The New York Herald Newspaper, May 22, 1854, Page 2

MODERN NAVAL WAR ARE. |s= mportant Report from the Senate Committee. Necessity for a Radie#i Reform in the Ame- rican Navy, &e., &e., ke In the Senate of the United States, on the 17th ‘inst., Mr. Mallory, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, made the following report and offered the annexed bill, for a reform in our navy:— RE! LT. The Committee on N. Afirs having had un- der consideration the Navy, and having carefully examined the means of improving it, reports:— The naval service has neither the ships, the arma- ments, nor the organization which-the condition, commerce, and resources of the country, and the expenditures for its maintenance,demand. With a commerce covering the globe, and exceeding in ton- nage that of every other boners our means for pro- tecting it are far less than those of the smallest | maritime State. France, with that completeness of plan and atten- tion to detail which distinguish all her public insti- ‘tutions and works, has at this moment the best dis- of the Baltic fleet, was driven from her cri aud —- saved from going ashore on the eretieeomuiltce has thus’ briefly reverted to the We have no such ships a8 the Royal Duke of Wellington, the James Watt, or memnon. Our most efficient steamship, judg’ from her success, is the side-wheel Mississi; ies of the great commereial powers of } the better to itlustrate the condi cyt = i; am the British Board of Engineers appointed to inspect | the side-whecl ships of royal pass year, pronounced them all t un! jghting naval actions. The Mississipp! consumes | but about twenty-three tons of coal per day, and can | 1816, 28, '31,'84, 38 and ’39,) making an aggre- cross the Atlantic under steam or sail. | \ While, in reviewing the condition of our own naval establishment, we cannot but express the confident | opinion that, with unequalled mechanical skill, abun- dant material and resources,we have within ourselves | the means of excelling all nations in naval power, | nine, at $1,200, we cannot but acknowledge, at the same time, that no branch of the public service has exhibited, with- | in the last twenty years, a more fruitless expenditure of these resources. Forgetfal that the purpose, and the only purpose, of a navy is,to protect commerce and sustain the interests and honor of the country upon the great deep, and that all expenditures not immediately conducing to these important objects, should not be charged to the navy, we have wasted millions upon ships which have never made a cruise, upon navy yards and stations and naval docks, absolutely useless, and upon chi- | merical discoveries involving hypothetical improve- ments, and that afterall, we have not a ship of the line in commission. ciplined and most efficient ships, squadrons and fleets, that have ever existed. Her equipments, her | gunnery practice, her squadron and fleet sailing and | manoeuvring, aided by her propellers, have never ‘been equalled, and have elicited the admiration of the naval world. France, in the days of her greatest power, bite wept the want of a i and by a steadfast and consistent poli e out and urged by the ‘hos nobly prepared to re’ Uneer one of the last ¢ sembly, made in October Tuittee of tiftcen mem) lished in 1851, in two sateen hundred { ,ani §oiries into every branch of t unel of the naval servi Prince de feve the ty he tue repor dhe i and’ matter nig , those ele , which may be acter of naval warfa with the introduction han ehell, is the salie fare. ‘The round s! hull of the ship, doe Its course throug! traced by a qu! damage. Still less inj not pass through, In Erie, his ship received © round shot in her hull, and ¢: toriously into port. But the days of ow Te a nts and t Sinope, od 01 considered as a fact pretty well est two or three explosive nine or ten inc aimed and properly planted, are enon 9 tear out the side of the larges' nletely to disa- ble, if not wholl, e from the experiments made with nine inch e: ve shot in the harbor of Brest, upon the Pacificanteur, an eighty gun ship. The piece to be fired was mount- ed on a small pontoon, and planted off upon the wa- ter to the distance of about six hundred and forty yards fromthe eighty gun ship, which was to be the target. The experiments were made in the presence of a number of the most eminent officers in the French navy. The first shot sufficed to determine ©pinions; but to complete the evidence twelve shot were fired. The following is a summary from the official rid on the occasion:— The it shot struck low, and as soon as the explosion was heard the Commission re- aired on board. A thick smoke filled the tween decks, where the bomb had burst. | ‘The fire engine was worked, and the smoke lasted “pn or twelve minutes; the bomb had made a be of eight and a half inches diameter in the 8 side, which there was twenty-nine inches ‘ick ; it had torn off two feet of the inner plank md then exploded, made a hole in the orlop | eck of two to three fect square, and knocked away | had shattered to atoms more than one bundred | and sixty square feet of timber. ‘The second bomb traversed the quarterdeck, car- | ‘ing with it two pieces of plank, one of which was | ive and a quarter feet long; then, striking the Tiainmast obilquely, it knocked off a splinter from ‘three to four feet long and nine and a lialf inches thick, and bursting, tore away a mast band ten and | a half feet in circumference, weighing one hundred and thirty pounds. This mass of iron was driven ‘with such force that one of its halves struck the op- | ite bulwark, seventeen feet distant, where it flat- ned and adhered. The splinters of the bomb shat- tered the bits, cut some of the braces, and would have injured many men and articles of rigging if the ship had been equipped. The explosion also set flre to a coil of rope. | ‘he third bomb entered the side, between two ris, struck and tore off'an oaken knee seven feet ve inches long, and six and a half to thirteen and three quarter inches thick, which with its iron fast- enings weighed more than two hundred and six ands; then bursting, its splinters knocked down forty of the wooden figures nailed und the guns to represent men. The explosion also shattered one of the beams supporting the decks above, starting | several planks, one of which was ten and a half feet | Jong, and another five and a quarter fect, To abridge this detail, we will only ri two most remarkable shots of the remai: Perceiving that the bombs always passed through | th ide of the vessel, the charge of the gun was di- | tminished each time. With four anda half pounds | of powder, and always at six hundred and