32D CONG.....2D SESS. on his return to the Atlantic coast, unless he deposits so many ounces-I believe about seventyas will pay the Mint for parting, and leave five dollars of silver over and above their charges, has his silver filched from him. It would be of no advantage to him, in the belief of the Mint officers, to have any sum less than five dollars in silver coin, yet by these filchings of small sums they augment their contingent fund annually to the amount of thousands of dollars. The rich depositor, who makes large profits from the miners of California, by speculating in their gold dust, and sends his accumulations to the Mint to the extent of thousands or millions of dollars, receives the silver from his bullion; but the humble owner of a few ounces, which he has earned by hard toil and kept by rigid economy, can receive no benefit from the parting process; his silver must go to the contingent fund of the Mint. The legislation of the country has been in all respects liberal, just, and considerate. According to the existing laws, the depositor is entitled to have his gold coined without charge, and the silver separated therefrom for his benefit, and at cost of materials and labor only. The Mint, however, in the administration of those laws, makes the meanest exactions from him, taking that which he should receive to augment a fund for their expenditure, and avoid the disagreeable and dreaded duty of asking Congress for appropriations. Lastly: I know, and am prepared to show, that the coin of the United States has been debased; and that the issue of gold coined during one year in one of the Mints, amounting to millions of dollars, was so much debased that it was under serious consideration whether it should not be entirely withdrawn from circulation. APPENDIX. MINT OF THE UNITED STATES, Sept. 24, 1850. SIR Adverting to my letter of yesterday, on the subject of your bill to facilitate commerce by authorizing the manufacture of large rectangular coins or ingots at the Mint of the United States and its branches," and reasserting my approval of the object expressed in that letter, I beg leave to offer some remarks upon its chief provisions. The shortness of the time debars me from entering into as much detail as would otherwise be proper. Permit me to say, that the third and thirteenth sections are not as free from ambiguity as is desirable in an enactment of law, and that the second, sixth, eighth, twelfth and fifteenth sections contain provisions, which, in my judgment, are not expedient, or are unsuitably parceled out to the officers of the Mint. Without waiting to give my reasons for these criticisms, as being of secondary importance, I come at once to the sections which I believe to be impracticable in their operations. The second, fourth, seventh, and tenth sections taken together, provide for the casting of coins or ingots of specific denominations and values, from one hundred dollars to ten thousand dollars, (I hope you will excuse me here for pointing out the impropriety of the idea of "casting a coin," which runs through the entire bill: the word ingot is proper and sufficient.) It requires that those ingots shall be adjusted with an accuracy of fineness and weight, far more critical and refined than is required for our coinsnamely, the half thousandth part in fineness, and the two one hundred thousandth part in weight. Lastly, it provides, that those ingots shall be subjected to an impression or coinage on each of their six sides and over the whole surface of them. The practice of European nations proves that it does facilitate commerce to have large ingots or bars of gold, of an assured weight and fineness. And in respect to the State of California, it is manifestly desirable that her staple product, so far as it is intended for exportation, or for very large dealings, might be legally put into this form, just as the cotton of Louisiana is concentrated into bales; but then how does it become necessary or desirable to adjust them to a round value? Such bars are mainly, almost entirely an international currency, and any stamps or "tracery we would put upon them, at whatever pains or expense, would not save them from being subjected to a fresh weighing, assay, and valuation-our troy ounces would be figured into kilogrammes or marks-our thousandths into carats, and carat grains- our even sum of dollars into pounds, francs or rix dollars, and their fractions; and not only so, but there might be found an irreconcilable variance of ten or twenty dollars in an ingot of ten thousand. We have never been able to take the commercial bars of Europe, any more than their coins, at their face. The argument from this is, that all that the miner or trader wants is the assurance that his bar will pass in all lands for so many thousand dollars, exact money; but that it possesses a definite Mint value, resulting from a known weight and fineness; consequently it is not necessary nor desirable to adjust these bars to any given standard of fineness, nor to a specific weight, nor to a round value; they may be of any weight, any fineness, any value, according as the banker or miner has bullion to be put into that form. As to the stringent limits of weight and fineness stated in the bill, I assure you they are quite unattainable in business operations; and although I will not undertake to say, that to coin the whole surface of a large six-sided ingot would be an impossibility, provided there were an unlimited amount of time and Gold Coin in California-Mr. Gwin. money; yet I do not hesitate to pronounce it an impractica- R. M. PATTERSON, Director. A BILL to facilitate commerce, by authorizing the manu- 1. Be it enacted, That it shall be lawful to manufacture 2. Be it further enacted, That such ingots, before they are issued, shall be impressed with the words "MINT OF THE UNITED STATES," with the addition of the name of the place of the branch Mint, in case of issue from a branch Mint, with such further stamps as shall indicate the registered number and date, the fineness in thousandths, the weight in troy ounces, and the decimal parts of an ounce, and the net value in dollars and cents. Every such ingot shall also be accompanied with a memorandum from the Treasurer of the Mint, or branch Mint, stating the partic-| ulars in respect to the deposit, as is now customary in respect to deposits for coinage. 3. Be it further enacted, That the respective duties to be performed in execution of this act, shall be assigned by the Director of the Mint, to the subordinate officers of the Mint, or branch Mint, with the approbation of the Secretary of the Treasury, in such division and order as is most compatible with the duties now assigned by law to such officers: Provided, That the only accounting officer in this case shall be the Treasurer. 4. Be it further enacted, That gold bullion deposited for the purpose contemplated in this act, shall be subject to such charges and deductions, and no other, as are imposed by law upon bullion deposited for coinage. 5. Be it further enacted, That to secure a due accuracy and uniformity in the assay of such ingots, it shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Treasury, from time to time, to cause check assays to be made, under the supervision of the Director of the Mint, of samples from ingots which may be received into the Treasury of the United States, and if, in repeated instances, the error is found to exceed two thousandths, said Director shall certify the fact to the Secretary of the Treasury, and the President of the United States, and the assayer in fault, shall thenceforth be disqualified from exercising that office. 6. Be it further enacted, That all such ingots shall be receivable for debts due to the United States, of every sort, at the Treasury of the United States, or any of its offices or custom-houses, at the net Mint value stamped upon them, and attested by the accompanying memorandum. VICKSBURG, MISSISSIPPI, October, 1850. SIR: I have received your letter of the 24th ultimo, with the proposed substitute for my bill; and I have considered the criticisms and views they contain in that "candid and courteous spirit" which you invoke for them, and in which I am assured they were intended. It is evident that, while we agree in the general object of facilitating commerce, we differ, perhaps irreconcilably, as to some of the means most desirable or requisite to prepare the gold bullion of California for that purpose; and that advantages sought by me have been by you overlooked. Under such circumstances, I shall discuss the subject generally, and further criticisms, or suggestions, from you, in reply, will be fairly considered. You should believe that I have not submitted a bill, upon so important a subject, to the consideration of Congress, without having obtained and availed myself of full information concerning both the commercial and technical facts and provisions embraced in it, even to their more minute details. The object of your proposed substitute appears to be to introduce, into our country, the crude, imperfect, and limited ingot system of European bankers, designed chiefly for international exchanges-a system which I consider antiquated, and wholly inadequate and inadmissible; and for which I propose to substitute, and by law establish, an improvement, which shall virtually consist in the fabrication of large gold coins, adapted alike to domestic and international payments of considerable amount. You have justly compared the casting of gold into crude ingots, such as those proposed by you, to the packing of cotton in bales of any weight and quality. But the large coins which I desire to have made, by legislative direction, are analogous to the barrel of flour, of one hundred and ninety-six pounds weight, and of superfine, fine, or other specific denomination; or to the barrel, of two hundred pounds, of mess, prime, or cargo beef or pork; and other uniform packages of staple productions, of definite weight and specific quality, which are most conveniently and commonly bought and sold by tale, or by reason of the faith reposed in the brand of their inspection; which is by the Constitution of the United States left with the States respectively. As gold is the staple production of California, and as the Constitution prohibits coining by the States, it SENATE. is fit and proper that the United States should extend to