LETTERS OF A FRIEND TO THE NAVY. 351 



" Although the return of the public vessels now ordered to the 

 United States will, to a considerable extent, furnish men for fu- 

 ture service, yet sending out so large a force as that required for 

 the exploring expedition, to be detained for the term of three years, 

 cannot but be felt as a serious inconvenience in fitting out the 

 number of vessels wanted for the immediate protection of com- 

 merce." 



From this it appears that Commodore Jones, appointed to the 

 command of the exploring squadron, deemed one frigate of the 

 second class, one store-ship, two barks, and one schooner,, as in- 

 dispensably necessary to the success of the enterprise ; on which 

 measures were immediately adopted to have these vessels pre- 

 pared without delay. This report the president laid before Con- 

 gress. 



On the sixth of February last the secretary of the navy made a 

 report to the president, in which he states that, 



" In answer to the resolution of the House of Representatives 

 calling for information as to the progress which has been made in 

 the arrangements for the surveying and exploring expedition au- 

 thorized at the last session of Congress, and of the objects and 

 measures to which said expedition is to be devoted, &c., and 

 which, on the fourth instant, you referred to this department,. I 

 have the honour to state that, in my annual report of the third of 

 December last, I gave a brief outline of the progress that had been 

 made in the arrangements for this expedition up to that time ; 

 which may be found in document number two of the House of 

 Representatives, pages 444, 5, and 6, together with a report of 

 the commissioners of the navy of the measures which had been, 

 taken to carry the same into effect, and an estimate of the amount 

 that will be required for the support of the frigate Macedonian, the 

 store-ship Relief, the two barks Pioneer and Consort, and the 

 schooner Pilot, to be employed on this expedition for one year, 

 which report and estimate may be found in pages 484 and 485 of 

 the same document. 



" The resolution referred to requires further information than 

 was contained in my report, as also what progress has since been 

 made in these arrangements. 



" The great objects of this expedition, as understood by this 

 department, are to explore the seas of the Southern Hemisphere, 