forty yards, a bomb struck in the wood between two | — and burst, tearing away the frame and plank- and making a breach of several feet in height and width, so shattered, that all present chought that the shot would have endangered the vessel had it taken effect near the water line. Besides this, two pieces of the iron work, weighing sixteen zou were driven inboard, by the force of he explosion, and nineteen figures knocked down. Finally, the twelfth and last bomb, with the same small charge, and at the same dis- tance, struck the corner of a ee knocked away # heavy piece of iron work, and lodged on the other side of the ship, against an iron knee five anda quarter inches in size, and firmly supported; the ‘Dlow made three fissures in the iron, two of which ‘were four and a quarter inches thick; and the bomb, still unbroken, buried itself further in the side, burst, and knocked down twenty figures. As to the havoc made upon a ship by these projec- ‘tiles, the French commissioner was of opinion that ‘it was ‘‘so terrible and so great that it is thought one or two bombs of this kind, bursting ina bi y ‘would make such confusion as to cause the surre: of the vessel, or at least conduce materially to i and “to produce, by the power of the bomb and its pe ase sdch damage in the frame that if the ex- pPlosion should take place near the water line the vessel would probably sink. There is no doubt on this subject,” it was gdded, “as may evidently be perceived from the retult of bomb No. 4, which, had it struck a few feet lower, would certainly have done irre ‘parable mischief. | . Bis GO or Oe oe Such are the naval armaments of England, France, | and Russia, and while we acknowledge their mighty power, we may well! doubt, in the absence of all ex- perience, the policy of placing upon a ship a nume 008 battery of such guns, each of which is, of it eufficient to destroy an adversary, instead of divi Wee among séveral ships, aps the following comparative view may best illustrate the relative force of our no Iu 1845, {see Sen. doe. 187, 20 Cong. 1 ses ‘three great Powers of Europe had put | many of their ships which have since bee: sea, Great Britain, for every 100,000 ton merce, had afloat and efiicient von. O France Rusia... .. yids United States had but *s ‘The British navy has at no period be ble as at this moment, as will 9) at Steel’s List of the Royal Navy stated at 545 effective ships, mounting 15 er to the | ng nine. guns, many of them of the heaviest character. The list of screw steamers gives :— Guns. we of... . devise 120 One of.. ‘were — Guns, ‘Three of. eevee es 100 to 120 Bixof... seve 90 "Three of. 80 One of 50 ‘The application of the screw to the ordinary ship of the line, giving ber an auxiliary speed of from gour to seven knota, is the salient improvement where the British have excelled the French. Even | while we are writing, we learn that the Cressy, a 90 | terests | Ysa increaced, the ch The exigencies of naval warfare, now seem to do- mand, as the perfection of naval superiority, the greatest known speed with the greatest known ar- mament. The British screw ship Himalaya, of nearly | 4,000 tons, bas made fourteen knots, and the battery ; ennsylvania is 140 guns. A union then of ites would produce the most formidable | —and their combination should be | | governed by the character of their destined service. he steamshipsof a home squadron, with harbors, workshops and coal yards ever under their lea, should sacrifice power for speed. THE PERSONNEL OF THE NAVY. | It is not a little remarkable that the American { eamen who, during the war of 1812, fired more ra- | accurately and destructively than those of Britain or France, are now far behind them in i ve not retrogaded. But we seom every sailor is bora a cannoneer, tice on a wave-tossed deck, at an dy target, comes by nature; and we very man to “sight” his gun as his un- judgment dictates, or at least, as the | mmand may fancy. While Great Britain e have, by the establishment of schools of 1d by the most assidaous atten- and practical teaching of the ds of thoronghly instructed and urtillerists for their service, we d little or no attention to this matter. We such schools—no such practice—no such may build and equip the finest ships in the ¢ officer and man them with the best sea- country; but if we do not instract them iful use of their guns, the day may come when their utmost efforts in naval contests will but serve to salute triumphs of their enemies. Long practice only e Jes the marksmen to bring down a bird on the how much more pr would be necessary were bird and marksman both on the | wing’ And yet there are not wanting men in our navy who deride the teachings of science in practical gunnery, and who, if they do not believe that sailors are predestined cannon- ecm to regard the art of rapid and curate delivery of shot and shell as of | little ortance, or very readily ac- J. Instances have occurred in which our na- sels have seiled from t nited States and returned, after a two years craise, without having once handled a shot or fired a gun. Can seamen under such circumstances, their very first artillery ice being, perhaps, in the midst of an engage- ‘or success against well instructed, skil- | practised artillerists, copally brave, and far cool, because doing only that with which they , are familiar? | We think not; and we deem a school for the edu- | cation of naval gunners as essential to the service. It cannot be concealed that some most culpable | negligence and heedless extravagance and wasteful expenditure, to say the least, have characterized the service of late years ; and that attempts to place the ies responsible for it before the coun- try have failed. It is needless to call attention to special instances, The Secretary of the Navy should, in all such caves, be held responsible in the first instance. He possesses ample power to protect the public in- confided to him—power to compel every officer promptly to do his duty, or to suffer disreputable furlough—power to en- | force guonery piactice, wt sea or in port— | pewer to hes relative rank—power to preerre | # just and fair distribution of the toils and the in- Sulgencta of the service—power, inshort, to-breathe | into bis noble profession, life, weun and zeal, by teaching the officer whose’ cruise is in the tropics, | or on the African coast, that his chances for just and honorable employment and advancement are | e ual to those whose cruise is within the precints of | Washington. One instance of sad neglect of duty your commit. | tee will specify, to illustrate how much the naval | service, tobe effective, must depend upon strict