that State every facility requisite for the definite inspection in weight and quality, and for the stamping of this most valuable commercial article. Having presented these preliminary considerations which will perhaps serve to indicate the points upon which we differ, I shall comment upon your remarks and criticisms, and the features of your proposed substitute for the bill, with freedom, but with justice and entire frankness. I did not expect verbal criticisms; but as you have seen fit to question the correctness of the phrase, to cast a coin, I would remark, that the sand dollars of Mexico are castings; and that legally, as well as in fact, a coin is any piece of either of the more precious metals, of adjusted weight and fineness, which by law is made tender of payment for its nominal value in the country to which it belongs. And if ingots be not coins, they can be so made to be by suitable legislative enactments, whether the same be cast, hammered, rolled, or in any other way manufactured. If you will turn again to the third and thirteenth sections of the bill, and read them more attentively, you will, perhaps, cease to consider them ambiguous. It is a matter of arithmetic to calculate from the gold now required by law to be contained in the eagle, or coin of ten dollars, the quantity which should be in an ingot or coin of one thousand dollars, or of any other given denomination. And there can be no difficulty of ascertaining the meaning of an enactment which authorizes the exchange of small coins for ingots of equal value, and the conversion of such ingots into such coins, at the Mint and its branches, by the recoinage thereof; thus providing a legally authorized means for the redemption of those ingots, and for their recoinage into small pieces suitable for diffused circulation, and for minor commercial and domestic purposes. * With reference to the sections of the bill allotting to the different officers their respective portions of the work re quired for the fabrication of the large coins or ingots, I am not aware that there is in them anything incompatible with the proper functions of those officers. It is known to me that the bill would add to the judicial responsibility, and slightly to the labor of the assayer, by requiring him to verify the weights as well as the fineness of the ingots, and to certify the same by stamping thereon the said weight and fineness, and a discriminating mark, which shall indicate not only the place of issue, but also, privately, to the Director of the Mint, the individual assayer. Thus the assayer would become the only judicial officer, and might be held, as he should be, to the strictest responsibility. The Treasurer does not appear to be the proper officer to act judicially upon the work of the coiner, as he is required to do by section twenty-six of the act approved January 18, 1837; and it seems to be both fit and expedient that such a transfer of duty from the treasurer to the assayer, as I propose, should be one of the provisions of the bill. * When the above modifications of the bill shall have been made, it will, I think, conform to the present allotments of work in the Mint, based upon the act approved 18th January, 1837, except in the aforesaid transfer of judicial duty from the treasurer to the assayer. And as the said act was framed, and is, as I am informed, in close accordance with the practice of the Mint and your own views, I trust that, when so modified, the distribution of official duties to the respective officers will meet with your approbation. I have endeavored, in preparing the bill, to be guided by the act of January 18th, 1837, as much as possible, consistently with the ends to be attained. And if you can point out any inconsistency, impropriety, or imperfection, in its working features, I should be happy to have you do so, and will make the proper correction or alteration. In your proposed substitute, you leave the allotment of the work of the respective officers undefined, and subject to the administrative regulation of the Director, approved by the Secretary of the Treasury,-instead of prescribing the same by legislative enactment. To all such arrangements I am utterly opposed, for the reasons: that, when an officer takes an oath faithfully to perform the duties of his office, as prescribed by law, he has the right to know definitely what those duties are; and when his securities give bond, jointly with him, to the United States, they have a similar right to know, precisely, what are the conditions of their bond: that when power is delegated, by legislation, to any administrative officer, it is fit and wise that, if practicable, it be explicitly defined: that when discretionary authority is granted loosely, or vaguely, it is apt to lead to negligence or abuse; and even if this should not happen, the most conscientious exercise of such authority by an officer may, if attended with accidental loss or failure, involve him in dithculty and unmerited censure; against which contingency precise legislation alone can protect him: finally, that any want of harmony between officers in their coordinate duties may give rise to embarrassing difficulties, unless said duties shall be fixed by law. Having presented you my views upon those provisions of the bill which relate to the distribution of the work to the respective officers, and which you treat as of secondary im portance, I shall now discuss your criticisms and remarks upon those features which you pronounce to be impracticable and of no utility. I cannot concur with you in believing it “impracticable, and, if practicable, useless," to cover the six surfaces of a rectangular ingot with impressions and tracery. It may be deemed impracticable by the coiner of a Mint, and that such is the case, if you have spoken as its official head, I do not doubt. But I cannot do to the ingenious and skillful artisans of your city the injustice to believe that it would be impracticable for them to contrive machinery adapted to the purpose, which shall be neither very complex nor very costly. And I am assured, by accomplished mechanicians, that I am correct in believing the art and mechanical skill of our country fully adequate to, and prepared for, the fab rication or coinage of such rectangular ingots or coins, covered with impressions and tracery, with a degree of beauty and perfection far surpassing that of any of the coins hitherto struck in the Mint; and that such work can readily be done in New York, if not in your Mint or city. 32D CONG.....2D SESS. With reference to the supposed uselessness which you have been pleased to ascribe to the execution of such work, if practicable, for reasous assigned by you, I would remark, that your objections apply as well to the coins of the United States now in use, as to the new and much larger coins which I propose to have created. It is equally true of both, if they find their way, by international commerce, into foreign countries, that they would be expressed in ac counts, or actually converted by recoinage, into such weights, denominations and technical finenesses, as may be customary and legal in said countries. And so long as every nation or government, whether powerful or weak, important or insignificant, shall arbitrarily and capriciously vary, adopt, and fix for its own use and purposes, peculiar standards of weight, measure and value, will commerce have to tolerate, as it now does, in international exchanges and accounts, for all commodities and coins whatever, that complexity and variety of terms which you have adduced, as if it would belong only, and were a valid objection to such large coins as are provided for in the bill-an objec tion which, if it prove what you design, must also prove that all foreign commerce should cease, and which, therefore, is nugatory and absurd. Meanwhile, the SpanishAmerican dollar, wisely adopted by our country, will continue to be, as it has long been, the commercial unit of value of the world. And if the gold of California should take the place, even but in part, of the silver of Spanish America, large coins or ingots of definite denominations, in dollars, will circulate familiarly throughout the length and breadth of our land, and coextensively with our commerce and that of other nations over the globe. You profess to be unable to see why ingots should not be of any weight, any fineness, any value whatever. Excuse me, then, for asking you why the gold coins at present struck at the Mint, may not also be of any weight, any fineness, any value whatever? Why might not each be only a piece of weighed and assayed, though crude metal,-protected against mutilation only by "the peculiar exterior aspect of a gold casting,"-stamped "with the words, MINT OF THE UNITED STATES," and "such further stamp as shall indicate the registered number and date, the fineness in thousandths, the weight in troy ounces, and the decimal parts of an ounce and the net Mint value in dollars and cents," the silver dollar being the standard unit, "accompanied with a memorandum from the treasurer of the Mint, or branch Mint, stating the particulars in respect to the deposit," and unprotected against counterfeiting, either by skillful workmanship or by penal statutes? If the paper memorandum should be lost or destroyed, as all of them sooner or later would be, coins of gold would still be precious metal, and they might be carried back to the Mint, at considerable expense and inconvenience, for reissue of memorandum or refabrication. There would no longer be decimal denominations, or round sums; and we would possess a coinage system of such plasticity and generality, that it might be suited to any caprice of circumstance or individual fancy; and their net Mint values" would also fluctuate with every change in the rates of charges to depositors at the Mint. With reference to the "unlimited amount of time and money" which you appear to think would be necessary to prevent the "impossibility" of coining the whole surface of a large six sided ingot, permit me say, that you will find it difficult to persuade either myself or others, that any great mechanical trouble or expense is to be apprehended in the execution of such work. You will, I presume, scarcely venture to assert that it will be more costly and laborious to adjust and impress one single coin of ten thousand dollars, thau a thousand pieces of ten dollars each, or