THE NAVY OF THE UNITED STATES.

There is perhaps no branch of our service which is more efficient at the present time than that of the navy. Since the war of 1812, we have been comparatively inactive, with the exception of some coast service during the Mexican war, which was scarcely worth mentioning. In the present civil war, however, our navy has increased in a tenfold proportion—increased in activity and efficiency—and to-day, with its superior force of iron-clad steamers, will favorably compare with any navy on the globe in power, even though it may be inferior in a numerical point.

Though crippled at first at the commencement of this rebellion by the traitors among her officers in command—crippled by the loss of vessels and property destroyed by rebels—her ranks thinned by resignations and desertions, the navy struggled onward, slowly but surely, gaining vitality and power, until, under the present administration, it has 'lengthened its cords and strengthened its stakes,' attaining its present efficiency. Accessions have been made in vessels, new grades of officers have been appointed, the various bureaus have been enlarged, and an immense number of volunteer officers have been appointed, mostly chosen from petty officers and seamen, or from the merchant service, to command armed transports and the smaller craft used for the shallow waters of the Atlantic coast. A strong blockade has been effected, a number of valuable prizes taken, and the navy has rendered invaluable service by its bombardments of the enemy's towns and fortifications, on the coast of the United States as well as along the banks of the Mississippi, Ohio, and Tennessee rivers. In fact, much is due to the navy for its great efficiency in the present civil war in America.

We will give to the reader some statistics, taken from the September issue of the Naval Register for 1862, from which an idea can be formed of the great strength of this branch of our service. As these statistics are official, they will serve as a valuable source of information to those who are interested in the welfare of the country. Let us then review the organization of the United States navy.

The organization of the navy is as follows: The Navy Department, which consists of the office of the Secretary of the Navy and its various bureaus, and the officers of the navy, consisting of officers of the navy, officers of the marine corps, and warrant officers, besides volunteer and acting volunteer officers, these two last being new grades. There is no list of petty officers and seamen published in the Register, these being simply kept on the unpublished rolls, kept in the office of the Secretary of the Navy.

In the Navy Department proper may be found the following officers: The Secretary of the Navy; his Assistant; the chiefs of the bureaus of yards and docks, equipment, and recruiting, navigation, ordnance, construction and repair, steam engineering, provisions and clothing, and medicine and surgery. Since the publishing of the last annual Register, one of these bureaus is a new organization—the bureau of navigation not yet perfected. It will be seen by referring to this Register that the office of the Secretary of the Navy and the bureaus attached, require, besides the chief officers, one engineer, forty-four clerks, five draughtsmen, and eight messengers.

The officers of the navy proper are divided into the following grades: Rear admirals, commodores, captains, commanders, lieutenant commanders, lieutenants, surgeons ranking with commanders, surgeons ranking with lieutenants, passed assistant surgeons ranking next after lieutenants, assistant surgeons ranking next after masters, paymasters ranking with commanders, paymasters ranking with lieutenants, assistant paymasters, chaplains, professors of mathematics, masters in the line of promotion, masters not in the line of promotion, passed midshipmen, midshipmen detached from the naval academy and ordered into active service, boatswains, gunners, carpenters, sailmakers, navy agents, naval store keepers, naval constructors, officers of the naval academy, officers on special service, engineers in chief, first assistants, second assistants, third assistants, and officers of the marine corps.

The volunteer officers of the navy are acting lieutenants, acting volunteer lieutenants, acting masters, acting ensigns, acting master's mates, acting assistant surgeons, acting assistant paymasters and clerks, and acting first, second, and third engineers.

The petty officers of the navy are comprised as follows: Yeomen, armorers, boatswains, gunners, carpenters, sailmakers, and armorer's mates, master-at-arms, ship's corporals, coxswains, quarter masters, quarter gunners, captains of forecastle, tops, afterguard, and hold, coopers, painters, stewards, ship's officers, surgeons, assistant surgeons and paymasters, stewards, nurses, cooks, masters of the band, musicians, first and second class, seamen, ordinary seamen, landsmen, boys, first and second class firemen, and coal heavers.