at- | tention to details. A sloop of war sailed from the United States for the West Indies, not es | since, and not until she was near Jamaica was It disco- | vered that there was not a shot on board to fit a nm. Her guns were thirty-two’s, and her shot | orndi nic and she was compelled to put into Ja- maica to obtain shot. Surely we do not need an- other Chesapeake affair to teach us the perils of such neglect. } It is not the purpose of your committee, in this report, todo more than advert to some of the pro- minent defects of the naval service—those most ur- gently demanding and most susceptible of reform; and discarding the consideration of minor evils, it comes at once to the RANK, PAY AND PROMOTION OF THE NAVY. It is evident to all conversant with the subject, that we have more commissioned and non-commis- sioned officers of the several grades than are neces- eary or useful to the present naval service; and that | a just regard for the public interests requires not only that many should be retired or furloughed, but that the present mauner of appointment to the ser | vice for obvious reasons shotld be changed. | We have endeavored to find employment for su- | pernumeraries in the coast survey, and as assistants to the Lighthouse Board; but such employments, | which are properly those of civilians, we cannot but regard as calculated to impair the general usefulness | of an officer in his legitimate vocation. His noblest | aim should be to protect the honor and the interests , of the country, by his ships and guns, upon his pe- cvliar theatre—the sea. Some of the most accom- | plished young officers in the service are at this mo- | ment engaged upon what is termed the “ hydro- graphical” branch of the service, whose most fre- quent duty is making those soundings with a line or pole with which all boatmen are familiar, and re- ducing the same upon maps. Others are appointed to do the duty which our col- lectors of the customs Eye td performed, and per- | formed well, until the Lighthouse Board was de- i What can be more foreign to the tastes and what more destructive to the professional | n of a young officer, than travelling about in | 's, Stages or lighters, from lighthouse to light- | e, inspecting the cleanliness oi the towers and | pers Premises, the kind and quality of lamp | “sand buff skins used, and reporting apon | ra special qualifications. The sea is a jealous mistress, whose honors are yielded only to the assiduous; and we cannot but regard the labors of her vota’ upon these services as viated to ween them from and unfit them for t first love, | A retired and furlough list will relieve the service for a while; but the supply of officers being greater than the demand, we should begin by restricting the appointments to the N Academy to about one half the number now m. Promotion in the gervice i by seniority of commission—a sy ment of your committee, pre ated exclusively , in the judg- | able to e hi 3 if ail officers be qualified to perform the the best manner. But without some provision for is “a mockery, a delusion, and a snare.” he experience and the daily practice of , Which entrusts not the ordinary affairs of powers are on the decline. If n which, more than another, aries all the energy, power, it is that of the seaman. ‘ of man, and po Bes sea- the last centary has ever excelled in any ssiou. The rule should evidently be that, as the maguitude end importance of any naval it revea pruden: life%o there be any emands from hances of conaigning it to | the hands of ability, ener crease; bat the very rove our practice, clder a man is, the x he entitled to command. If Neilso were alive, and were to enter our service re y to-morrow, | he would find himself wi or command, | and comparatively without » thonght of this blind re departments of the ¢ are by law that mem! J ite should he the oldest represc » Who, in their turn, should be bers of its Legisiatare—or that the shonld pe taken from the oldest lw Sta ¢ mem- t judges the circuit from the oldest district judyes. snd the supreme bench be supplied from the oldest circuit Judges. Such a proposition would shock the com- mon sense of the conn’ yet this pr ple governs vaya! promotioi screw. | | | gt tegen the Yet we find from the returns before us, that out ot it for | of | annum, and yet have seen less than ten | character and ability would adorn any profession. F ? i 5 B of the country an} active service who was not femiliar, and Riccoghly familiar, with the handling of ships and fleets under all circumstances. sixty-eight captains forty-two are waiting orders on shore, (six of whom were sev last at sea in te of $105,000, Of ninety-eight commanders, Coren of whom were last respectively at sea in 1815, '29,'29, 33, '34, 36 and '38,) there are waiting orders forty-two, at $1,800, an aggregate of $76,000. Of 826 lieutenants, there are waiting orders fifty- , making an aggre; of $70,800. Of 198 passed-midshipmen, there are bat eight waiting orders, at $600—$4,800; and that, while there are seven captains and commanders who have been each forty-one yeas in the Navy, and who are now receiving respectively $2,500 and $1,800 per ars Sea service, there are forty-three passed-midshipmen who have seen over ten years sea service, and who are receiving but $700 per annum. A glance at our naval captains will illustrate what the history of all naval service proves. Paul Jones captured the Serapis, in one of the most desperate and memorable combats on record, at thirty-two years of age. Hull conquered the Guerriere, at irty-cight. Decatur burnt the Philadelhpia, at twenty-seven. zeny. conquered on Lake at twenty-eight, and McDonough on Lake Champlain, at thirty one. Stewart captured the Cyane and Le- vant, at thirty nine, and Bainbridge the Java, at thirty-one. e youngest victor was twenty-seven, | and the oldest but thirty-nine—and thirty-tliree was their average age—less than that of many of our passed-midshipmen. The Naval Academy has given, and is giving, o the country, officers not only thoroughly ed- ueated for the duties of the service, but whose ‘These are the men who will be called upon in the command of our fleets and ships, not only to eva- icnd with the ability and advancement of European ravies, but as protectors of the rights of American citizens and property in foreign seas and countries. A knowledge of the institutions, goyernment, and ¢ mum systems of maritime powers, and a general acquaintance with the laws of nations, and of the rights, duties, and obligations under them, will be demanded of them. They act sometimes as negotiators of treaties, as warriors, as judges, as pa | cificators. To