ten thousand pieces of one dollar each. And, certainly, you have not found it more convenient, expeditious, and economical to convert a large amount of gold into little dollar pieces, than to manufacture the same into double eagles. Concerning the limits of deviation in fineness and weight which you pronounce to be "quite unattainable in business operations," to wit: the half of a thousandth part in fineness, and two hundred thousandth parts in weight, I certainly cannot be mistaken in the information I have re ceived. I have learned that the alloying and assaying of gold may be, and that it is, performed with almost inathematical exactness: that the gold coins of the British Mint are of the uniform average fineness of 915.5 thousandths, and that at this rate you have been in the habit of receiving them at the Mint, and of paying for them without previously assaying each parcel of them: that the gold coins of France, Italy, and Holland are uniformly of the fineness of eight hundred and ninety-nine thousandths, and so received hitherto by you without assaying each lot: that the average quality of our own gold coins struck at the Philadelphia Mint of late years, scarcely varies appreciably from uise hundred thousandths, the legal standard. Also, that in the coordinate operations of the melting and assaying departmen's of the Mint, the usual variations from the exact standard do not exceed the limits of 899.8 thousandths, and 900.2 thousandths, within which limits errors of workmanship are ordinarily confined: that the limits of 899.5 thousandths, and 900.5 thousandths are rarely attained: that the Mint practice is to condemn any ingot as unfit for coinage, of which the deviation from the standard fineness considerably transcends either of these limits. If this be so, and the assayer of the Mint can testify whether it is or not, I can see no reason why the deviation in fineness of two thousandths, which you propose in your substitute for the bill, should ever be allowed by law; on the contrary, I can see strong reasons why it should not be done. A dishonest melter and refiner, through the connivance of a faithless, or the indifference of an incompetent assayer, might avail himself fraudulently of such loose legislation to commit with impunity the crime of embezzlement. It may, perhaps, be that the limits of 899.5 thousandths and 900.5 thousandths are too stringent for any but experienced and the most skillful of ficers. If this be so in the judgment of the chemical officers of the Mint, and you inform me thereof, I will willingly extend the legally allowed deviation, from the half to one thou sandth part, so as sufficiently to protect honest though inexperienced Mint officers; but no greater allowance than one thousandth should be made, for the Government has the Gold Coin in California—Mr. Gwin. right to command not only fidelity but skill in the performance of such responsible duties. Of the limits of deviation in weight for the large gold coins or ingots, to wit: two one hundred thousandth parts thereof, permit me to remark, that if it be true that the bal ances and weights constructed for the several States, and for the Mints of Philadelphia and New Orleans, at the office of Weights and Measures in Washington, under the present able Superintendent, and under the immediate direction of that accomplished machinist who is intrusted with the execution of the work upon them, as well as those made in the Mint at Philadelphia, either formerly under the charge of said machinist, or more recently of that of the coiner, be as perfect as they are said to be, there can be, and is, no diffi culty in promptly weighing to its one hundred thousandth part any ingot of gold not exceeding in value the sum of $10,00. Is it not true that upon the balances in the office of the Treasurer of the Mint more than a thousand ounces of gold have been correctly weighed to the one hundredth of the ounce, the smallest weight used for the purpose, and the half of the one hundred thousandth of the entire load upon the balance? How, then, can it be unattainable to adjust the weight of large ingots within limits twice as wide as those adopted for weighing gold in the ordinary transactions of the Mints at Philadelphia and New Orleans? As, however, such balances and weights may justly be considered masterpieces of workmanship, and can be properly used only by skillful and careful persons, whose services may not always be readily attainable, as the carelessness of a workman, in the hurry of heavy operations, might unjustly bring upon the responsible officers disgrace, or even the punishment prescribed by penal statutes, if the legal limits be too stringent, and said officer be not incessantly vigilant, as accidental injury or destruction might befall the balances, and render it necessary temporarily to employ others of inferior character; and as the branch Mints probably are not now and may not hereafter be provided fully with such instruments, it may be expedient or necessary, and I see no great objection, to extend the limit of deviation in weight, to be allowed by law for large gold coins or ingots to the one ten thousandth part. But Mint allowances designed by law properly to protect the working officers, by tasking them to the performance only of possibilities, should not be so loose as to exempt them from the proper exercise of skill and fidelity, or to tempt them, if dishonest, to the perpetration of crime. In avoiding one extreme, it were wise not to pass to the other. With the above allowed deviations of one half of one thousandth in fineness, and one ten thousandth in weight, the variation in intrinsic value of the ingot of ten thousand dollars, could never differ legally more than six dollars from its nominal value; there never, therefore, would be, as you seem to think probable, a true and "irreconcilable variance of ten or twenty dollars in an ingot of ten thousand" between two determinations made independently, and with equal skill and integrity. It should be borne in mind, that it is the effect of small unintentional errors of workmanship, occurring as often above as below the legal standards of weight and fineness, to compensate each other, and to render large quantities of coin of different issues strictly in conformity with said standards; and this compensation of errors, existing in fact, may even have been contemplated in previous legislation. In large ingots, or coins, the advantage of great numbers of pieces to compensate errors, is lost; and the skill of the officers should therefore be tasked to the utmost, to secure a just and rigid conformity in their average to the legal standards. In conclusion, permit me to say of your expressed "trust that the experience of the Mint in such a matter will be regarded as important," that in whatever respect the business transactions, or the metallurgic and mechanical details of the ordinary coining operations of the Mint may have given it experience, it is both just and wise to attach par ticular importance thereto. But in such a matter as this, of coining large ingots, entirely new and untried, commercially and technically, no one can claim experience as the basis of opinions entertained. The present is an age of novelty and improvement, and our country is one of vast, rapid, and unexampled developments and progress. The electric telegraph is giving to thought ubiquity, and the steamship and locomotive are annihilating distances, so that those who aspire to lead, should not only be well acquainted with the past, but alive to the present, and thoughtful of the future. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. M. GWIN. To the Director of the United States Mint. i A BILL to facilitate commerce, by authorizing the manufacture or coinage of large rectangular gold coins or ingots of the United States, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That gold bullion brought to the Mint of the United States, or either of its branches, or assay offices, and not intended for ordinary coinage in small pieces, may and shall hereafter be received, for the benefit of the depositor, to be melted, assayed, or refined, and cast into large rectangular coins or ingots of the United States, of the respective values of one hundred, two hundred and fifty, or five hundred dollars, or of the respective values of one, five, or ten thousand dollars each. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That the standard fineness of the said rectangular gold coins or ingots of the United States shall be such that of one thousand parts by weight, nine hundred and eighty shall be of pure gold, and twenty parts of alloy, which alloy shall be of copper, or silver and copper mixed in any proportion. SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That the respective weights of the rectangular gold coins or ingots of the United States shall be such that they shall each contain the same quantity of pure gold that is now required by law to be contained in small gold coins of the legal standard of the United States, and of equal amount in value. SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That upon the rec SENATE. tangular gold coins or ingots of the United States there shall be stamped upon one side or face of each of said rectangular coins or ingots, the year, weight, and fineness, with an impression emblematic of liberty, and an inscription of the word liberty," also some discriminating mark to designate the particular assayer by whom it was assayed, and the place where it was issued; and upon the other side there shall be stamped the denomination or value, with the figure or representation of an eagle, and the inscription, United States of America ;" and that the portion of each and every of the six surfaces, or faces, of said rectangular gold coins or ingots, which shall not be unimpressed as aforesaid, shall be covered with skillfully-devised tracery of grooved lines. SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That all the dies that shall be used to stamp rectangular gold coins or ingots of the United States shall be prepared and registered by the engraver of the Mint of the United States. SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That the rectangular gold coins or ingots of the United States to be thus prepared, shall be assayed by the assayer; and if they prove to be within the limits allowed for deviation