The ranking of officers of the navy compared to the grades of the army may thus be enumerated: An admiral of the navy ranks with a major general in the army, a commodore as a brigadier general, a captain as a colonel, a commander as a lieutenant colonel, a lieutenant commander as a major, a lieutenant as a captain, a master as a first lieutenant, and an ensign (the new grade) as second lieutenant. The senior rear admiral of the navy, Charles Stewart of Pennsylvania, now on the retired list, ranks as a major general commanding in chief, and is the highest official in the navy except the Secretary.

The pay of the navy is quite an item in the list of Government expenditures. A few statistics relative to the expenditures will not prove uninteresting to the reader. The pay of seven admirals in the active list, commanding squadrons, and of fourteen rear admirals in the retired list, is $87,000; of twenty-six commanders and six on the retired list, is $117,860; of seventy captains on the active list, $239,300; thirty-two on the retired list, $85,400; one hundred and seventy commanders on active list, $554,380, and nine on the reserved list, $18,800; two hundred and forty-four lieutenant commanders, active list, $672,000; one hundred and eighty surgeons of various grades, $708,000; ten passed assistant surgeons, $8,700; two hundred and eighteen assistant surgeons, $422,900; eighty-one paymasters, $81,000; sixty assistant paymasters, $67,850; twenty-three chaplains, $34,500; twelve professors of mathematics, $21,600; seventeen masters, $18,320; three passed midshipmen, and one midshipman (old list), $4,308; four hundred and eighteen midshipmen, graduates of the naval academy, $259,600; fifty-four gunners, $67,500; forty-two acting gunners, $33,600; sixty carpenters, $60,000; forty-six sailmakers, $43,650; eight navy agents, $25,000; twelve naval store keepers, $18,000; nine naval constructors, $16,200; engineers and assistants, $756,700; officers of the naval academy, $759,000; officers of the marine corps, $536,000; acting volunteer officers of the navy of all grades, $2,975,300, and petty officers and seamen, $2,560,000; making a total of $10,863,118, for pay alone.

Let us add to this, other expenses to swell out the list. For clerk hire alone it is said that $600,000 is annually paid out; for navy yards and depots, $12,583,280 64; for the different bureaus, $8,325,161; and for contingent expenses, $2,600,000. Add to this the pay of the hospitals, $1,200,000; for magazines, $200,000; repair and equipment, $11,400,000; chartering and purchasing of vessels for naval purposes, $10,800,000; thus making a total of $47,708,441 64, which, added to the pay of the navy, makes the annual expenditure $58,571,559 64.

Let us now turn our attention to the vessels of the United States navy. In this department has the navy greatly increased within a few years. To give the reader an idea of our navy, we append the following statistical account of the vessels, giving their class, tonnage, number of guns, name, and station, which cannot but be of great interest to all who are interested in the affairs of the nation. We will give them in the following table:

SHIPS OF THE LINE—6.

Alabama84guns,2,663tons.

New Orleans84"2,805"

North Carolina84"2,633"

Ohio84"2,757"

Vermont84"2,633"

Virginia84"2,633"

Of these, the Alabama is on the stocks at Kittery, Maine, the New Orleans on the stocks at Sackett's Harbor, and the Virginia on the stocks at Boston. The Vermont is store ship at Port Royal, South Carolina, while the North Carolina and Ohio are receiving ships at Boston and New York. The Pennsylvania, 120-gun ship, was destroyed by the rebels at Gosport, Virginia, last year. This class of vessels are the most ineffective we have in the service, the Ohio being the only one which has done good service.

SAILING FRIGATES—6.

Brandywine50guns,1,726tons.

