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The following is from the New York Journal
of Commerce, which we the more readily put
INTO our columns, as affording us opportunity
to express our entire concurrence with the writer,
in regard to steam frgates, as the most prompt
and efficient projections of our Atlantic ports: an
|opinion we have long entertained and often ex-
pressed


U. s. NAvY.-It appears from the Navy Re-
glster. that the number of national vessels of the
U. States is So, besides the steam frigate Fulton,
which, Tor some reason or other, is not included
in the list. She is however apowerful vessel, and
we wish we had more like her. Ofthe SIS includ-
ed in the list. one (the Pennsylvania is rated at
l2O guns, seven at 80, four at "A, one at 81.
fourteen at A., two at 80, eleven at 20, three at
Is, six at 10; the remaining seven are under 10
guns. There are so captains in the Navy, 40
masters commandant, .27G leutenants, 40 sur
geons, "a passed assistant surgeons, 33 assistant
surgeons, 45 pursers, chaplains, lSl passed
midshipmen, 247 midshipmen, 81 sailing mas
ters, 25 boatswains, 25 carpenters, and "a sail
makers. The Marine Corps comprises col. l
lieut.. col. majors, l3 captains, l9 first lieuts.
and 20 second do.


The most glaring deficiency in our Navy al
present, is the want Of an adequate number o
steamships. Of these we ought to have at least
dozen, as soon as they can be built. In case Of
a war, they would be worth more, as protection
to our commerce, than SO ships of the line. So
in case of the arrival of foreign hostile ship OF
ships upon our coast. These steamships, with
their long-toms, could take their distance out OF
the reach of the enemy's shot, and poke it into
them at their leisure. The latter could neithe,
escape, return the fire to any purpose. A
single steamship of war on Lake Erie during the
late hubbub, would have saved us million ofdol.


lars, and done up the job much more satisfactorily
than it was done up in fact. By the way, the


British are going to provide themselves with q
steamship on that Lake; why not the United


States? AT any rate, let us have some on the AT.


antc coast, for they are the cheapest and best de-


fences ever yet devised To man the fortresses
necessary to as thorough def nee of the coast as
could be effected by dozen or twenty steam
ships, would cost an ocean of money. A hostile
fleet can strike at any point it my select; for
tress is immoveable. Steamships, from their
wonderful powers of locomotion, would be able
to pay proper attention to such fleet on short
notice. Why is not the Navy Department. why
are not Congress moving in this most important
matter! Let us not be caught mapping.