from the standard fineness, he shall return them, with a certificate, to the melter and refiner to be delivered to the treasurer. SEC. 7. And be it further enacted, That every rectangular gold ingot shall be condemned by the assayer of which the fineness differs more than the half of one thousandth from the legal standard. SEC. 8. And be it further enacted, That when the coiner shall have adjusted the weight of the ingots, the assayer shall weigh them, and if they prove to be within the limits allowed for deviation from the standard weight, the assayer shall stamp each with his discriminating mark, and the coiner shall deliver them to the treasurer. SEC. 9. And be it further enacted, That the treasurer shall deliver to the coiner the gold ingots received from the melter and refiner; and it shall be the duty of the coiner to take and stamp or strike upon each of them, the year, weight, fineness, legend, device, and tracery, with its denomination or value in conspicuous characters, before he shall deliver it to the treasurer. And at the assay offices this duty of stamping or striking upon the rectangular gold coins or ingots their proper years, weights, finenesses, legends, devices, tracery, and values shall be performed by the melter and refiner before he shall deliver the same to the treasurer. And in the settlement of the respective accounts of the melter and refiner and of the coiner with the treasurer, they shall each be allowed a credit for such necessary waste of gold bullion delivered to them to be manufactured into rectangular gold coins or ingots as shall have actually occurred in the operations employed for that purpose: Provided, That this allowance shall not exceed one thousandth part of the amount of gold bullion so delivered to each of those officers. SEC. 10. And be it further enacted, That in adjusting the respective weights of the rectangular gold coins or ingots of the United States, no ingot shall differ more than one ten thousandth part in weight from its legal standard. SEC. 11. And be it further enacted, That for rectangular gold coins or ingots of the United States, the only subjects of charge to the depositor shall be the following: For refining when the bullion is below standard; for toughening when metals are contained in it which render it brittle or unfit for coinage; and for separating the gold and silver when these metals exist together in the bullion: and that the rate of these charges shall be fixed, from time to time, by the director of the Mint and the Secretary of the Treasury, and shall be the same as the rate of charges, for the same operations, performed upon bullion deposited in the Mint and its branches for coinage into small gold coins. SEC. 12. And be it further enacted, That no charge shall hereafter be made to the depositor of gold bullion for copper used for alloy of gold coins or ingots. SEC. 13. And be it further enacted, That the Treasurer of the United States, the Assistant Treasurers of the United States, the Treasurers of the Mint, its branches, and a-say offices, and the designated depositories of the Treasury, may at any time receive rectangular gold coins or ingots of the United States in exchange for small gold or silver coins of the United States. And it shall be lawful for the Mint of the United States and its branches, to convert rectangular gold coins or ingots of the United States into small coins, but the same shall be delivered to the melter and refiner as bullion, by weight and actual assay. SEC. 14. And be it further enacted, That for all sums whatever, rectangular gold coins or ingots of the United States, made in pursuance of the provisions of this act, shall be legal tenders of payment, according to the nominal value. SEC. 15. And be it further enacted, That to secure a due conformity in the rectangular gold coins or ingots of the United States to their respective standards of weight and fineness, specimens thereof shall be selected, transmitted to the Director of the Mint, and examined before the commissioners of assay, who shall meet aminally at the Mint, in the manner and in pursuance of the regulations prescribed by sections twenty-seven and thirty-two of the act supplementary to the act establishing a Mint and regulating the coins of the United States, approved January eighteen, eighteen hundred and thirty-seven. And the better to secure the said conformity, it shall be the duty of the Director of the Mint, from time to time, to take indiscriminately from the circulation of the country, rectangular gold coins or ingots of the United States, and cause such examination thereof to be made as he may consider fit and requisite. SEC. 16. And be it further enacted, That if any of the rectangular gold coins or ingots of the United States which shall be made at the Mint, or at either of its branches or assay offices, shall be debased, or made worse as to the proportion of pure gold that ought to be therein contained; or shall be of less weight or value than the same ought to he pursuant to this act, through the default or with the connivance of one or more of the officers or persons who shall be employed at the Mint, or at either of its branches or assay offices, with the purpose of profitor gain, or otherwise with a fraudulent intent; every such officer or person, who shall 32D CONG.....2D SESS. Fortification of Key West and the Tortugas-Mr. Cabell, of Florida. commit any or either of said offenses, shall be deemed guilty of felony, and on conviction thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment at hard labor for not exceeding ten years, and by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars, according to the aggravation of the offense. SEC. 17. And be it further enacted, That if any person or persons who shall be employed in the Mint of the United States or in either of its branches or assay offices, shall fraudulently take, embezzle, steal, or carry away any bullion deposited therein, or any ingots made or deposited therein, or which shall have come into his possession or custody, by virtue of such employment, every person so offending shall be deemed guilty of felony; and on conviction thereof, he shall be punished by imprisonment at hard labor for not ex ceeding ten years, and by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars, according to the aggravation of the offense. SEC. 18. And be it further enacted, That if any person or persons shall fraudulently, and for gain sake, by any art, way, or means whatsoever, impair, diminish, falsify, scale, or lighten any rectangular gold coin or ingot of the United States, which has been made, or may hereafter be made, at the Mint of the United States, or at either of its branches or assay offices, or shall cause or procure either of said acts to be done, or shall willingly aid or assist in doing, or in causing or procuring to be done, either of said acts, every person so offending shall be deemed guilty of felony, and on conviction thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment at hard labor for not exceeding ten years, and by a fine not exceeding $10,000, according to the aggravation of the offense. SEC. 19. And be it further enacted, That if any person or persons shall falsely make, forge, or counterfeit ; or cause or procure to be falsely made, forged, or counterfeited; or willingly aid or assist in falsely making, forging, or counterfeiting any coin or ingot in the resemblance or similitude of the rectangular gold coin or ingot which has been, or may hereafter be made, at the Mint of the United States, or at either of its branches or assay offices; or shall pass, utter, publish, or sell, or shall bring into the United States froui any foreign place, with the intent to pass, utter, publish or sell, as true, any such false, forged, or counterfeit coin or ingot, knowing the same to be false, forged, or counterfeit, with intent to defraud any body politic or corporate, or any person or persons whatever; every person so offending shall be deemed guilty of felony, and shall, on conviction thereof, be punished by imprisonment at hard labor for not exceeding ten years, and by a fine not exceeding $10,000, according to the aggravation of the offense; Provided al ways, That it shall be lawful for any person to make ingots of gold or silver, or of gold and silver, and to certity, by durable impression thereon, the true weight and value of the gold or silver, or of the gold and silver, contained in each ingot, with some private legend and device, and with his proper name, after he shall have delivered a copy of such legend, device, and name, to the director of the Mint, or to the superintendent of either of its branches, or to the treasurer of one of its assay offices, who shall record the same, together with his place of business and residence, or cause it to be done in books to be kept for such purpose in the Mint, and in each of its branches and assay offices. SEC. 20. And be it further enacted, That nothing in this act contained shall be construed to deprive the courts of individual States, of jurisdiction, under the laws of the several States, over offenses made punishable by this act. A BILL to establish Assay Offices of the Mint of the United States at Stockton and Sacramento City, in California, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That offices of the Mint of the United States shall be es tablished at Stockton and at Sacramento City, in California, for the purpose of assaying and refining gold bullion not intended for coinage, and of casting the same into ingots or bars of fine gold, or into bars of gold and silver. SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That for the purpose of purchasing sites, erecting suitable buildings, and completing the necessary combinations of machinery for the aforesaid assay offices, the sum of one hundred thousand dollars is hereby appropriated. SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, That temporary buildings shall be procured or erected immediately, for carrying on the business of the aforesaid offices, and that the following officers shall be appointed, upon the nomination of the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to wit: one treasurer, one assayer, and one melter and refiner. And the said treasurer shall engage and employ as many clerks and subordinate workmen and servants as shall be provided for by law. And the salaries