fight his ship well is an essential but far from being the most important duty of an accompli-hed seaman, and his country’s interest and | | ders, and Detail, and who shall receive for his ser- | vices three thousand dollars per annum and his | honor depend fully as much upou his services in peace asin war. Unlike the anny, which in peace serves but as a stationary nucleus jor future orgeniza- tion, our frigates are the eyes of our government, | and penetrating every sea, and watchful of passing events, the navy is at once the messenger of our peace and of our ab ‘or war. Such men, edu- cated at the country’s expense, should be employ in responsible positions at the period of their great- | ness, and to attain this object your com- commends and provides for a retired and a perman furlough list. ‘A just distinction should be gallant old seaman whose soul is ye made between the in his profes sion, whose heart beats but foi is country, but who is é lifled by long, faithful, and honorable service, 0! ease acquired in the active discharge of bjs duty, and the man who has uniformly and in- genicusly contrived to evade his sea duties and de- volved them upon others—who has succeeded by political influence, or other resorts to which his , noble profession should be a stranger, in passing the best of his days upon shore—the man, in short, who is unworthy from his own course, or from original want of merit. To mect this distinction, your com- mittee has provided two lists, varying in pay and rivilege. Atthis time we have sixty-eight captains, he youngest of whom is fifty-six years of age; ninety-seven commanders, seventy-four of whom are between fifty and fifty-five, and the youngest of whom is forty-six; three hundred and twenty-seven lieutenants, from thirty to fifty; one hundred and ninety-eight passed midshipmen, from twenty-one to thirty-seven years of age. { Your committee, after carefully examining the rates of promotion in the several grades and aver- | age of officers, find that under the present sys- tem lieutenants, when promoted to commanders, will be fifty-three, and commanders, when promoted to captains, seventy-four years of age. What a | commentary upon our present system. Your committee recommends, and has provided for, an increase of the wages of the naval seamen. This measure is absolutely necessary. Great diffi- culty is bag in obtaining seamen. This Gificulty, which has also embarrassed the British | ravy, has been to some extent the result of the vact increase of our coastwise, and particularly our | California, trade, and the consequent demand for | salors at largely increased wages, with the addi- | tioval stimula of ‘short voyages and the chances of | promotion to the posts of mates and masters, while | ‘he wages and condition of the naval seamen remain | unchanged. Few sailors will ship for the navy at | | twelve dollars per month, when any man who ‘can | splice and steer can get eighteen in the merchant | service, Provision is also made for ascertaining and rewarding merit by oxi pay and a medal, and the Naval Academy and the highest honors of the pro- fescion are held out to the sailor boy, whose charac- | ter, conduct and capacity may entitle him to the fostering hand of the government. panies of our ships, to eterna the proportion of | American born or naturalized citizens composi them, and this proportion is less than one-third. The rest are seamen from all the maritime Sta’ of the earth, and all the principal languages of Europe, and even the dialect of the islands of the | Pacific, are indiscriminately spoken amongst them, A BILL TO IMPROVE THE NAVAL SERVICE. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repre- sentatives of the United States of America, in Con- gress assembled, That the active commissioned offi- cers of the navy of the United States may be, but shall not exceed, the number and the grades follow- ing, to wit :— 'wenty commodores. Forty-eight captains. | Ninety-eight commanders. Three hundred and twenty-five lieutenants. Sixty-nine surgeons. \ Thirty-seven passed assistant surgeons, Forty-two assistant surgeons. Sixty-four pursers. One hundred and ninety-eight masters. The riphbepereniet engineers, and of first, second, and third assistant engineers, and of chaplains now in the service. The professors of mathematics now in service mey hold their commissions, but no professors of mathematics shall hereafter be commissioned or appointed in the naval service. ‘The number and grades of warrant officers, and, the number of midshipmen and acting midshipmen, shall be as now established by law: Provided, That no appointments of masters, not in the line.of pro- motion, shail hereafter be made; and provided that the grade of passed midshipmen be abolished, and that the masters in the line of promotion, and passed midshipmen, be commissioned as masters. See. 2. And be it further enacted, That before | any change of the grades aforesaid shall take effect, | the Secretary of the Navy shall cause each naval captain, commander, lienfenant, medical officer, and purser to report, under such regulations ashe may prescribe, the officers of their respective grades who are qualified to perform efficiently all their duties ashore and afloat; and from his scrutiny of such re- ports, the Secretary, with the approval of the Pre- sident, shall retire. or permanently farlough all offi- cers Tot #0 qualified; and of the officers so fur- lorghed or retired, those on the retired list only shall be entitled to wear the naval uniform. Re- tired and permanently furloughed o} 3 shall, frem the date of the!r retirement and furlough, be out of the navy, and their places shall be supplied hy regular promotion by seniority ofrank. The Secretary of the Navy may, upon the application of any officer of the me place him upon the retired or permanent furlough list. P Ay. Sec. 8. And be it farther enacted, That the pay of the navy shail be as now determined by law, with the fcllowing exceptions :—Masters shall receive on sea service fourteen hundred dollars ; other duty, | twelve hundred dollars ; e or waiting orders, | one thousand dollars; as rsers, on sea or | other duty, nine bundr ave or waiting | orders, seven hundred dollars ; ains, gunners, | carpenters and sai’mak: hall receive, on sea daty, one thousand dollars y, nine hundred or waiting orders, six hundred dol | the retired list shall receive three- | pore.on the permanent furlough list two | fifths of the cea service pay to which they were en- | titled when retired or furlonghed; al amen | | shall receive, per month, eighteen d $ Or dinery seamen, fifteen doliars; landsmen, twelve | dollars ; b ight dol | See. 4. A J of the arge | the duties of pur unless the eMice of purser Jl bewacaut, by death or otherwice sat sea, or on foreign | stations; then, in that case e sof poraer may be performed by a co another purrer or assistant duty ; but the Secre manders of single shi, fer acting appoivtme asioned officer, until shal report for p ts ax the oxig cervice may requiye ; and officers, while performing the duties of a bigher grade under such appoint- nents, shall, if each appointment be approved b; the Secretary of the Navy, haye the pay of suel bh her geede in Hew of the pay of their grade proper. | and is only spoken of among the knowing ones. | norably, and deserves great credit as a | no doubt, see you. of pursers, to be appointed by the Secret Berys. and under such regulations as prescribe. Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That it shall be the duty of every officer in command of any vessel of the navy of tle United States, upon the termina- tion of his cruise, to make a special report to the Secretary of the Navy upon the general conduct of the petty officers, seamen, ordinary seamen, lands- men an ss gd his command on said cruise, and to designate by name those who are entitled, from their good uct, to special notice; and, upon such reports the Secretary of the Navy may annually select ten of said boys who may appear to him most deserv- ing, and send them to the naval academy for educa- tion as midshipmen. And to each petty: officer, sea- man, ordinary seaman, Jandsman, and boy, 60 re- orted for good conduct, rovided that the num- r so reported from ea: ip shall not exceed one- tenth of the crew thereof,) the Secretary shall cause to be issueda certificate of conduct and character, in such form as he may prescribe, which certificate shall entitle every petty officer to three months ex- tra pay, and an appropriate medal, to be devised by the Secretary, and every seaman, ordinary seaman, landsman, gnd boy, to months’ extra pay. MARINE CORPS. Sec. 7, And be it further enacted, That an in- crease of ten hundred men shall be made to the ma- rine corps. EQUIPMENT AND DETAIL. Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That, in addi- tion to the bureaus now attached to the Navy De- tment, there shall be a bureau to be called the reau of Equipment, Orders, and Detail, to which shall be assigned the duties of equipping the ve:- sels, and of supervising, registering, and detailing the eflicers and men of the naval service, and such other duties pertaining to the service as the Secre- tary of the Navy may direct, and the orders of such bureau shall be considered as emanating from the Secretary of the Navy, and shall have full force and effect as such, and all the duties of said bureau shall be performed under his authority. £ec. 9. And be itfurther enacted, That the Presi- dent of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint a judge ad- voeate for the naval service, who shall not be a na- val officer, who shall be learned in the law, and who shall beattached to the Bureau of Equipment, Or- “May 20, 1854, Mr. Everett's Mts Resignation—| Probable Successor—Mr. Bank's Vote on the Railroad Post- ponement—Frothingham vs. Banks—The Govern ment Steamer—Charlestown Matters—Casey, the Murderer—The Attorney Genera!ship—The Free Soil Convention—Sales of Real Estate—Editorial Changes—New Publications—A Piece of Plate— Return of the “ Angel Gabriel.” ‘The rumor that Mr. Everett is to leave the Senate on the 1st of June is now something more than a rumor. His health, or something else, will not per- mit of Mr. Everett remaining in the Senate. Mr. Choate is spoken of as his probable successor, 80 far as executive appointment is concerned; but the western part of the State, which saw Mr. Everett’s election with great chagrin, will probably demand the place at the hands of the next Legislature. At any rate, the question of the succession will go into the next election in Massachusetts, and add much to its interest. Such a question was all that was wanting to complete the fight this year. It will cause the mass of the free soilers and democrats to desire “‘a more perfect union,” so that they make such a division of things as they did in 1851; and it will cause the hunkers to oppose any such union all the more vehemently. It will make the whigs more anxious to have a renewal of their power; and the know-nothings will have an additional incentive toaction. The whigs are very angry with Mr. Everett for not having resigned his place before the adjournment of the Legislature; but they dase not call that body together for the purpose of electing a successor. They are much frightened at the aspect of things, and have no great belief in their doing anything next fall. Goy. Washburn told an emi- nent legal functionary, the other day, that he did not think that he should be a candidate for re-elec- tion. He went to the Irish supper on St. Patrick’s festival, and openly denounced the know-nothings, for which they will openly punish him in Novem- ber, should he be a candidate. The know-nothings are vastly on the increase, and in Lowell they have 1,310 members who are voters. One of their prin- cipal leaders in Salem, who was until recently as travelling expenses; it shall be his duty to prepare, | under the direction of the Secretary of the Navy, all charges and specifications of charges to be pre- xred before naval courts martial aud courts of in- | uiry, and to keep accurate records thereof; to pre- pare speciiic instructions in each case to the acting judge advocate to be designated by him, under the | ction of the Secretary of the Navy; to codify | and arrange all the lawsof Congress, and theralings | and decisions of the district, circuit, and supreme | courts of the United States, touching courts martial and courts of inquiry; and to compile and submit to the Secretary of the Navy gener instructions, forms and principles applicable to them, and the | manner of conducting them, and to preserve perfect | records of all such courts, and of the cases heard or tried before them: Provided, That nothing herein | all preclude commanders of squadrons on foreign | ions from ordering such courts, when, in their | opinion, the exigencies ofthe public service may de- | mand them, under such rules and regulations as said judge advocate general, with the approbation | of the Secretary of the Navy, may prescribe. Sec. 10. And be it further enacted, That the chief of the bureau, established by this act, be allowed the same franking series as that conferred by | Jaw on the chiefs of the other bureaus; and the Pre- | sident of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, may