Potomac50"1,726"

Sabine50"1,726"

Santee50"1,726"

St. Lawrence50"1,726"

Independence[2]50"2,257"

The Brandywine, Independence, and Potomac are used as receiving and store ships. The Sabine is at New London recruiting, the Santee is in ordinary at Boston, and the St. Lawrence is attached to the East Gulf Squadron.

SAILING SLOOPS—21.

Constitution50guns,1,607tons.

Constellation22"1,452"

Cyane18"792"

Dale[3]15"566"

Decatur10"566"

Falmouth2"703"

Fredonia2"800"

Granite1"—"

Jamestown22"985"

John Adams18"700"

Macedonian22"1,341"

Marion15"566"

Portsmouth17"1,022"

Preble10"566"

Saratoga18"882"

Savannah24"1,726"

St. Marys22"958"

St. Louis18"700"

Vandalia20"783"

Vincennes18"700"

Warren2"691"

BRIGS—4.

Bainbridge6guns,259tons.

Bohio2"196"

Perry9"280"

Sea Foam3"264"

Of the sailing sloops and brigs the following are in active service: Saratoga, coast of Africa; Mediterranean Squadron, the Constellation; the West Gulf Squadron, Portsmouth, Preble, and Vincennes; Pacific Squadron, Cyane, and St. Marys; St. Louis on special service; the Dale and Vandalia in the South Atlantic Squadron; the Constitution, Macedonian, Marion, and Savannah, as school and practice ships; the Falmouth, Warren, and Fredonia as store ships, and the sloop of war, Decatur, in ordinary. In the West Gulf Squadron are the brigs Bohio and Sea Foam; in the East Gulf Squadron is the brig Perry, while the Bainbridge is at Aspinwall.

TRANSPORT SHIPS—14.

Charles Phelps1gun,362tons.

Courier3"554"

Fearnot6"1,012"

Ino9"895"

Kittatinny4"421"

Morning Light8"937"

Nightingale1"1,000"

National Guard4"1,046"

Onward8"874"

Pampero4"1,375"

Roman1"350"

Supply4"547"

Shepard Knapp8"838"

William Badger1"334"

The ships are divided as follows: The Supply and William Badger are in the North Atlantic Squadron; the Ino, the Onward, and Shepard Knapp in the South Atlantic Squadron; the Fearnot, the Kittatinny, and Morning Light in the West Gulf Squadron; the Courier is used as a store ship at Port Royal, the Charles Phelps as a coal ship, and the Roman as ordnance vessel at Hampden Roads, Virginia.

TRANSPORT BARKS—16.

Amanda6guns,368tons.

Arthur6"554"

A. Houghton2"326"

Braziliera6"540"

Ethan Allen7"556"

Fernandina6"297"

J. C. Kuhn5"888"

Jas. L. Davis4"461"

Jas. S. Chambers5"401"

Kingfisher5"450"

Midnight5"386"

Pursuit6"603"

Release2"327"

Roebuck4"455"

Restless4"265"

Wm. G. Anderson7"593"

In the East Gulf Squadron are the barks Amanda, Ethan Allen, Jas. L. Davis, Jas. S. Chambers, Kingfisher, and Pursuit. In the West Gulf Squadron, the Arthur Houghton, J. C. Kuhn, Midnight, and W. G. Anderson. In the South Atlantic Squadron the Braziliera, Fernandina, Roebuck, and Restless, while the Release is a store ship in the Mediterranean. To these may be added one barkantine, the Horace Beals, of 3 guns and 296 tons, employed in the Western Gulf Squadron.

SCHOONERS—8.

Beauregard1gun,101tons.

Chotank1"53"

Dart1"94"

G. W. Blunt1"121"

Hope1"134"

Sam Rotan2"212"

Sam Houston1"66"

Wanderer4"300"

In the Potomac Flotilla is the schooner Chotank. The G. W. Blunt and the Hope are in the South Atlantic Squadron; the Dart and Sam Houston in the West Gulf Squadron, while the Sam Rotan, Wanderer, and Beauregard (the last named captured from the rebels) are in the East Gulf Squadron.

