370 APPENDIX. 



marked No. 3, which appears to me to embrace the case, and has, in 

 my opinion, pledged the faith of the government fully ; whether he was 

 authorized by the Department to give such pledges or not, is, I think, 

 wholly immaterial to the present case. It has been done : and those 

 who have complied and received the bounty, believed such to be the 

 fact, which the Department alone could give, thereby binding the 

 contract on the part of the government ; which (acting for the best 

 interests of the service in which we are engaged) I have thought 

 proper to confirm by issuing the order referred to, which I cannot 

 doubt will meet your approbation. 



I have the honour, &c, 



(Signed) Charles Wilkes, 



Commanding Exploring Expedition, 

 To the Hon. James K. Paulding, 



Secretary of the Navy. 



XV. 



U. S. Ship Vincennes, 



Off Madeira, September 20th, 1838. 

 Sir, — 



Although, previous to sailing from Hampton Roads, I was aware of 

 some of the deficiencies in the outfits of this ship and the Peacock, in 

 preparing them at the navy-yard, Norfolk, for the service in which we 

 are engaged, I omitted to mention the same to the Department, owing 

 to the necessity of our sailing without delay or detention ; but since 

 our arrival at this port, the Peacock particularly has been found in 

 such a condition, that it is with regret I consider it my duty to 

 represent the same to you, and take leave to enclose herewith a report 

 of her commander, by which it appears she was in a much worse 

 condition on leaving the dock-yard at Norfolk, than had been anti- 

 cipated ; instead of being well prepared for the service required in the 

 Exploring Expedition. 



I have forwarded to you, through the navy-agent at New York, for 

 your examination, a box containing an iron hoop, taken from one of 

 the pumps of the Peacock, as a fair specimen of the little attention 

 which had been bestowed upon her at the navy-yard in her repairs. I 

 have to state also, that a few days after the ship left the navy-yard, 

 her fore and cross-jack-yards were found so much decayed, that it 

 was necessary to replace them by new ones, on representation of her 

 commander. 



I consider it my duty to state that we have found nearly all the men 

 furnished us from the receiving-ship at Norfolk, by your order, unfit for 



