UNITED STATES. 



779 



$400 ; Supply, $1,200 ; Sorrel, $200 ; and Dictator, 

 $33,800, at League island, Pa. Frolic, $8,600; and 

 Relief, $2,600, at Washington. Worcester, $25,400 : 

 Shawmut, $5,300 ; and Savannah, $10,600, at Nor- 

 folk. Roanoke, $37,200, at Chester. Pawnee, $5 - 

 600 ; and Sea-weed, $500, at Port Royal, S. 0. 



Proposals were received until September 

 24th, and the vessels were awarded to the 

 highest responsible bidders. The aggregate 

 amount realized was $384,753. Condemned 

 stores and supplies were also sold to the amount 

 of $135,000. The other vessels stricken from 

 the register were not considered of sufficient 

 value to be sold, and were condemned to be 

 broken up on the stocks. 



The Advisory Board appointed to consider 

 the needs of the United States Navy, recom- 

 mended the gradual substitution of new steel 

 vessels for all the old type of wooden vessels. 

 It fixed the standard for the navy at 70 vessels, 

 43 for service at sea, and 27 to be held in re- 

 serve, and recommended that they be built at 

 the rate of seven a year. Under authority of 

 the acts of Aug. 5, 1882, and March 3, 1883, 

 proposals were invited for the construction of 

 three cruisers, one dispatch-boat, and three 

 double-turreted monitors. The cruisers were 

 to be of steel, and were intended to equal any- 

 thing afloat in speed and efficiency. The Chi- 

 cago was to be of 4,500 tons, and the Boston 

 and Atlantic of 2,500 tons each. The contract 

 for the three cruisers and the dispatch-boat 

 Dolphin was awarded to John Roach, of Ches- 

 ter, Pa., the aggregate of his bids being $2,- 

 440,000, and less on each vessel than those of 

 any other bidder. The three monitors, Puri- 

 tan, Amphitrite, and Terror, were launched on 

 the Delaware before the close of the year, and 

 a similar one, the Monadnock, was launched in 

 California. The contracts for the engines and 

 fittings of the monitors require their comple- 

 tion by July 15, 1884, and the cruisers must be 

 finished during that year. 



The Advisory Board recommend the imme- 

 diate construction of three more large cruis- 

 ers, together with two gunboats of 1,500 tons, 

 and two of 750 tons, at an estimated cost of 

 $4,283,000. They also recommend one steel 

 ram, one cruising torpedo-boat, and two har- 

 bor torpedo-boats. 



A commission was appointed to examine the 

 navy-yards, with a view to determining wheth- 

 er any of them should be dispensed with, and 

 what should be done to put the others in a bet- 

 ter state of efficiency. A report was made to 

 the Secretary of the Navy in December. 



The commissioners recommended the reten- 

 tion of the Mare Island Navy-Yard, as it was 

 the only one on the Pacific coast. Of that at 

 Portsmouth, N. H., they reported that it af- 

 fords ample depth of water, is rarely obstructed 

 by ice, is in a region where skilled labor can 

 always be obtained, has a healthful climate, is 

 susceptible of defense, and has excellent plant 

 for the construction and repair of wooden 

 ships. In view of these advantages they did 



not recommend the sale of this yard. They 

 did not think it advisahle to sell the navy-yard 

 at Boston, of which they said: "Its geo- 

 graphical position, excellent plant, fine dry- 

 dock and buildings, and adaptability to further 

 improvements, give it too much value to be 

 relinquished. Sooner or later defensive works 

 for the protection of the city of P.oston must 

 be constructed, when the yard will be safe from 

 attack." The discontinuance of the yard at 

 New London, Conn., was recommended, and 

 the use of the site for a Naval Asylum was sug- 

 gested. The commissioners then set forth and 

 considered the advantages and disadvantages of 

 the Brooklyn Navy-Yard, and expressed the 

 opinion that it should not be sold. They rec- 

 ommended, however, the sale of a portion of 

 land, comprising about fifty-eight acres, lying 

 to the eastward of Marine Barracks, and in- 

 cluding a part or the whole of the hospital- 

 grounds. The commissioners next review the 

 situation, plant, and capability of defense of 

 the League Island Navy- Yard, and say : " Your 

 commissioners do not recommend the sale of 

 this yard. Of all the places on the Atlantic 

 seaboard the Delaware is the best for iron-ship 

 building, and on the Delaware League island 

 has been selected hy several boards as the site 

 for a navy-yard."' The commission advised 

 against the abandonment of the naval station 

 at Sackett's Harbor, N. Y. The recommenda- 

 tions with regard to the other navy-yards were 

 as follow : Washington Navy- Yard. The sale 

 of this yard is not recommended. Pensacola 

 Navy- Yard. The commissioners do not rec- 

 ommend the sale of this yard, as it is the only 

 one on the Gulf. Norfolk Navy- Yard. The 

 commissioners do not recommend the sale of 

 this yard, because the advantages it undoubt- 

 edly possesses far outweigh its deficiencies. 

 Key West Naval Station. The commissioners 

 do not recommend the sale of this station, be- 

 lieving that, in any maritime war, Key West 

 must be retained at whatever cost. 



The New London Navy- Yard has been al- 

 ready abandoned, and that at Pensacola closed. 



The Post-Offlce. The revenues of the Post-Of- 

 fice Department for the fiscal year ending June 

 30th were $45,508,692, and the expenses $42,- 

 816,700. There was an increase of 8*6 per cent, 

 in the receipts over those of the previous year. 

 The estimated receipts for the year ending in 

 1885 are $47,104,078; expenditures, $50,062,- 

 189. The anticipated deficiency is due to the 

 reduction of letter-postage from three to two 

 cents per half- ounce, which went into effect 

 October 1st (see page 185, et seg.). The number 

 of post-offices increased during the fiscal year 

 from 46,231 to 47,863, and the number of em- 

 ployee in the department,' from 65,777 to 69,- 

 020. The free-delivery system was in opera- 

 tion in 154 offices, at an annual expense of $3,- 

 173,336. The cost of inland mail transportation 

 for the fiscal year was $19,234,899, an increase 

 of $353,847 over that of the previous year. 

 The service on Star-routes, which in 1880 cost 