YACHTS—2

America:South Atlantic Squadron.

Corypheus:West Gulf Squadron.

These vessels are used chiefly as tenders and despatch vessels.

MORTAR SCHOONERS—18.

Arletta3guns,199tons.

Adolf Hugel3"269"

C. P. Williams3"210"

Dan Smith3"149"

Geo. Mangham3"274"

Henry Janes3"261"

John Griffith3"246"

M. Vassar3"182"

Maria A. Wood2"344"

Norfolk Packet3"349"

Orvetta3"171"

Para3"190"

Racer3"252"

Rachel Seman2"303"

Sophronia3"217"

Sarah Bruen3"233"

T. A. Ward3"284"

Wm. Bacon3"183"

Of these eighteen mortar schooners, five are at Baltimore, two in the North Atlantic Squadron, five in the West Gulf Squadron, one in the East Gulf Squadron, four in the Potomac Flotilla, and one in the James River Flotilla.

We have thus given the statistics of the sailing vessels of the navy. We now give a table of the steam vessels of all descriptions in our navy, which are the most valuable auxiliaries we have. It is probably the most effective steam navy in the world, and in its department of huge iron-clads cannot be excelled even by the navies of the old world. The steam vessels of our navy may thus be enumerated:

STEAM FRIGATES—9.

Colorado48guns,3,435tons.

Niagara34"4,582"

Powhatan11"2,415"

Minnesota48"3,307"

Mississippi[4]12"1,692"

Princeton8"900"

San Jacinto12"1,446"

Saranac9"1,446"

Susquehanna17"2,450"

The Niagara, one of the finest screw frigates in the navy, and which, with the Colorado, is now repairing, is noted for being connected with the Atlantic cable expedition, as well as for conveying the Japanese embassy home. She is the pet of the navy, and great credit is due the late George Steers for such a splendid specimen of naval architecture. The Powhattan, Minnesota, and Mississippi are attached to the South Atlantic Squadron; the San Jacinto to the East Gulf Squadron; the Susquehanna to the West Gulf Squadron, and the Saranac to the Pacific Squadron. The old Princeton is the receiving ship at Philadelphia. Of these steam frigates, six are screw, and three sidewheel.

STEAM SLOOPS—10.

Brooklyn24guns,2,070tons.

Canandaigua9"1,395"

Dacotah6"997"

Hartford25"1,990"

Housatonic9"1,240"

Lancaster22"2,362"

Oneida9"1,032"

Pensacola22"2,158"

Richmond26"1,929"

Wachusett9"1,032"

The Brooklyn, Hartford, Housatonic, Pensacola, Richmond, and Oneida are in the West Gulf Squadron; the Canandaigua in the South Atlantic Squadron; the Lancaster in the Pacific, and the Dacotah and the Wachusett in the West India Squadron.

STEAM GUNBOATS—40.

Conemaugh8guns,955tons.

Crusader6"545"

Cambridge5"858"

Chippewa4"507"

Cayuga6"507"

Chocura4"507"

Huron4"507"

Itasca4"507"

Kanawha4"507"

Kennebec4"507"

Kineo4"507"

Katahdin4"507"

Mohawk7"459"

Mohican6"994"

Mystic4"451"

Marblehead4"507"

Monticello7"665"

Miami7"630"

Naragansett5"809"

Ottawa4"507"

Owasco4"507"

Octorora6"829"

Pawnee9"1,289"

Pocahontas5"694"

Pembina4"507"

Penobscot4"507"

Panola4"507"

Penguin6"389"

Pontiac8"974"

Seminole5"801"

Sciota4"507"

Seneca4"507"

Sagamore4"507"

Sebago6"832"

Tahoma4"507"

Unadilla4"507"

Wyandotte4"458"

Wyoming6"997"

Wissahickon4"507"

Winona4"507"

Of these gunboats, some of them rated as steam sloops of the third class, twelve are in the South Atlantic Squadron; five in the North Atlantic Squadron; ten in the West Gulf Squadron; three in the East Gulf Squadron; two in the Potomac Flotilla; one in the East Indies; one in the Pacific; one at Philadelphia; and five under repairs at the different navy yards.

