29
PAPERS OF MIRABEAU BuoxAPARTE LAMAR
for speaking plainly-it is the part and duty of a friend. As for the Zavala; those who know her best, believe, that at an expense inconsider- able, in proportion to her capacity to protect the ·c:oast and annoy the enemy; that the alterations required to convirt her into a Man of war, ought not to be taken into consid·eration, as the scale preponderates in favor of her conversion into an armed vessel, in ·a fourfold ratio at least, when compared to the trifling sum that would be required for that pur- pose. When her strength, her speed, her power to move in a calm, her steadiness in sailing which would afford a battery as firm as tho' it was permanently placed on land; weighed in the balance, what enormous advantages do they not offer over an enemy in a light breeze, or calm; her hull light & frail, and tossed by the tempest in such a manner as not to be able to make her guns bear, or if perchance they tlid, would not remain a sufficient time to enable them to take effect with any kind of accuracy, whilst she would prove a certain & fixed target for the purposes of the Zavala. These are briefly the leading, and as I con- sider the over-powering arguments for refitting the Zavala, independent of the almost total loss of the prices paid for her, should she lie here in ordinary; and the disappointment of Congress in not finding her employed after their liberal provision for her purchase. The placeing of the new vessels into an inactive state, appears to excite universal disapprobation with the public, and I feel assured my,:eli. that you must have a very solid public reason, (should the report be correct) for coming to such a conclusion, which it is deemed improper' at present to divulge. I can find one myself. From all the intelligence from Col. Bee, which has been published, it appears that he left Vera Cruz after he had been requestecl to remain there until an answer was reed from the capital. That answer was, that it would require time for consideration; and thus I conclude from the Colonel's speedy de- parture, that some arrangement was privately entered into, which would enable Col. Bee to leave Vera Cruz by approbation of the ~Iexiean Government, as it might haYe been supposed that much time would be occupied by that Govt in the discussion of Yr Excellency's proposition, before a final deteminaiion was arriYed at: and that thev did not wish to keep Col. Bee confined to one point during that period;· lie on the contrary preferring to visit other countries in the vicinity when he could more pleasantly & profit11bly employ his time and yet not be c1is- tant when the result of Mexican discussion should be disclosed to him. There may be others & T confess of a more influential character. Probably a wish to have all the ,,e~sels collected previous to their cruiz- ing, and then to go as a fleet under one commander; by which time the determination of the :Mexn Govt mav be communicated to vou. Believe me that I wish not to pry into state"secrets, but I should b·e most happy to hear from you "that your reasons for not employing the new vessels will be perfectly satisfactory to the public, when made known, which will be at a proper time and in clue season." Should there be none more satisfactory than the expense, I fear that will never be sustained by the people; and should the new vessels, & this, be ordered to be placed in ordinary, on that account, the most fatal blow will be given to the Navy; our principal arm of <1efence, as well as of annoyance to the enemy; that few, if any of the officers would remain; in fact, not one of any consideration; and that it would re-
Powered by FlippingBook