hereafter appoint | as chief of any bureau attached to the ayy Depart- | ment, excepting the Bureaus of Provisions and | Clothing, and of Medicine and Surgery, any officer | from the grades of commodore, captain, commander, | lieutenant, or master, | Later trom Brazil. OUR RIO JANEIRO CORRESPONDENCE. Rio pg Janzmo, April 4, 1854. The Amazon Navigation—Chances of American | Colonization—Mercantile Exertion. Inasmuch as you are generally posted better than | any other journal in the world, I deem it proper to | lend my might for the edification of yourself and | your numerous readers, respecting this country, in connection with the United States, relative to the Amazon river, &c. There isa leading merchant here, ¢(American,) who, rumor says, is in connection with some Brazil- ian authorities, by which the long desired result will be accomplished, viz.: for the Americans to get a foothold in Brazil, &c., and on the most honorable terms. This entire affair is involved in great secrecy ! | | This gentleman visits the United States with his femily, and no doubt will arrive at your port in the month of June next. This gentleman, although | | quite young, is well known here to be a sterling | whig, an object peculiarly dear to him. Due credit, Attempts are frequently made, by polling the com- | and thorough business man, and well acquainted | therefore, should be given to him for the use to with the manner and mode of doing business here, | a8 well as for his intimate friendship with leading Brazilian officials. Ifrumor says correct, there is no | doubt, if he is the party, but that entire success must crown the unde: ing; for everything he | touches always succeeds. I know the ty, but 1am not on intimate terms with him; and, notwith- standing he has got the best of me on several occa- sions, in a business view, yet he did it all quite ho- ness man. His entire integrity and honor are well known, and if he undertakes to carry out this echeme, be assured he will be successful—of course, if he has your co-operation. This gentleman will, I cannot say. I give by Ar! a current report, and you may publish it for what it | is worth; but I am confident the rumor is well founded, and no doubt true. Should this be the case, of course all the obstacles of the New York merchants will be overcome, and there will be no more occasion for iiibusering ace tion. But Brazil will be got into on the most ho- | norable terms, and in a few years, no doubt colon- ized by North Americans in part. It is a beautiful ! scheme, and promises well; and, if successful, this young gentleman will be entitled to all the praise y the commercial world his commercial abilities _ ‘warrant. InvorMer. | FSFE I OSA | Interesting from Montevideo. Monrevipgo, April 1, 1854. Serious Difievity between the Americans and Bri- tish—Great Pig War—Wild Hogs a Casus Belli —Action of Various War Ships—Capture and Release of Two American Vessels. You may publish the following full particulars of | the great and most bloodless pig war at the Falk- | land Islands, between her Britannic Majesty's brig Exprese, assisted by her Britannic Majesty’s most valiant Governor Rennie, and Brother Jonathan's | sleop of war Germantown, Commander Lynch, It appears that some fifteen or twenty years ago | Capt. Wm. H. Smiley, (now United States Commer cial Agent at Stanley, Falkland Islands,) placed upon an island west of Stanley a few pigs for the | benefit of whalers and others calling for water, and t has been the practice for years of English, French and American whalers to call and kill what hey sequired; but for a few months past Governor Rennie has made some complaint, and caused an ordinance to be passed fining any one killing a grenter £20 sterling. Some three wecks sinee two American whalers called in and killed a few pigs, which coming to the knowledge of the Governor, he requested Capt. Wallenger, of the royal mail packet Amelia, to arm himeelf and take the offenders; but knowing his duty, he refused, upon which the Governor wrote to the English Admiral to send him a vessel of war; and the brig Express war sent down. At the same time Captain Smiley wrote protection, and our Com- modore sent down the Germantown, Commander | Lynch. When Lynch arrived at Stanley, he found two American vessels in possession of the Expreas, and fined ££00. Learning that after the pigs had been killed and caten, his Excellency and Hon- orable Council had passed an ordinance that any vessel killing pigs should pay £800—learning also that the ships were taken upon the high seas, le demanded they should be delivered up to the captains. Alter some hard words and double shotting gnns they were liberty by paying the £20 fine, the authoritie owledging the injatice of the £800 fine. The vessels have goue to the States, and will make claims for damages against the English go- vernment. It le quite a stir; but ail that I | of free soilism for his opposition to the Nebraska | Washington for two years, and Mr. Palfrey was | could not defeat | is to find an excuse for buildin; Kk of it t has m have heard sp . Lynch. onduiet of Ca ree. on the English Bank, on the Woe toteliy night of the 22d of A Lion, Capt. Buckminister. No lives lost. Congeyous {ness of onr most worthy Consul, R. M. Hamilton, eq.; but danger is now yand ina éay or two be will be out again. His place as Con- sul can neyer be filled. Oup OsrEeo. th English and American | —aie highly pleased with the firm and energetic | arch, the American schooner | } We have all Leen much afflicted, owing to the | strong a whig as any man in Massachusetts, said to 2 coalitionist, this week, “We shall beat the whigs next fall. We shall carry our legislative candidates in Salem by four hundred majority.” T ought to mention, that though Mr. Choate ap- pears most prominent for the succession, there are those who confidently assert that Gov. Washburn will appoint Mr. Winthrop to succeed Mr. Everett, Mr. Banks's vote in favor of Mr. Richardson’s mo- tion to postpone the Pacific Railroad bill, has kicked up 2 very pretty fuss. He is belabored by the New Bedford Mercury for his “ pro-slayery” action, on the very same day that the Boston Post accuses him bill. The Post says that he voted for Mr. Palfrey for Congress. This is no more than was done by some of President Pierce’s appointees to office, men who went about electioneering for Mr. Palfrey in the old Fourth district. Mr. Frothingham, who writes against Mr. Banks in the Post, did himself vote for free soilers for the Legislature, who voted for Mr. Sumner for United States Senator ; and that gentleman never could have been sent to the