The New York herald., 1878-11-29

Annual Report Of the
Secretary.
STRENGTH OF OUR NAVAL FORCE.
Special Work By Our Ma
tional Vessels.
ESTIMATES AND EXPENDITURES.
Relations Of Our Navy to the
Merchant Marine.
ESTIMATES AND EXPENDITURES
WORK AND EXPENSES AT NAVY YARDS.

OF ms FORMER report tho cOnultlOn OF the navy
been considerably improved There are now in COM
mission twenty y-eght cruising ships. steamboat
and five sailing vessels, making thirty-four in all
These are in condition for active service except the
Gettysburg. now i'll the. Mediterranean squadron.
which, having deteriorated in plating and hav
ing recently broken shaft will probably require more
repairs than 1t would be good economy to make This
will reduce the number to thirty three now in COM
mission as cruisers and needing immediate repairs
There are six vessels including monitor recently
put out of commission for repairs, all Of which can
be made ready for sea again i'll the course OF few
months. The work will be done with all possible de-
spstch. Besides these there thirteen needing
pairs somewhat more extensive and which it will
quire time to make; but the whole Of these
nineteen vessels be repaired and put also in
thorough condition with the present appropriations
and those asked for the next fiscal year. and there
fore without any additional charge upon the Treasury
That is if the approp shall be made for
the next fiscal year have been made for the pres
ent. the department will be enabled to make the
necessary repairs upon all these vessels 50 that the
number Of cruisers will be to that extent increased
When this is accomplished the effective cruising force
of the navy will be torty-seven steam and five sailing
chips. making the total number ffty-two.
THE MONITORS.
The number of monitors now ready for service is
snlrteen, as one OF
can be repaired. and the Miantonomah be
completed out Of existing appropriations the num-
ber may be properly fixed at fifteen. Two torpedo
boats also ready for service. 1t will be seen
therefore, that without any increase of appropria-
tions beyond what is asked for-that is,
within the means under the control Of the
department, with the current appropriation-the
total fighting force OF tho navy will be ftytwo cruis
Ing ships fifteen monitors and two torpedo boats
making in all sixty-nine But this does not show
the whole naval force that could be put in service III
Of necessity. The four doube-turreted moni-
tors and one single-turreted now in progress-the
Puritan. Amphitrte. Monadnock. Dictator and
Terror-could be completed without much de-
lay with the necessary appropriations for
that purpose. Six cruising ships. upon which
RADIO. Wabash. Franklin Florida. Minnesota and New
York-coud be put in condition fighting ships
necessity required it, and this being done, the ght-
ships. twenty monitors and two torpedo boats to
which could be added III Of imminent necessity
two other steam and two sailing vessels, thus making
the total number eighty three. The number might
still be increased, however, by utilizing eight
large iron tugs of three hundred tons
each at the navy yards and other stations which
could be converted into gun or torpedo boats and
thus make the whole number Of war vessels OF al
classes ninety-one. There tiliry-two steam and
sailing vessels unit for use for warlike purposes.
although four Of these might, if necessity demanded
It, be put in condition for temporary service ut
or these four have been in nearly sixty years,
having been built before the year 1920. and fifteen
have been built and two that were purchased since
the beginning of the war;
UNFIT FOR FIGHTING PURPOSES.
OF those built during the war ten constructed
with great rapidity and under the pressure Of the
most urgent necessity and consequently out of lum
Der not sufficiently seasoned to insure their dura-
bilty, even to the average life OF other vessels.
Their decay, therefore, has been unavodably rapid.
and rs il would be good economy undertake the
repair Of vessels decayed the greater part OF
these il would be better that they should be
sold or broken up and authority conferred upon
1nr.ar rftuan IN fnrf uty
of such other vessels may need them, rs to
keep the navy in its present condition of efficiency
nearly possible without additional drafts upon
the Treasury. To this number of vessels unfit for
lighting purposes may be added four iron-cads,
IT, tlen there should be added to the fund thus pro-
duced the proceeds OF the sales of waste material
The business OF the department would be greatly
facilitated without new appropriations
COMMODORE sHUFELDr's TRIP.
The Secretary devotes some space to the condition
Of the several squarons, the of the command
and the vessels composing them. and then says:
The 1icondcroga has been detailed, under the COM
mand OF Commodore II. w. Shufcldt, for special
vice upon the coast of Africa and in the East Indian
Islands. This service is regarded especially i'm
portant In its relations not merely TO international
matters coniled to it, but to our commercial inter-
ests. The officer assigned TO this command is pecu-
ary fitted for the delicate duty conhded to him, and
the most satisfactory results expected from his
cruise. Besides his other duties nc has been dcsig-
mated TO act u commissioner to adjust y contro-
versy III reference to the boundary line between the
British possessions in Africa and Liberia.
sravEY or THE AMAzoy.
An expedition OF a character somewhat kindred to
this shted out during last summer. with the En-
terprise, under the command OF Commander Thomas
o. Selfridge Realizing the obligation OF omit
ting nothing in its power to open up com
mercia intercourse between all parts OF South
America and the United States. the department
directed survey of the Amazon and Madeira rivers.
The Importance of these rivers ~ natural out
lets for the internal commerce of that country
cannot be overestimaed. They connect Bolivia
with the Atlantic and the people OF that country are
.srt,r wnattT fI..h http larft
from announcement of their navigation. a COM
pany organized in the United states is engaged
in constructing a railroad around tho falls OF the
Madeira. which. when completed, will enable
merchants to carry on largo and profitable trade
before n tbs trade soud be- Ieyeopaa thr n"ope e ~
Bolivia should be convinced that il would be to the
mutual advantage of both countries il commercial
intercourse was established between them and the
people OF the United States
THE NORTHERN LAKES.
The Michigan has boen employed for number Of
years upon the northern lakes The question whether
or not the arrangement of April 49, 1877. in reference
to the naval forces Of Great Britain and the United
terminated by the joint resolution OF Congress
approved February y, 1865, must rest upon
gagements between the two governments since
the passage of the joint resolution have been
sequence the Michigan has been kept in commission
aud continued in the service Tor which sho was de.
signed. The vessel Is now very much out OF
repair and requires extensive work TO be
done upon her in order to keep her In condi-
tion for service If the obligation of 1877 remains la
force. This would require y large expenditure of
money, and It would probably be- more economical to
cell her and apply the proceeds az Tar AZ they would
90. 10 building a new ship for this special service.
These questions respectfully submitted TO Con-
gress.
ESTIMATES.
The appropriations of the present year having been
thus far like those OF the Last applied to the ordinary
expenses of the service and such repairs of vessels
absolutely necessary, and IL having been found
that they are sufficient for this purpose the depart
ricnt has not felt itself justified la going beyond them
in the estimates for the next fiscal year. These esti
mates shown by the following tahle-
Pay Of the navy. 81 100000
lay of civil establishment in navy yards 1Sg,yg9
Ordnance and Torpedo corps. ............. 2,3,U00
Coal, hemp and equipment .............. 100000
Navigation and navigation supplies. ..... 10s 800
photographic work. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 4G,0U
Naval observatory Nautical Almanac. ....... 1880
Repairs and preservation OF vessels. 1900 go
steam machinery, tools. &c .............. s00,vO0
Provisions for the navy 100000
Repairs OF hospitals and llboratories..... 10000