of said of ficers and clerks shall be as follows: to the treasurer, the sum of five thousand dollars; to the assayer and to the melter and refiner, the sum of four thousand dollars each; to the clerks, the sum of three thousand dollars each; and to the subordinate workmen and servants, not exceeding fifteen in each office, such wages and allowances as are customary and reasonable according to their respective stations and occupations. SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, That said offices shall be depositories for such public moneys as the Secretary of the Treasury may direct to be deposited therein; and the treasurers of said offices shall have the custody of the same, and shall perform the duties of assistant treasurers, and for that purpose shall be subject to all the provisions contained in the act entitled "An act to provide for the better organi and the Secretary of the Treasury, with condition for the faithful and diligent performance of the duties of their offices. SEC. 6. And be it further enacted, That the general direction of the business of the said assay offices of the Mint of the United States, shall be under the control and regulation of the Director of the Mint, subject to the approbation of the Secretary of the Treasury; and for that purpose, it shall be the duty of the said Director, to prescribe such regulations, and require such returns, periodically and occasionally, as shall appear to him to be necessary, for the purpose of carrying into effect the intention of this act, in establishing the said assay offices; also, for the purpose of discriminating the bars or ingots which shall be stamped at each office; also, for the purpose of preserving accuracy of weight and fineness in the bars stamped at each place; and to require the transmission and delivery to him at the Mint, from time to time, such bars or ingots of each office as he shall think proper to be subjected to such assays and tests as he shall direct. SEC. 7. And be it further enacted, That all the laws and parts of laws made for the regulation of the Mint of the United States, and for the government of the otheers and persons employed therein, and for the punishment of all offenses committed by persons connected with the Mint shall be, and the same are hereby, declared to be in fu!! force, in relation to each of the assay offices by this act established, so far as the same shall be applicable thereto. KEY WEST AND TORTUGAS. SPEECH OF HON. E. C. CABELL, OF FLORIDA, On the subject of fortifying Key West and Tortugas: prepared from notes of remarks made by him in the House of Representatives, December 21, 1852. The House being in the Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union, on the resolutions to refer the annual message of the President of the United States, Mr. CABELL, of Florida, offered the following resolution: Resolved, That the Committee on Military Affairs, to whom has been referred so much of the President's message as relates to fortifications, be instructed to inquire into the expediency of appropriating the amount necessary to complete the fortifications at Key West and Tortugas, known as Fort Jefferson and Fort Taylor. Which being read, Mr. CABELL said: The proposition I submit for the consideration of the committee does not involve the question of the merits or demerits of that "magnificent," and which in reference to the advanced stage of military science, nautical skill, and steam power, has been styled that "absurd system of coast defense,' about which so much has been written and spoken, and which was so decidedly condemned by the present House of Representatives at its last session. I acquiesce, to some extent, in the propriety of some of the denunciations of certain "wild and extravagant schemes," which have, in times past, been recommended by high official authority. The language used by an able writer on this subject, that "these schemes are Utopian in the extreme, and fit only to be discussed by the inmates of a mad house," is not perhaps too strong in reference to some of them. I will not, however, discuss this topic at this time. But whatever objection may be made to the subject of fortifications generally, or to any particular system, I think that the public mind is satisfied that there is great propriety in fortifying the points to which I have called the attention of the committee-Key West and Tortugas. Every consideration of national policy demands that the construction of the works, commenced more than five years ago, at these points, should be continued and prosecuted to completion as soon as possible. I speak not now as the representative of Florida, for this is a matter in which my own State has comparatively less direct interest than even New York and Massachusetts. It is a question deeply affecting the trade, commerce, and navigation of every section of the United States, and indeed of the world. But these important points are in the State I have the honor to represent, and it is perhaps most appropriately my duty to urge upon Congress || the necessity of taking prompt measures with ref zation of the Treasury, and for the collection, safe-keeping,erence transfer, and disbursement of the public revenue," approved August sixth, eighteen hundred and forty-six, which relate to the treasurer of the branch Mint at New Orleans. SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, That the officers and clerks to be appointed under this act shall, before entering upon the duties of their offices, take an oath or affirmation before some judge of the United States, or judge of the su perior court of any court of record of any State, faithfully and diligently to perform said duties; and they shall each become bound to the United States of America, with one or more sureties, to the satisfaction of the Director of the Mint to them. Their importance and the interests involved in their complete fortification, cannot be too highly estimated. They are the keys to the Gulf of Mexico, to the West Indies and the Caribbean sea. Being in the direct line of navigation, the entire Gulf commerce must pass near and in sight of them. A large portion of the export and import trade of Georgia, the whole trade of Alabama and the other Gulf States, and of the valley of the Mississippi, of Mexico, of the Caribbean Ho. OF REPS. In making this estimate I was controlled by an estimate of the Treasury Department, made in a communication to the Senate at last session, (Sen. Doc. No. -, in relation to the Florida Ship Canal,) in which the value of the merchandise, annually shipped to and from the Gulf ports, was put down at $250,000,000. Though I believed then it was an under estimate, I deducted $50,000,000 from it, to avoid any charge of extravagance, which I had heard made against the Treasury estimate. Since then I have investigated this matter with care, and am now fully convinced that the value of our Gulf trade, commerce and navigation, was underrated perhaps one half of its true value. And since the Treasury report I have cited was made, the subject has undergone further and fuller investigation by Mr. Hodge, the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, and I have seen a letter addressed by him, some weeks ago, to Mr. Andrews, correcting his former report, and estimating our Gulf trade, commerce and navigation, as amounting annually to $325,000,000. This is of the Gulf ports of the United States only. All this must pass, wheresoever bound, within sight of Tortugas and Key West. In this estimate the $60,000,000 of gold annually received from California, by the Chagres and Nicaragua steamers, the value of the other property or merchandise carried both ways by these steamers, the value of the tonnage in that trade; our Cuba trade and tonnage, worth more than $30,000,000 annually; our trade and tonnage with other West Indies and with Honduras, amounting annually to at least $25,000,000 more; our annual trade and tonnage with Brazil, worth more than $20,000,000 more; and our trade and tonnage with all the eastern coast of South America, down to La Plata, are not included. Most of this trade, particularly on the homeward voyage, passes through the Florida Straits, and near to Tortugas and Key West. Considering all this trade, commerce and navigation, and estimating the tonnage at $50 per ton, (instead of $75, as stated by Mr. Hodge, which is perhaps too high an estimate for a series of years, though it may be reasonable at this time,) I hesitate not to say that the value of American "property," annually passing through these straits, instead of being but $200,000,000, actually exceeds $400,000,000. In this estimate none of the British, French, Dutch, Spanish, Mexican, or other foreign "commerce or navigation" passing through these straits is included. It amounts annually to at least $125,000,000. My information on this subject has been collected with very great care; I feel assured of the correctness of my statements, but will be happy to rectify them if shown to be erroneous. Where, I ask, Mr. Chairman, is there on the face of the globe a position belonging to any country so important for the defense of that country, and for attack upon the commerce of an enemy, and for the protection of its commercial and navigating interests to such an immense amount, as these facts show Key West and Tortugas to be to the United States? My estimates are in round numbers. No official returns of our coasting trade are received at the Treasury. Estimates of it, therefore, can only be approximated, and are to be gathered and compiled from statistics otherwise obtained. Our census returns of products and manufactures of the different States, and the statements in commercial magazines and newspapers prepared by the chambers of commerce, or other reliable local authorities of the different cities and ports, furnish the chief data. The value of our exports of raw cotton alone to foreign countries for the year ending 30th of June, 1851, was $112,315,317, more than two thirds of which was from the Gulf ports; to which should be added 405,108 bales consumed in this country, 32D CONG.....2D SESS. Fortification of Key West and the Tortugas-Mr. Cabell, of Florida. to out of a crop of 2,355,257 bales. The whole cotton crop of the United States for the year ending September 1, 1852, was 3,015,029 bales, of which 603,029 bales were consumed in this country. The entire crop of the world for the same period is estimated at 3,448,000. The States of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, and part of Georgia, produced and shipped through the Gulf ports 2,175,464 bales, or 165,445 bales more than two thirds of the entire crop of the United States for the year ending September 1, 1852. Estimating the bales to average 450 pounds, the crop amounts 978,958,800 pounds, which, at the average price of nine cents per pound, makes the value of the cotton crop alone from the States I have named $88,206,292; the whole of which, whether shipped to foreign ports or to the Atlantic cities, must pass through the Straits of Florida. Most of the merchandise, foreign or domestic, purchased with the proceeds of the sale of this crop goes back to the States which produced it by the same channel, and its value is generally quite equal to that of the cotton. So also is it with respect to the sugar, tobacco, hemp, lumber, rice, naval stores, and all the products of the same regions, and of other western and northwestern States, and the immense shipments, foreign and coastwise, of breadstuffs, pork, bacon, lard, beef, tallow, and other products of the whole Mississippi valley made through New Orleans, and the return merchandise, &c.; to which should be added the tonnage engaged in this immense trade, both outward and inward bound.