350 LETTERS OF A FRIEND TO THE NAVY. 



" To prevent any delay that might arise from the want of math- 

 ematical, astronomical, and philosophical instruments, books, maps, 

 charts, &c., required for the expedition, Lieutenant Wilkes, of 

 the navy, was sent to Europe, and sailed frorri New-York on the 

 8th of August last, to make the necessary purchases ; in which he 

 has been successful as to the greater part of the articles wanted. 

 For some instruments, however, he has been under the necessity 

 of waiting until they can be manufactured. His return is expected 

 about the middle of this month. 



"It is believed that every proper exertion has been made to 

 recruit men for this service, but without the anticipated success ; 

 no more than about two hundred, according to the returns received, 

 being as yet recruited ; and, as Captain Jones requires five hun- 

 dred and eighteen petty officers, seamen, ordinary seamen, boys, 

 and marines, together with eighty-five commissioned and warrant 

 officers, for his squadron, it is evident that a considerable time 

 must yet elapse before the expedition can be ready for sea. 



" Recruiting seamen for a particular service may be attended 

 with great inconvenience, and should not be adopted but upon the 

 most urgent occasions, such as that of the exploring expedition 

 was conceived to be. If the exigences of the government should 

 require of such recruits service different from that for which they 

 were enlisted, discontent, and even mutiny may be apprehended. 

 Besides, this mode of recruiting cannot but interfere with the re- 

 cruiting for the general service ; and, in the present case, the order 

 to recruit for the exploring expedition has made it necessary to 

 adopt the same mode of recruiting for the crews of the vessels 

 about to sail for the Pacific and Brazilian stations. 



" Recruiting for three distinct objects of service at the same 

 time, while the usual recruiting for the general service is contin- 

 ued, cannot but retard the whole, and compel us to keep in re- 

 ceiving vessels a much larger number of recruits, constantly dis- 

 posed to desert, than would be required, if recruited, for the gen- 

 eral service alone. 



" Although the number of recruits is small for any one of these 

 objects, yet, in the aggregate, the number is quite as great as 

 should be expected, when we consider the unusually great num- 

 ber of seamen now in the naval service of the United States, and 

 the great demand for them in the merchant service. 



