcase our squadron to q suti1-
ccnt size for thls purpose. 10 put them all
In repair, however, would rcquirea larger "x-
pcnsiitu!c than Ia prac'ahIr 1t, the present COW
uouM bc tasslGab|o as any time uHtIl our
rcytnucs from customs sllnll he sufficiently IN.
creased. As VIC may cxocct this from gradual
ueVs!orfncnt III tututneEcc, III s0or a. 1t occilrs
Hc HA$ EfauHHtjT cNF1F tHH navy HH 10 the
noint u necessary Improvement, u point to be
decided BY tllc c1istinE wants OF tradc. 1t Is
suanifestly q duty TO keep tho navy In such
condition as IT, make Il available In tho future
fs'r atl puepose3 fuf which It tnaT be designed.
Considering 1t in this light, The estimates for
the cnsult,y year have been made With rcfcrclcu
only to ordinary expenditures such as are abso-
lnse'y necessary for rcpairs md limited con.
pen,lture larger tl!an, tho receipts Ut the
Treasury will be likely to justify. Those
now possessed and In pro2resa will he su1Ii-
rfcnt for all ordinary purposes In time OF poace;
arser ans per l,% rss,e|s s ID eaaey
the experience Of tho late War has prnyel that
VIC must rely upon our mercantile tstartnc for u
supply Of the material Of navy Whenever Il Is
1etnhndcd. II sc ha.l atcutnsl,tp lines rslutltc
directly IRON our ports to all tho lcatlfnE tom-
mcrcial porta In this world, they would not only
incrcase o,tr reycnle but rrnler It inurc cnsy to
inproyfsc navy III tho event Of ali unexpected
emergency.
its ptcscnt condition. Us compared with that
Of any other power, hAs less aggressive force
thnn at anv time during the past third Of u
century, except during tile War, anA less power
inercc of an sncmy. Indeed, .hs fact cannot Be-
concealed, md ought nut to be. Tor It Is well
kuown to other nations that thru anti even
fouttli.rate nations, almost without exception,
are superior to us In this rcspect. Fur so,lc
years past large slins liavc bccsl expended i,re-
Hitting number Of vessels Of the ctass known
as rn1ritoEs. Perhaps under the lnrtIcutnr con-
dttious onl our uncertain rclntlo,ls viii! another
power rebuilding them WAS not unwifc, and
within a,ll adjacent u thu t3alf VI Afvxie, tl,y
conld tu effectively employed In connection,
with Other Vessels, antl for purposes 1t - nut
now pertinent to dlscuas. Apart from these
monitors at,tl q considerable amount u HaterI-
al fur construction now On hand, VIZ tayu hut
n f0Ff hos 1nr
penditures.
Tbs Secretary Is not Inclined to iayor tho
building " heavy armor-plased, guti-bcarfnR
ycsseis. They arc sutlel for little else than
able forticatlons, and II 1t shall res,tIt that the
useof them shall be dispensed with make place
f!'r improved ships. rams a,,d torpedo vessels,
then the nary cat become sufficiently etfectlve
vessels q different clasaes. built, Us they are
nov built elsewhere tu seryc In time Of peace
rs schoo!s Of instruction Tor Our scan,en, and
In time Of var to destroy. tho commerce NJ MI
cnvny. Thr approximations available f''r the
are $ia u9s.Es,W. Tie wlule amount drawn
is' !. %. s5'' oi iii. amount s:
there is es,tmatca to have been in
ernn.cut OIL Nov. l, 1s77, ss7hs;,s 30. l.csi,lcs
El5..00 refunded, making total OF $l,0M.-
5ss5.30, which, deeucte1 from the amount drawn,
will tilow the actua! expenditure fr3tn July TO
Nor. !, 1b57, to tavu been s4,3l3.5o9.lo. Tho
.ss}s3,o.33a.4V exclusive Of $2,3t43aJl submitted
Tor new buildings, rcpatrs, and improvements
at the severnl navy.ynfds In tho report ot tim
Secretary Of tho Nary u Nov. 20. 1876, tho esti.
present dscaf year wss 7,50o, ,UjD. the c'nputa.
ttpn bctug bIsel upon the iulnher of officers
mid men thcn horne upon til" register. Congress,
hosessr, e " I ct ot ss,eh ~, ls,sppropr,ate
mate. This Will necessarily produce deficiency
At the end Of tho fiscal year. unless Congress
shall appropriate thu above amount, tho pay-
rnent o( which to tho officers an.i mcn i 50
amount appropriated ior deficiency ut the extra
acssiun ot Congress had reference only to tI.c
Inst tiscal ycar. ending June 10, 1877, nsu wua
based upon tho amount asccTturcl to bo tun
UPON the books u the Fourth Auditors, oI'irc,
whereas ttIe deficiency here referred TO Is estt
mated for the present fiscal year, casllng juno
III, 1875.
Tic Ssval Academy receives word. Of praise
from ttle scrretary, and he recommends, anlotg
specially educated for tha positions Of nasal
ronstrurtoTa, to complete tascr education after
leaving tho Academy under tho tuition Of an
experienced naval constructor at a 1,ayy.YaE(l.
T1lu rsi!nAtcs for the several yar1s cover. such
amounts only ~ are supposed 10 l,u absolutely
Indispensable to keep them In good condition.
Tue Secratary urges tl,at something tc dune to
arrest tho decay Of tue cultdock at thu New
York Sayy-iard, Otherwise, he says, it will
Slide back 10 It's oFtgtnai condition, incumbtr
tho channel with Its avres Of mud, and tho work
of years will BE- entirely lost to tho Government.
hy tho net Of Feb. ~, 1577, tho President .was
authorized to orgnnlxa q commission Ut tllreo
members. wlo were required to arsangc cqu!t.
ahis terms for tho conveyance 10 tho City Ut
Brookl}u OF 4 portion Of the ..avy-yarl situated
in Wa!labout Buy for public market. This
co.nmission l.as becn organized, but tas
.nale no report, and tho Secretary, tn viow VI
that fact desm. .,., + H., ., ~. daty IT., to say
ises he thinks this important nayy-yprd
would bs seriously injured BY this tale: II Is
referred to "a all absolute sals, aud that tho
decd ot conveyance should be male upon ttsb
repu1t of the Commission without further ill.,
Qulry. lu That event the runvcynuve would be
matter Of firm laesely, but Il It be ot4erwise,
he suggests, and Congress still rctalns full tp,w-
or ever lhe matter. that Il may yet III its dIs-
crctton decide wt.rthoe or no tue property aaall
ba sold. An approximation Ut 3lo0,UD, to bo
immediately available, IL Recommended Tor ttse
purpose Ut continuing, the ssune .lty-iock ut
Alatp lslaMl. Huports tgun the late Command
Ant VI Mars Island show Q srcaI derseaae IN tho
,spth ,,f .pntnr At fhn 1nrE ami 1lr,ttxa a,.I,,e