* Examination and reflection, and a proper consideration of these matters, will not only verify my estimate, but will satisfy every one how vitally all the States and regions of country I have mentioned are interested in the measure, I now propose. The construction of a ship-canal or railroad across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, or the completion of similar works elsewhere, at Nicaragua, at Panama, or Atrato, will secure much of the trade of China, of the East Indies, and the Asiatic seas generally, and of the Pacific ocean. An interoceanic railroad communication at Tehuantepec would probably, in a few years, double the value of the Gulf trade, and a ship-canal, through which would pass all the vessels engaged in the whale fisheries, and most of those owned in this country and in Europe, trading in the Pacific ocean and Asiatic seas, would more than quadruple the to the Gulf of Mexico and Straits of Florida. This document (Ex. Doc. H. No. 136, 1st sess. 32d Cong.) will soon be laid on our tables, and I solicit members to read the paper I refer to attentively. In the American State Papers, volume entitled Naval Affairs, page 871, there is a message of President Monroe, January 20, 1823, communicating a report from Smith Thompson, Secretary of the Navy, in which he says, speaking of Key West: * * "From the report of Lieutenant Commandant Perry, [now Commodore M. C. Perry,] who was charged with this duty, it has been satisfactorily ascertained that this position affords a safe, convenient, and extensive harbor for vessels of war and merchant vessels." "There can be no doubt, however, of the importance of this Island, and its contiguous waters in various points of view. The harbor affords a safe and convenient rendezvous for our public vessels, cruising in the West Indies and the Gulf of Mexico; and the Island a very suitable depot for provisions and supplies. From the peculiar dangers of the navigation along the coast, and among the Florida keys, our merchant vessels are frequently driven by distress to seek a harbor; and for want of one in our own waters, are under the necessity of making a port in the Island of Cuba, which subjects them to considerable additional expense. This Isl and [Key West] also affords a very eligible depôt for wrecked property, and which is highly necessary and advantageous where the navigation is attended with so many dangers and difficulties. We are at this time, in a great measure, dependent on the wreckers of New Providence (in the Bahamas] for the protection of property in case of shipwreck. This not only gives employment to a great number of foreign vessels and seamen, but it subjects our merchants to heavy expenses. These are some of the obvious benefits of this position in time of peace; but its advantages in time of war with any European Power having West India possessions, are still more important both as it respects the protection of our own commerce and the annoyance of our enemy. An enemy with a superior naval force occupying this position could completely intercept the whole trade between those parts of our country lying north and east of it, and those to the west, and seal up all our ports within the Gulf of Mexico," &c. The late Commodore Rodgers, in an official letter, written November 24th, 1823, (ibid., p. 1121,) says of Key West: "As an auxiliary to an extensive and permanent southern naval depot, (perhaps at Pensacola;) such as a proper security for our commerce, and the permanent union of the States seem to render indispensable; it will be found, I am inclined to believe, that the Island in question will soon become an object worthy of the serious attention and consideration of the Government. Nature has made it the advance post from which to watch and guard our commerce passing to and from the Mississippi; while at the same time its peculiar situation, and the excellence of its harbor, point it out as the most certain key to the commerce of the Havana, to that of the Gulf of Mexico, and to the returning trade of Jumaica, and I venture to predict that the first important naval conneighborhood of this very Island," &c. value of the present trade, commerce and navig test in which this country shall be engaged, will be in the tion passing through the Florida Straits. To what extent this value will be increased, when time and Anglo Saxon energy shall have developed the resources of the "Great West," and of that magnificent region embraced in the vast "Amazonian basin," the imagination can scarcely conceive. All this commerce and navigation will be "at the mercy" of any strong naval power in possession of Key West and Tortugas. The attention of Congress has been repeatedly called to the importance of fortifying the places to which I have made reference: first by Mr. Monroe, who was President at the time of the acquisition of Florida, and since his time by most of the Presidents, Secretaries of War, and engineers who have examined the subject. In my investigations I have been greatly aided by reference to a highly valuable document, communicated by the Treasury Department to Congress at the last session, respecting the trade, commerce, and navigation of the United States, which was prepared by J. D. Andrews, Esq., the intelligent and able United States Consul for St. John's, New Brunswick. It is now being printed by order of both Houses, and is, in my judgment, one of the most important reports ever laid before Congress. I have been allowed to make reference to, and extracts from some of the proof sheets, which, at my request, were politely furnished to me. An appendix to that report contains an important paper, prepared, as.I learn, principally from data and notes furnished by one of the most intelligent engineer officers in the service, relating The late Commodore David Porter, it is well known, repeatedly expressed his opinion that Key West and Tortugas were the most important points in the Gulf, and he unhesitatingly avowed, on all occasions, his decided preference for Key West as a naval station. Before he left our service, and while in command of "the Mosquito fleet" against the Cuban pirates, he rendezvoused at Key West; and after he became Commander-in-Chief of the Mexican Navy, he adopted the same course. In the "Appendix" referred to, it is stated that he effectually blockaded Havana and Matanzas, though protected by the Spanish Admiral Laborde with a superior force. Indeed, Key West and Tortugas are so situated as to command the Havana and Matanzas as effectually as they do the trade of the Gulf passing through the straits between the Island of Cuba and the Florida Keys. And they have an advantage over the Havana in two respects: The first is, that the very narrow entrance, and the eddies and rapid currents of the straits, sweeping along the rock-bound Cuban shore, render it difficult, and frequently impossible, to enter that port, if the wind is at all unfavorable; whereas no harbors perhaps in the world are more easy of approach and entrance than Key West and Tortugas. But the most important difference and advantage is, that it is impossible, except with a greatly superior force, to blockade either of these Keys, each having more than one pass to the Straits and the Gulf. In December, 1851, Secretary Conrad, in obedience to a call from Congress, made a communication to this House, on the subject of fortifications, of the Mississippi alone for the year 1850 at $274,000,000, replete with valuable information. On page 9, *Colonel Abert, Chief of Topographical Engineers, in a report to the Senate of the United States, estimates the trade and for the year 1860 at $494,000,000. A portion of it passes inland, by railroads and canals, to and from the Atlantic seaports. (Ex. Doc., No. 5, 1st sess. 32d Cong.,) he says: "The two remaining works now in course of construction, are those on Key West and the Tortugas. In relation HO. OF REPS. to these there can be but one opinion. These islands, situated directly in the narrow channel between the southern extremity of Florida and the Island of Cuba, may be said to command the northern gateway of the Gulf, as Jamaica does its southern. The latter is in possession of the only nation from whose naval power the United States have anything to apprehend. Were these Islands, with their fine harbors, also to fall into her hands, they would enable her to cut off all communication between our naval forces on the Gulf and those on the Atlantic, to obtain complete control over the Gulf, and block up the vast and increasing commerce of which it is the theater. A railroad across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, (the existence of which, at no distant period, can hardly be doubted,) would impart additional importance to the Gulf, as it would then become the main channel of communication between the Atlantic and the Pacific; and recent events admonish us that our progress in that quarter is watched with jealousy by more than one of the great Powers of Europe. "I am, therefore, decidedly of