na- tional Senate if this same Mr. Frothingham had not been a supporter of the free soil nominations for the Legislature, running on the same ticket with them, He voted for six State Senators, and at least four Representatives, who voted for Mr. Sumner ; and as Mr. Sumner was elected by only one majority in the House, he may be considered as having done his fall part toward the election ofa free soil national Senator for six years. The case stands thus: Mr. Banks (so says the Post) voted for Mr. Palfery, to go to beaten; Mr. Frothingham voted for and supported the men who voted for Mr. Sumner, to go to Wash- ington for six years,and Mr. Sumner was chosen. On the whole, it seems to me that there is a balance n Mr. Banks’s favor, even admitting that he did vote or Mr. Palfrey, which has never been proved, though ost people believe that he did so vote. Beside, Mr. Frothingham did nothing towards the defeat of Mr. Palfrey, except that, being very unpopular, he run against him, and so compelled domacrats, who found thata plurality would elect somebody, to vote for Mr. Thompson. Had Mr. Frothingham been a po- pularman, he would have secured the greater par of the democratic yote, and so Mr. Palfrey would have been chosen, whereas he got only 700 votes out of about 4,000, and thereby secured the election of a which he turned his unpopularity, and thus saved the Union. It is not every man who is capable of such sacrifice as that which he made. To return to Mr. Banks's vote. I think he has damaged himself by giving it. If he should fail of a re-election, it will be owing to that vote, of which the hunkers will make a full use, though they ap- prove of the act itself. They opposed him before, and would again, no matter how he should act on any question—their difficulties with him being rather personal than political; but the free svilers, toa man, and the coalition democrats, who are a ma- jority in the district, would have supported him, and would have been joined by hundreds of whiga, but for his vote on Monday last. That vote, though given honestly, is offensive to all his anti-Nebraska constituente—that is to say, to nineteen-twenticths of all the voters in the district. They look upon it as asort of compromise of his position, and just now all compromises are odious to them—save and except the Missouri compromise of 1820. The hunk- ers are glad to see Mr. Banks place himself in a po- sition so offensive to almost all the men who voted for him in 1852, and are confident that, though they him, he has been kind enough to take a great step towards defeating himself. It is said that the cause of“Mr. Frothingham’s present malice towards Mr. Banks, is the fact that the ad- ministration has Pag more regard to Mr. Banks's recommendation in the matter of appointments at Digi cet to those of the editor of the ‘ost. Government seems about to reconsider its deter- mination to have one of the six steam frigates built at Charlestown Navy Yard. The necessity of length- ening one of the ship houses for the purpose of con- structing the frigate, has caused the retary of the Navy to call for estimates as to the cost of auch lengthening, and most people believe that the object the vessel at Nor- olk or eas » This would be unkind, for Roston and Charlestown not only did the handsome thing for Gen. Pierce, in 1852, but they “ crashed out” the coalition at the command of the Attorney- jeneral, who was himself under command of the President. Ifsuch clear proofs of flagrant flankey- ism are not enough to entitle the two cities to a sbare of the plunder, of what use will it be for men to moke fiunkies of themselves? Where is Frothi: ham that he does not make use of his influence wit! the powers on the banks of creek, to have justice done to the town which he once ruled from ‘the sublime post of Mayor? Of what avail will it be that he saved the place from the ferocious paws of the Protestants, in 1853, if he shall allow its people to amg ted to oe in nan Ad Can be not rd = thing in the way of preservation as well as of destruo- tion It concerns his fame to bring Mr. Dobbin to | reason, and toasense of the error of his conduct. The Charlestown people do say that if the Navy | Yard itself were removed, they would be most grate- ful to the removing power. That and the State prison (they always couple the two institutions to- gether) are looked upon by them as being emphati- cally the nuisances of the age, so far as they ave concerned. They are, as it were, blockaded and be- sieged by them, and haye no room inj which to | spread themselves. Were a fair share of work sent to the yard, its presence might be made to partially | atone for itsclt ; but as itis, with now and then an old hulk to repair, and occasionally a small vessel to build, it takes up a vast amount of space that might be profitably used under other circumstances, and afferds no compe: jon for the loss. It might as well be removed, es for any particular good that is accomplished in it. Cascy, the Irish youth who killed Mr. Taylor and his wile, at Natick, has been serving out his prelimi- Pies the State prison, which expired on Mon- | jast. It ia vncertain what will be his fate. | Should Gov. Washburn take the same view of the case as Gov. Clifford did in Nye tl the mur- dever will be banged; nor doT think that there would be much = expressed if the executive ben Dae t ore oe swing. tied murder that he perpetrated was o! no maa cious character—much more ex: treme punishment than that of , though I doubt of his entertaining strong wk of Hyer oO ane ae me wi Ts of mornit +. Clifford ‘The free soilers are to have @ mass convention at Worcester on the 31st of May. It will be simply an item in the work of “ agit ” that they have en- tered , and have no special reference to Massa- chusetts politics, The free soilers see with regret unscrupulous style. ES do the anes es rtion of them; ey do wi or pertion ; and bone of their nusber consider it additional evil to the Nebraska bill that si peace xecnld much towards giving to General a whig suc- cessor. : oda te ath ting ere . m com- pus with those made Ist Wook, The lange ‘at of the estate on the corner of Green stieets, occupied until recently by the Eye and Kar Infirmary. The land amounts to 10,534 feet, 123 on Pitts and 80 on “Green street, and there are on it a large three story house and other buildings. Mr. Nathaniel Whiting purchased the estate at $2824 a square foot, paying, in round now $30,0C0 for it, The terms were, one-fourth cash, the remainder any time within ten years, as purchaser may think best. The property is good, and I should say that Mr. Whiting had made a judi- cious