AUXILIARY STEAM GUNBOATS—47.

Anacostia2guns,217tons.

Aroostook4"507"

Albatross4"378"

Currituck5"193"

Perry4"513"

Barney4"513"

Clifton6"892"

Ellen4"341"

E. B. Hale4"192"

Fort Henry6"519"

Genesee4"803"

Huntsville4"817"

Hunchback4"517"

Harriet Lane[5]4"619"

John Hancock3"382"

Jacob Bell3"229"

Louisiana4"295"

Mercidita7"776"

Montgomery5"787"

Mt. Vernon3"625"

Maratanza6"786"

Memphis4"791"

Norwich5"431"

New London5"221"

Potomska5"287"

Patroon5"183"

Paul Jones6"863"

Port Royal8"805"

Saginaw3"453"

Sumter4"460"

Stars and Stripes5"407"

Somerset6"521"

Sachem5"197"

Southfield4"751"

Tioga6"819"

Uncas3"192"

Underwriter4"331"

Valley City5"190"

Victoria3"254"

Water Witch3"378"

Wasmutta5"270"

Western World5"441"

Wyandank2"399"

Westfield6"891"

Yankee3"328"

Young Rover5"418"

Yantic4"593"

Six of these auxiliary steam gunboats are in the Potomac Flotilla; eight in the West Gulf Squadron; thirteen in the North Atlantic Squadron; nine in the South Atlantic Squadron; four in the Eastern Gulf Squadron; one in the West India Fleet; one at San Francisco, and five in ordinary.

TRANSPORT STEAMERS ALTERED INTO WAR VESSELS—58

Alabama8guns,1,261tons.

Alleghany6"989"

Augusta8"1,310"

Bienville10"1,558"

Florida10"1,261"

Flag9"963"

Hatteras3"1,100"

Jas. Adger9"1,151"

Keystone State9"1,364"

Kensington3"1,052"

Massachusetts5"1,155"

Quaker City9"1,600"

Rhode Island7"1,517"

R. R. Cuyler8"1,202"

South Carolina6"1,165"

Santiago de Cuba10"1,667"

State of Georgia9"1,204"

Tennessee1"1,275"

Cimmerone10"860"

Connecticut5"1,800"

Dawn3"391"

Daylight4"682"

Delaware3"357"

Dragon1"118"

Flambeau2"900"

Issac Smith9"453"

Mahaska6"832"

Morse2"513"

Planter2"300"

Satellite2"217"

Shasheen2"180"

Sonoma6"955"

Thos. Freeborn2"269"

A. C. Powell1"65"

Alfred Robb4"75"

Ceres1"144"

Cœur de Leon2"60"

Cohasset2"100"

Ella2"230"

Eastport8"700"

Henry Brinker1"108"

Hetzel2"—"

John P. Jackson6"777"

John L. Lockwood2"182"

Leslie2"100"

Mercury2"187"

Madgie2"218"

O. M. Petit2"165"

Pulaski1"395"

Resolute1"90"

Reliance1"90"

Rescue1"111"

Stepping Stones1"226"

Teaser2"90"

Vixen2"—"

Whitehead1"136"

Young America1"171"

Zouave1"127"

Most of these auxiliary altered steamers have been purchased and refitted for naval service. A number of our ocean mail steamers have been purchased by the Department, such as the Augusta, Florida, Alabama, Quaker City, Keystone State, and State of Georgia; while others have been taken from our rivers flowing into the Atlantic, on which this last class of vessels were formerly plying. In the South Atlantic Squadron are fifteen of this class of transport steamers; fifteen in the North Atlantic; four in the Western Gulf; one in the East Gulf; one in the Brazil, and three in the West India Squadrons. There are also twelve in the Potomac Flotilla; one in the Western Flotilla; two supply steamers; and three in ordinary; with one receiving ship. In the Potomac Flotilla is the captured rebel gunboat Teaser. The De Soto may also be added to this class, carrying 9 guns of 1,600 tons, and at present attached to the Western Gulf Squadron.