opinion, not only that these two works should not be abandoned, but that they should be completed as soon as practicable." General Totten, in his report, (ibid., p. 52,) says: "A naval force designed to control the navigation of the Gulf, could desire no better position than Key West or the Tortugas. Upon the very way-side of the only path through the Gulf, it is at the same time well situated as to all the great points therein. It overlooks Havana, Pensacola, Mobile, the mouths of the Mississippi, and both the inlet and outlet of the Gulf. "The Tortugas harbor and that of Key West affords perfect shelter for vessels of every class, with the greatest facility of ingress and egress. And there can be no doubt that an adversary in possession of large naval means, would, with great advantage, make them his habitual resort and his point of general rendezvous and concentration for all operations on this sea. With an enemy thus posted, the navigation of the Gulf by us would be eminently hazardous, if not impossible, and nothing but absolute naval superiority would avail anything against him. Mere military means could approach no nearer than the nearest shore of the continent. There are no harbors in the Gulf at all comparable with these, that an enemy could resort to with his large vessels. To deprive him of these would, therefore, be interfering materially with any organized system of naval operations in this sea. The defense of these harbors would, however, do much more than this. It would secure to our own squadron, even should it be inferior, the use of these most valuable positions, and would afford a point of refuge to our Navy and our commerce at the very spot where it would be most necessary and useful. "I forbear to enlarge on this point, merely adding that certain and complete defense will be easily secured, and that we shall thereby possess ports of refuge in the middle of the Gulf whenever we have to fly, and points of rendezvous and refreshment in the very midst of all passing vessels whenever we hold the mastery. Every vessel that crosses the Gulf of Mexico passes within sight of the two forts commenced under the sanction of Congress and now in progress-one at Tortugas, and one at Key West," Lieutenant Maury, of the Navy, one of the most intelligent and scientific officers in the service-whose liberal and enlarged views show that he keeps pace with the improvements of the agewho, with nothing of old fogyism in his composition, is a man of wise and prudent progress-who has condemned in language stronger, perhaps, than has been used on this floor, that "system of fortifications" which found so little favor in this House, and whose recommendations are, therefore, entitled to credit with those who are not opposed to all works of defense-says at page 166, same document: "The only fortifications that are wanted along our Atlantic sea-board, except those at Key West and the Tortugas, at Ship Island, and at one or two more such places, are those which will protect our cities and towns from the broadsides of men-of-war. "The forts already completed, or well advanced towards completion, are believed to be sufficient for this. They should, however, be mounted with heavier ordnance, and pieces of the most effective caliber for throwing explosive shot and shells." The entire report of Lieutenant Maury possesses great interest, is full of useful information, and will amply repay perusal and study. From p. 179 to 184 inclusive, he treats of the defenses of the Gulf of Mexico, and proves in a masterly manner, that the measure I propose is not only important, and one that concerns the whole country, but that it is essentially necessary to protect the Commerce of the Gulf. So cogent and conclusive is his reasoning, and so valuable his suggestions, that feel I would do injustice to the cause I advocate, were I not to ask special attention to them. Beginning at page 180, he says: . "The plan, therefore, of providing permanent fortifications for the Gulf, seems to be this: that we should select a few of the points which would be most important for us as places of refuge and rendezvous, and which, if occupied by an enemy in war, would enable him the most to annoy us, and fortify them." "These points are Key West and the Tortugas, and perhaps Ship and Cat Islands. In a commercial and military sense, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean sea are but an expansion of the Mississippi and Amazon rivers. In this view of the subject, the mouth of the Mississippi is not 32D CONG....1st SESS. Fortification of Key West and the Tortugas-Mr. Cabell, of Florida. at the Balize, nor that of the Amazon at Para. They are both in the Florida pass, between Key West and Cuba. "For one half the year there is a sort of monsoon in the Gulf of Mexico; during this period the winds are from the southeast; at this season, therefore, the winds and the currents in the Yucatan pass are such as to prevent the passage that way of vessels from the Gulf. "Moreover, the Island of Jamaica, where the English have a naval station, overlooks the Yucatan pass. When the northeast winds prevail, the Yucatan pass is open to sailing vessels; but a few steamers, with Jamaica as the center of operations, would close it to our commerce. "When the southeast winds prevail, the route of a sailing vessel bound from the Gulf to Jamaica, is not through the straits of Yucatan; it is through the Florida pass by Key West, and then back on the south side of Cuba. Now a maritime enemy seizing upon Key West and the Tortugas, could land a few heavy guns from his ship, and make it difficult for us to dislodge him. Here, railroads and the telegraph do not reach, and as long as he should hold that position, so long would he control the commercial mouth of the great Mississippi valley. "In that position he would shut up in the Gulf whatever force inferior to his own we might have there. He would prevent reinforcements sent to relieve it from Boston, New York and Norfolk, from entering the Gulf. Indeed, in a war with England, the Tortugas and Key West being in her possession, it might be more advisable, instead of sending from our Atlantic dock-yards a fleet to the Gulf, to send it over to the British islands, and sound the Irish people as to throwing off the yoke of allegiance." "In an expedition upon Jamaica, Key West being in the hands of the enemy, it would be difficult for our Gulf and Atlantic forces to unite. "Therefore the works at Key West and the Tortugas should be provided with shell guns of the most destructive caliber, and their walls should be substantial enough to resist the concussion of a man-of-war broadside. They are wanted to give protection to our fleeing merchantmen, to afford a refuge to our fleets until time and opportunity and circumstances serve for striking the blow, or making a move. They are wanted by us, because they would be so immensely valuable to an enemy. "The railroads that will be in operation from Pensacola and Mobile soon, and probably before any additional fortifications can be erected there, will secure these places from invasion, and seizure; and the works already there, with a few more guns in open battery along the beach, would effectually protect them from the great guns of ships. Still, an enemy with a fleet superior to the one we might have in the Gulf, could anchor along the shore, as he can in the Chesapeake, and greatly harass our commerce there. No system of fortifications can prevent that. "In the next maritime war, (and in such a war we have nothing to fear from any quarter except one,) it is not upon the Atlantic, properly speaking, that the great sea fight is to take place; it is in the Gulf of Mexico, or near the English shores. "Jamaica is an important naval station; it commands one entrance to the Gulf. There Great Britain can asseinble her fleet, and within three days have it off the Balize, in position to strike a terrible blow at the commerce of that valley. Shutting up the Florida pass, she would have complete control of the Gulf. Norfolk and New York are inconveniently situated to defend it. Some years ago a man-of-war was sent with dispatches from Norfolk to Pensacola ; she was fifty-odd days in making the passage." * "We have turned the corner, and are now going ahead in the peaceful race for the commercial supremacy of the seas; the next trial is to be for maritime supremacy of another sort. It is hoped that the day for that contest is far distant. But every people are liable to war; and it is a fact which we cannot blink, that in providing for the contingency, our statesmen and warriors must, for many years to come, have an eye to the forces which Great Britain, rather than any other Power, can bring against us. But let that contest come when it may, it is most likely to be decided in the Gulf of Mexico, and its twin basin, the Caribbean sea; they are the receptacles of all that the two grandest systems of river basins in the world will have to pour into the lap of commerce. The valley of the Mississippi on one side, and the valley of the Amazon on the other, will in time make these two arms of the sea the commercial center of the world. "The mouth of the Amazon, the mouth of the Orinoco, and the mouth of the Magdalena, are, commercially speaking, almost as much in the Florida pass as is the mouth of the Mississippi river. Such is the course of the currents, and such the direction of the winds, in that part of the world, that a vessel sailing from the mouth of any one of these rivers for Rio de Janeiro, in Brazil, or for India, or for the markets of the Pacific around Cape Horn, or for Africa, or for Europe, has first to steer to the northward and westward, until she reaches the parallel of 25° or 30° north. This brings her off our own shores; and it is impossible for her to pursue any other route, so long as the northeast trade winds prevail, or the great equatorial current which feeds the Gulf stream continues to flow across the Atlantic. No vessel trading under canvas from the mouth of these rivers to the markets of South America, Europe, Åsia, or Africa, can go any other way. They must pass by our doors. "Therefore, in planning a system of national defenses, who can over estimate the importance of the Gulf of Mexico as a nucleus of naval means, the center of naval operations? That center is at Key West and the Tortugas; hence the great need of strong works