560 



NAVY, UNITED STATES. 



A special increase of pensions was made by 

 act of Congress passed June 8, 1872, of 20 per 

 cent, to those having lost a limb, or other- 

 wise disabled in a manner equivalent thereto. 

 This increase, amounting to $9,237, is not in- 

 cluded in the above statement. 



The Secretary dwells upon the importance 

 of improving the torpedo system of the navy 

 as a means of attack and defence, and much 

 attention has been bestowed upon this subject 

 in the service. "Torpedo warfare," says Sec- 

 retary Robeson, "is still in its infancy; but 

 it is the infancy of a most powerful develop- 

 ment, and it is especially the policy of the 

 United States to foster its growth as a weapon 

 adapted to our situation. These cheapest but 

 most powerful weapons of defence, called tor- 

 pedoes by Fulton, who invented them, were 

 afc first little regarded, but their use is now 

 established as a necessity of naval warfare. 

 England, Germany, Austria, and even China, 

 are devoting much attention to their prepara- 

 tion and employment. This weapon seems to 

 have an especial value to the United States. Our 

 separation from the political complications of 

 Europe produces a security which has resulted 

 in notorious unreadiness to meet any sudden 

 hostile emergency, which can come only from 

 the sea, by an armed navy in proportion to our 

 strength or to the extent of our coasts. A 

 well - developed system of torpedo warfare 

 would, to some extent possibly to a large 

 extent meet this condition of unreadiness. 

 Naval construction has not yet even remotely 

 indicated any floating structure which can 

 withstand the destructive power of the mod- 

 ern fulminate, skilfully applied. While torpe- 

 does are the cheapest of naval weapons, and 

 within the means of the poorest nations, they 

 are irresistible to the strongest and best pre- 

 pared. The idea, even, of their employment 

 appeals so strongly to the imagination, that 

 powerful fleets have been kept aloof simply by 

 their supposed presence." 



The preparations and outfits for the hydro- 

 graphic survey in the Pacific Ocean have been 

 completed, and every facility has been given 

 by the Department to insure its success. The 

 United States ship Portsmouth, detailed for 

 this survey, has already sailed and will com- 

 mence operations upon her arrival in the Paci- 

 fic Ocean, where she will be joined by the 

 U. S. steamer Narragansett. 



The whole number of students in the Naval 

 Academy at Annapolis, at the beginning of the 

 academic year, 1872-73, was 260, viz. : 222 

 cadet-midshipmen ; 34 cadet-engineers, and 4 

 Japanese students. 



In the early part of the year, Commander 

 R. W. Meade made, in the Narragansett, an 

 extended cruise among the islands of the South 

 Pacific Ocean, in the cou/se of which he visited 

 the group known as the Navigator or Samoan 

 Islands, which lies northeast of Australia, 

 and almost north of New Zealand, and con- 

 sists of nine islands, the largest of which is 



called Upola. These islands are capable of 

 producing in abundance cotton, sugar, and all 

 the ordinary tropical productions. They are 

 inhabited by a fine, muscular race, mostly 

 Christianized, and of a higher order of intel- 

 lect and cultivation than almost any natives 

 of the Pacific Archipelago. The island of 

 Tutuila, though by no means the largest, is 

 the central island, and, possessing the beauti- 

 ful harbor of Pago-Pago, is the key of the 

 group. These islands lie directly in the track 

 of commerce and steam-navigation between 

 the west coast of America and the islands and 

 semi-continents of the East; and the bay of 

 Pago-Pago, situated about midway between 

 Honolulu and Sydney, affords not only far the 

 best and safest, but absolutely the only land- 

 protected harbor among the islands of the 

 South Pacific. Its position, in relation to New 

 Zealand, Australia, the Sandwich Islands, the 

 ports of South America, and the Isthmus, and 

 to San Francisco, makes it almost the neces- 

 sary harbor for supplies, coaling, and repairs, 

 for all the trade and travel westward to Aus- 

 tralia and Southern Polynesia, or returning 

 thence to the shores of America. Its great 

 advantages for the United States are to bo 

 found in these conditions, and in the fact that 

 it is in the direct line of trade from San Francis- 

 co, through the Sandwich Islands, to the East ; 

 that its location is plainly marked by the sur- 

 veys of our exploring expedition, and those 

 more recently made ; that it is easy of access, 

 night and day, with a deep, land-locked har- 

 bor, well protected from the force of the hur- 

 ricanes which sweep that portion of the Pa- 

 cific, and from the dangerous ocean-swell re- 

 sulting therefrom. The native chiefs and peo- 

 ple are well-disposed and exceedingly anxious 

 to secure the benefits of intercourse with the 

 United States, and the recognition of the Gov- 

 ernment. As an available station for coaling 

 and supplies for our national and commercial 

 marine in that part of the world, this island 

 is regarded as by far the best to be found 

 within a sweep of many thousand miles. 



"It is by no means," says Secretary Robe- 

 son, in his late annual report to the President, 

 " the province of this report to discuss ques- 

 tions of foreign policy, or to present any 

 event even of the plainest interests or require- 

 ments of national commerce, but I cannot for- 

 bear to say that, if we are not prepared to ig- 

 nore wholly the imperative commercial needs, 

 as well as the splendid commercial opportuni- 

 ties of our Pacific States, and to yield also the 

 opening avenues of Pacific trade to the com- 

 prehension and courage of more liberal, 

 though more remote peoples, we should not 

 neglect the opportunities thus afforded, at 

 least to protect, if not to encourage, some of 

 the American interests which are there strug- 

 gling to establish themselves." 



During the year two expeditions have be^n 

 engaged upon surveys for the interoccanic 

 canal across the Isthmus of Darien. One, un- 