We now call the attention of the reader to that most formidable class of vessels in our navy,

IRON-CLAD STEAMERS—15.

The iron-clads of our navy are divided into two classes—the river and ocean steamers, as also steam rams. We will first notice the ocean class:

Galena6guns,738tons.

Monitor[6]3"776"

New Ironsides18"3,486"

Roanoke6"3,435"

The Galena and Monitor have been well tested in the present war, but the Galena at present is considered a failure. The New Ironsides, now on special service, is said to be one of the most formidable iron-clad vessels in the world. Of the iron-clad river steamers, we enumerate the following:

Benton16guns,1,000tons.

Baron de Kalb13"512"

Cairo13"512"

Cincinnati13"512"

Carondelet13"512"

Essex7"1,000"

Louisville13"468"

Lexington7"500"

Mound City13"512"

Pittsburgh13"512"

Tyler9"600"

The Galena is in the North Atlantic Squadron; the New Ironsides in special service; the Roanoke repairing in New York; and the river iron-clads are attached to the Western Flotilla.

IRON-CLAD RAMS—12.

General Bragg2guns,700tons.

Gen. Sterling Price-"400"

General Pillow2"500"

Great Western.-"800"

Kosciusko-"—"

Lafayette-"1,000"

Little Rebel3"400"

Lioness-"—"

Monarch-"—"

Queen of the West[7]-"—"

Switzerland-"—"

Simpson-"—"

Six of these rams, though finished, have not received their armament. They are all attached to the Western River Flotilla. Five of these were captured from the rebels, and one was purchased.

OTHER VESSELS NOT CLASSED—22.

Iroquois9guns,1,016tons.

Kearsage7"1,031"

Tuscarora10"997"

Wabash48"3,274"

Clara Dolsen—"1,000"

Choctaw—"1,000"

Conestoga—"—"

Darlington—"—"

Ellis2"—"

Eugenie—"—"

Gem of the Sea4"371"

Gemsbok7"622"

Judge Torrence—"600"

King Philip—"—"

Michigan1"582"

Mount Washington—"—"

Magnolia3"—"

Oliver H. Lee3"199"

Philadelphia—"—"

Relief2"468"

Stetten—"—"

Ben Morgan—"407"

Among these vessels unclassed, are one steam frigate, three steam sloops, eight ocean and four river steamers, three barks, one schooner, and one mortar schooner.

UNFINISHED VESSELS OF THE NAVY

STEAM FRIGATE—1.

Franklin50guns3,684tons.

STEAM SLOOPS—7.

Lackawanna9guns,1,533tons.

Ticonderoga9"1,533"

Shenandoah9"1,378"

Monongahela9"1,378"

Sacramento9"1,367"

Juniata9"1,240"

Ossipee9"1,240"

STEAM GUNBOATS—28.

Puritan (iron-clad).4guns,3,265tons.

Tonawanda4"1,564"

Tecumseh2"1,034"

Onondaga4"1,250"

Ascutney8"974"

Agawam8"974"

Chenango8"974"

Chicopee8"974"

Eutaw8"974"

Iosco8"974"

Mattabeeset8"974"

Mingoe8"974"

Mackinaw8"974"

Metacomet8"974"

Otsego8"974"

Pontoosac8"974"

Sassacus8"974"

Shamrock8"974"

Taconey8"974"

Tallapoosa8"974"

Wateree8"974"

Wyalusing8"974"

Lenape8"974"

Maumee4"593"

Com. Morris1"532"

Com. McDonough6"532"

Calhoun4"508"

Com. Hull3"376"

IRON CLAD OCEAN GUNBOATS—22.