there." most boundless sources of wealth in the field, the forest, and the mine, that valley, so soon as it shall begin to feel the axe and the plow, will pour into our lap a commerce, the value of which is as limitless as are its own vast resources. Nature has placed us in the position to command that commerce. The great business of fetching and carrying there must be ours. For coming and for going, the winds are fair for us; and we are the only nation for whose shipping they are so fair. "That arm of the ocean which severs the continent nearly in twain, to make between the Father of Waters' at the north, and the King of Rivers' at the south, a receptacle for their commerce, is receiving from the Mississippi valley alone an amount of produce that astonishes the world. Yet the Mississippi valley is not half peopled up. What, therefore, will the oceanic basin, this commercial receptacle for the surplus produce of the two grandest systems of river basins on the face of the earth, be, when the great Amazonian valley, of double area, with its everlasting summer, and its endless round of harvests, comes to be subdued and brought into cultivation? What the Gulf of Mexico is now, is as nothing to what it is to be. It abounds with commercial elements that cannot be comprehended for their magnitude; and in proportion as it becomes the seat of maritime wealth and greatness, so, too, must it become the center of naval strength and power. As Columbus lay sick, it was upon the waters of this sea-basin that the angel visited him in a dream, and told him that God had made his name great, and sent him to 'unbar the gates of ocean.' The keys to these gates are at Key West and the Tortugas, Memphis, and Pensacola. Nature has placed them among the wonderful resources of the great valley; and to stand as gate-keeper before them, is the mission of those naval forces that naturally center in the Gulf." As early as May, 1840, this officer published in the columns of the Southern Literary Messenger, (vol. 6, p. 310, &c.,) views, opinions, and recommendations similar to those contained in the document last referred to. This paper is of a character that deserves the attention of every statesman. Lieutenant Maury there expresses the opinion, now generally entertained, that the Florida Pass is to be the battle-ground of the next war in which we may be engaged. On page 310, he says: "In future the West Indies are to be the scene of our great naval engagements—the vast slaughter-house of maritime nations at war. France and England have their islands at which their ships may rendezvous. But such is the unprotected state of our southern coast, and the condition of our Navy at present, that in a war with either of these two Powers, Pensacola and all the rich outpourings of the Mississippi would be at their mercy." After speaking of the necessity of a stronglyfortified rendezvous for our ships of war and mercantile marine, he shows that every man west of the Alleghany "has a direct personal interest in the matter," and that "all the immense wealth which is poured in and out of the Gulf is at the mercy of the enemy," and makes a strong appeal to western men. He says, page 311: "Let them take a map and examine with a view to ascertain what protection is guarantied to their commerce in time of war. They will find that the Gulf of Mexico, studded with islands on its eastern borders, is hemmed in on all sides by other nations; that every 'pass' is commanded by them. And, in time of war, the only outlet for their commerce is around Cape Sable through the Gulf of Florida; that along this 'pass' it must have a strong guard lest it fall a prey into the enemy's hands. And they will then see that, cost what money it may, the United States should have the command-should hold the keys to this ' 'pass.""> He then adds, still appealing to his western countrymen: "As one whose pride it is to 'hail' from the West, I warn my fellow-citizens there of the dangers which some day may blight their prosperity; and as one who may be called on to ward off these dangers in the face of death, I beseech them to look to their welfare; and now, while it is peace, to listen to the dictates of prudence and of wisdom, and warn their representatives in Congress not to let-their especial interest and the nation's wealth be found in this exposed, unprotected, and defenseless state, in the hour of danger." It is not inappropriate in this connection to relate an anecdote of General Jackson, which I have heard from good authority, and which, I think, was first published by Lieutenant Maury. Soon after he was elected President, the " Old Hero" told a friend there were three things he had much at heart, and in his peculiar, decided way, declared, "With the blessing of God, these three things I will cause to be done. Pay off the national debt. Kill the monster bank at Philadelphia. And fortify the Tortugas." He succeeded in the first. The second he accomplished most effectually. The third he was constrained by the remissness of Congress to leave to his successors; and I appeal to his friends to heed the counsels and carry out the patriotic wishes of this illustrious man. So strongly impressed was he with the great importance of this measure, that one of his first official acts was in respect to it. He ordered, with Ho. OF REPS. in a month after his inauguration, "such a general examination to be made (by naval and military officers) as would lead to a just estimate of the value, susceptibility of defense, &c., of the Dry Tortugas." This duty was assigned to Commodore Rodgers, in April, 1829. Governor Branch, then Secretary of the Navy, in his first annual report, (Sen. doc. No. 1, p. 37, 1st sess. 21st Cong.,) said of the report of Commodore Rodgers, it was so favorable as to justify a full and minute survey," which was intrusted to Lieutenants Tattnall and Gedney. Of Tortugas, Commodore Rodgers says, (p. 236, same doc.:) "Besides affording a safe anchorage at all seasons of the year, is sufficiently capacious to ride in security all the navies of Europe; but what is most singular, there is within this harbor another, still more secure, which in its character may be said to be unique, uniting as it does, sufficient depth of water for ships of the largest class, to a narrow entrance not more than one hundred and twenty yards wide; easy of ingress and egress; and may be entered or departed from at all times, let the wind be from what point of the compass it may." In March, 1830, General Jackson, still manifesting the interest expressed in this subject prior to his inauguration, sent a special message to Congress, calling "attention to the importance of this position (Tortugas) to the United States as a naval station," and transmitted a letter from the Secretary of the Navy, who said "it would be difficult to estimate the value of such a position for a naval rendezvous and depôt," &c., and also the report of Lieutenant Tattnall, in which, among other recom. mendations, he said: "A fortress at the Tortugas, looking directly into the port of Havana, in conjunction with a naval force, would be a strong, if not an effectual check on such a disposition, AND GIVE US AT ALL TIMES THE CONTROL OF THE ISLAND OF CUBA. (Sen. doc. vol. 2, No. 111, pp. 1, 2, and 5, 1st sess. 21st Cong.) In subsequent communications he continued to press this subject on the attention of Congress. But, sir, it is useless to multiply authorities. Enough has been said to show that this measure has received the sanction and earnest advocacy of our most enlightened and patriotic statesmen, and of all the experienced and scientific officers of the Army and Navy who have turned their attention to the subject. Nor has the consideration and discussion of this question, and appreciation of its importance, been confined to our own officers and statesmen. It often attracted notice and elicited debate in the British Parliament before the cession of the Floridas, and was a subject of frequent, animated, and most interesting discussion at and soon after the cession. In May; 1819, the Marquis of Lansdowne, (the famous Sir Henry Petty,) then an opposition Peer, while speaking on the subject of the execution by General Jackson of Arbuthnot and Ambrister, British "fillibusters" among the Florida Indians and negroes, (upon whom doubtless they desired to confer all the blessings of civil and religious liberty,") alluded to the purchase of "the Floridas" by the United States, and took Earls Bathurst and Liverpool to task for having permitted the cession, and gave cogent reasons for his censure-the chief of which was the importance of the naval and military positions the United States obtained by this acquisition. I will quote a few passages from his speech, as reported in Hansard Parl. Deb., 1st series, vol. 40, p. 291. He said: "It was impossible for him not to advert to that event, which had so materially changed the situation of this country, [England,] with respect to its colonial power in the West Indies-he meant the cession of the Floridas. He could state without fear of contradiction in that House, or elsewhere, that no colonial cession so materially affecting the interests of this country, had ever before taken place. It was his anxious wish, and he believed that of all the country, that the peace now enjoyed should be of long duration; but neither their lordships, nor those who administered the Government, were justified in overlooking the prospect of a renewal of hostilities at some period or other. Should a war take place, the relative situation of this country would be essentially changed. He could without the slightest hesitation assert, that the acquisition of the Floridas would place a great part of the commerce of this country with the West Indies, at the mercy of the United States. In the case of hostilities, our homeward bound fleet could not pass the Gulf of Florida without the greater part becoming the prey of gun-hoats and small privateers of every description. Another injurious consequence to the country was, that the possession of Florida gave the United States a commanding influence over the present black governments, or any which might hereafter be formed in the West Indies. He was far from supposing that the noble lords opposite, [Lord Bathurst and his colleagues,] were insensible to the importance of this cession, but the event was strangely inconsistent with the |