investment. It lies almost opposite to the Re- vere House, and isin a costes tid ie town where prices of real estate must rapidly and steadily rise. The Lane estate, on Leverett street, was sold on Wednesday for $4,800. There were sales of houses at good prices, yesterday, by Col. Thompson, the crack auctioneer, or George Robbins, of Boston. Mr. Sleeper, who has edited the Boston Journal, one of our best papers, for more than twenty years, retired from that post yesterday, and has been suc~ ceeded by Mr. Dix, formerly one of his assistants, and a gentleman of talents. Mr. Sleeper had been asailor for twenty-two years before he went into the editorial chair, and he now leaves his profession on account of impaired health. Mayor Smith has written a book on “Turkey and the Turks,” which was published this morning. He travelled extensively inthe East a few years since, and this work is the result of his obser- vations in one portion of that interesting quar- ter of the globe. It is a well written volume. Messrs. Little, Brown & Co. have published ® work entitled “Junius Discovered.” It is from the pen of Mr. Frederick Griffin, of Montreal. Mr. Griffin attributes the writings of Junius to Governor Pownall, who was for some time at the head of this Stat, or Province, 9s it then was. I think that he should have called his book “Junius Invented.” Not that Governor Pownall was not possessed of suffi- * cient talent to have written the “Letters,” for he was a man of singular ability, and in some respecta his ideas were far ahead of all his contemporaries, 80 far as there are means of ascertaining what were the opinions of the men of his time; but I think it could be shown that he was not Junius, or near him. However, Mr. Griffin given us clever book, be he right or wrong. Of Junian reading that I have mucl sure—I know of but two tl that are Mr. Reeapt ea is the London paper in suppo wild hypothesis younger Lor! Lyttleton was Junius; an the ey ee the sul attached number of the Grenville Papers, and which be printed separately from the work of now forms a part, or rather an a dition. Mr. Macdonald, a Catholic, has been of an ushership in the Charleston High the SS age majority of whom i at s ef 5 ne iy nothings. a nephew of Father Macdonald, who, in 1852, certified to General Pierce’s Catholic- ism, to his having been born at Cork, and educated at Maynooth, and to his readiness to kiss the Pope’s toe; “in short,” to his being just “the man for Galway:” and, fore, he can be easily pro- vided for by a gratefal executive. Aucoma. P.8—The “Angel Gabriel” has returned from his horn” up and down BAC Ug soe Ng _ ‘ashington street. He preach in that quar- , & row is antici- Fort to-morrow, and as the Trish Cath le were unkind not to pied’ Tho W all shut him up until Monday, which they might have done without ‘any violation of the riguta |. The Worcester the cl- tizen. mann , in of excitement in Crittenden County, in the hbor- hood of Marion. Day before yesterday, Mr. of this city, was over at a place he has, residence, a few miles so are tacked him with a stick, but was fel Abels’ brother then knock other ended by Sweet getting the best of it. occurrence becoming Pits own, terday some thirty or forty of the citizens—to whom, it seems, Abels had rendered himself very 1 ~ shelter given to fugitives from j sembled, armed, and repaired to Abels’ house rope, desi; to hang him. Dr. Dewitt, his son- in-law, being at the house, resisted the the crowd, and defied them. A or fired, whether by accident or d stated, and poor Dewitt was killed. Since writing the above, we learn the following iculars from one who witnessed the whole affair. ur informant states that after the di a for tween Abels and Sweet, about one hundred Eoaaeted es assembled rch pee urpose of taking some as of Al and others ame erry: It appears that Mr. R. P. allay. wee caading upon a cart or in the act of crowd, when Dr. Dewitt came up and the er. Harsh words and ensued, when Dewitt was shot dead by Mr. R. P. Talley, wich a double barrelled shot-gun. crowd immediately or soon after jired to the house of Abels, ah | dies of the house who excitement for the mob to desist short time to make preparations to leave, a notice was sent into the effect that the house would be cannonaded on to-day at 9 o'clock A. M., and that =r be out before or by that time. ie crowd then went back to Marion, where in @ regularly organized meeting, the followii and resolutions were passed, and us for Pyros Oe thtoan of the coush of Crittenden, resogale ‘e, the citizens @ county ing as superior to all statutory enactments lawa of nature and of nature’s God, bel that those laws give to each individual, and to the at large, the right of self preservation; and wh has been for many years past @ class of men in gur midst whe, with the most reckless audacity, have committed ‘ poe Beeler com nrk: Uhursenmn secreted our slandered the of our citizens, (the purest the best,) villified the fair name of our mothers; our sis- ters, our wives and our children—have aided to.escape from justice thieves and murderers—have threatened and even attem} the lives of ourselves and our friends— have wayleid and abused our citizens when pnasing om the highway, and have even procured slaughter of a worthy citizen; and itasmnch as we have for infamy; and believing it to be a duty which we owe alike to 01 ives and our county to redress these evils, do therefo hat Joveph Abel, the leader of sald Resolve, leave the county before @ o'clock of the 13th inst.; t George Dewitt, Carrol Dempsey, James Baker, Dyson, Robert L, Murphy, Frank’ Witvy, Reuben Wm. P. Farmer, and Eoler Co such class, leave the county by 1 Recolved, That if any of the persons heretofore mem- tiened are found in ‘hie county after the time hereia specified for their departure, therefore, they must abide by the consequences. Roselved, ihat we, the eitizens aforesaid, Loe = @ apd €ach to the other, to insist upon and out . ve resolutions. neni Faceraxts ror Lrornra—On Thnraday, 18th instant, the egent of the Virginia Colonization So- ciety, emberked on board the ship Sophia Walker, in Hompton Roads, 116 colored emigrants for Li- leria. They were from Bottetourt “ene Va., 145 Manchester, Va, 33. Betersbutsy Va., 2; Norfolk. City, 1; Elizabeth City, N. ©., 15; Henrico county, Va., 39; tage te Nin A ag Kran dd Va., 16; Kin ne county ,Va., 7; Amherst eoun- ty, Ven Ieotal 116. ‘The Sophia Walker brought down 97 from Baltimore, and is expected to take on, beard others at Savanneh. Quite alazge number of emigrante are expected to go out in the next fall from P Richmond, Portsmouth, Nor- fuk Cy andthe Western branch. ‘The