Dunderburg10guns,5,019tons.

Dictator2"3,033"

Monadnock4"1,564"

Miantonimah4"1,564"

Agamenticus4"1,564"

Canonicus2"1,034"

Manhattan3"1,034"

Mahopac2"1,034"

Manayunk2"1,034"

Catskill2"844"

Camanche2"844"

Lehigh2"844"

Montauk2"844"

Nantucket2"844"

Nahant2"844"

Patapsco2"844"

Passaic2"844"

Sangamon2"844"

Weehawken2"844"

Moodna2"677"

Marietta2"479"

Sandusky2"479"

IRON CLAD RIVER GUNBOATS—12

Catawba2guns,1,034tons.

Tippecanoe2"1,034"

Chickasaw4"970"

Kickapoo4"970"

Milwaukee4"970"

Winnebago4"970"

Tuscumbia3"565"

Ozark2"578"

Osage2"523"

Neosho2"523"

Indianola[8]2"442"

Chillicothe2"303"

The most formidable class of these unfinished vessels are the iron-clad gunboats. Of these are four of immense size, viz., the Puritan, Tonawanda, Tecumseh, and Onondaga. The mammoth iron-clad of all is the enormous Dunderburg, carrying 10 guns of from fifteen to twenty inches in calibre, and having a tonnage of 5,019 tons. The Dictator is another immense iron-clad. Of the river Gunboat Fleet, the Catawba and Tippecanoe stand as first class, carrying heavy nine and eleven inch Dahlgren guns.

The building of these ocean iron-clads is at the following places: Nine of them are building at New York; three at Brooklyn; one at Portsmouth; two at Jersey City; four at Boston; two at Chester; two at Pittsburgh; one at Brownsville, Pennsylvania; and one at Wilmington, Delaware. The river iron-clads are built at the following places: Five at Cincinnati; six at St. Louis; and one at Mound City, Illinois. Of the first-class steam gunboats, eleven are building at New York; four at Boston; two at Portland, Maine; two at Portsmouth, New Hampshire; one at Bordentown, New Jersey; one at Brooklyn; two at Philadelphia; one at Chester; and two at Baltimore, Maryland.

The other vessels building in the yards are as follows: the steam frigate Franklin, at Portsmouth, New Hampshire; the steam sloops Juniata, Monongahela, and Shenandoah, at Philadelphia; the Lackawanna and Ticonderoga, at New York; and the Ossipee and Sacramento, at Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

There are a large number of contracts out for new gunboats and steamers, which, when completed, will make us the most formidable navy in the world. In conclusion, we will give to the reader the following table, classifying the vessels now in our navy, and giving statistics of their tonnage and the number of guns which they carry:

RECAPITULATION.

Vessels.Guns.Tons.

Ships of the line650416,124

Sailing frigates734814,161

Sailing sloops2437221,151

Brigs420999

Transportation ships166411,420

Transportation barks16918,468

Schooners8121,081

Yachts2———

Mortar schooners18524,316

Steam frigates919921,673

Steam sloops1016116,205

Steam gunboats4020024,783

Auxiliary steam gunboats4720923,875

Transport steamers altered to war vessels5824036,170

Iron-clad ocean steamers4328,435

Iron-clad river steamers111306,640

Iron-clad rams1273,800

Other vessels not classed1493,788

Unfinished Vessels of the Navy.

Frigates1503,684

Steam sloops7689,669

Steam gunboats2818435,160

Iron-clad ocean gunboats225826,955

Iron-clad river gunboats12338,682

The total number of vessels of all classes in the navy, is 376, having a tonnage of 307,234 tons, and carrying 3,038 guns of heavy calibre.

With these statistics, compiled from 'official' sources, we conclude this article, and in our next shall take up the subject of naval gunnery in the United States.