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THE MARINE RECORD. FAMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION. Agreement of 1817—Reduction of Naval Forces Upon the American Lakes.—By J. M. Callahan, of Johns Hop- kins University. : (Continued. ) On November 18 Mr. Bagot in formed Secretary Mon- roe that no cannon had been placed in position at Fort Malden as was represented, but that it appeared from the reports sent him that the officer commanding on Lake Erie had “misconceived the nature of his instructions” and con- sidered that all vessels passing under Fort Malden should be visited. The commander in chief on the lakes revoked stich orders at once, and every means was taken to pre- vent a similar occurrence. | The orders sent by the influ- ence of Lord Castlereagh had also reached Canada by this time, and the consequent restraint on the conduct of the officers on the lakes would tend to secure peace and tranquility in that quarter. All these measures doubtless produced the salutary effect intended by them. Mr. Bagot was assured (November 29) that corresponding orders had ben given and would be repeated and enforced by the United States Government. In the meantime (November 4) Mr. Bagot had fur- nished the Secretary of State with ‘‘an acount of the actual state of His Majesty’s naval force upon the lakes,” and stated that further augmentation was suspended until the British Government reported upon the proposal of Aug- ust 2. Mr. Monroe at once (November 7) furnished the former with the statement of the United States naval force in the same region, and had orders given “to prevent any augmentation of it beyond the limit of the British naval: force on those waters. Mr. Bagot noticed that no force for the upper lakes was given in the statement sent him, but was informed that it had been included in the force mentioned for Lake Erie. It appears that there was no further correspondence between Bagot and Monroe. con- cerning the matter. The reciprocal and definite reduction of the naval force on the lakes did not occur until after. Monroe had be- come President the next year. The Prince Regent having, in the meantime, agreed to the proposition of August 2, 1816, Mr. Bagot notified Mr. Rush (who was acting as Secretary of State until Mr. Adams could arrive from London), and on the 28th and 2oth of April, 1817, a forr mal agreement was entered into by exchange of notes. It was practically the same as the proposed project of Aug- ust 2, and could be annulled by either party’s giving a six months’ notice. The British Government had already is- sued orders to the officers on the lakes directing that the limited naval force should be restricted to such services as would “in no respect interfere with the proper duties of the armed vessels of the other party.” By the request of Mr. Rush (April 30), orders to the same effect were issued on May 2 by Mr. Crowninshield, Secretary of the Navy, to the American commanding officers at Erie, Pa.; Sack- etts Harbor, N. Y.; and Whitehall, N. Y. By these orders the schooner Lady of the Lake was assigned to Lake On- tario, the schooners Porcupine and Ghent to the upper lakes, and the galley Allen to Lake Champlain. The agreement between Rush and Bagot became ef- fective at once upon the exchange of notes. There is no evidence that Great Britain gave to it the formalities of a treaty, and it was not till April 6, 1818, that President Monroe formally notified the Senate of the United States of the arrangement and submitted it to its consideration whether it was “such an arrangement as the Executive is competent to enter into by the powers vested in it by the Constitution, or is such a one as requires the advice and consent of the Senate, and, in the latter case, for their advice and consent, should it be approved.” The approval and consent of the Senate was given on April 16, with no dissenting vote and it was recommended that the arrange- ment be carried into effect by the President. The agree- ment, the full text of which was printed in the Record of March 25, was proclaimed by President Monroe on April 28, 1817. It was the impossibility of getting the vessels from the lakes to the sea which made it necessary to dismantle them on the lakes. This work appears to have been. done promptly. Soon only the pieces of hulks were left as a _ reminder of the former warring fleets. In fact, the forces on each side declined to “almost complete disappear- ance.” By 1820 feelings of danger had decreased so far that the House of Representatives refused to consider a resolution which proposed a Western depot for arms “con- venient to those points which are most vulnerable to the enemy.” In 1822( Mr. Cooke, in the House, understand- ing that most of the vessels. onthe lakes were sunk. and “none fit for service,” though it seemed that the salaries of officers and men did not have a corresponding decline, desired an inquiry into the subject. By 1825 public vessels had practically disappeared. In 1826 affairs were so “‘en- tirely safe” with Great Britain that the Detroit garrison was removed. re or or THE COAL TRADE OF BUFFALO. The following is the official statement of the coal trade of Buffalo for 1896 and preceding years, as compiled by William Thurstone, secretary of the Merchants’ Exchange: EXPORTS BY LAKE. ‘ : 1893 1894 1895 1896 - Anthracite, net tons.............. 2,681,173) 2.475,255| 2,612, 768| 2, 1379,068 Blossburgh, net toms ...)......... 7,500 7,500 6,000 6,000 Bituminous, net tons...../....... 15,000 25,000 2,000 15,000 IMPORTS BY RAILROADS. 1893 1894 1895 1896 Anthracite, net tons .............. 4,700,000} 4,230,000] 4,750,000] 4,550,000 Bituminous, net tons. ............ 2,896,614] 2,280,470] 2,727,308) 2,661,840 Blossburg, net tons............... 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 RECAPITULATION. TOTAL IMPORTS. 1893 1894 1895 1896 Anthracite, canal, net tons....... 70,546 42,130 14,038 38,061 Anthracite, rail, net tons......... 4,700,000] 4,230,000} 4,750,000] 4,550,000 Bituminous, lake, net tons... ..:ccuhs iescse celoi cea san MO S00 FA Bituminous, rail, net tons:....... 2,896,614] 2,280,470] 2,727,308] 2,661,840 Blossburg, rail, net tons....... rears 25,000 25,000 25,000 25,000 Torar Exports. Anthrdcite canal, nettons: : fo he lses.wtes |i wun cycne 1,376 1,104 Bituminous, canal, net tons....... 19,336 8,840 4,256 956 Anthracite, lake, net tons... Ne 2,475)255 Gta. 728 2,379,068 Blossburg, lake, net tons. . 7,500 7,500 6,000 6,000 Bituminous, lake, net tons... 15,000 2,500 2,000 15,000 ANTHRACITE Sete CIRCULAR PRICES. The following were the wholesale prices of anthracite coal per 2,240 pounds, during 1896: Free on Board Vessels at Buffalo. Chest- On Board Cars at Buffalo or Sus” pension Bridge. 1896 Grate Egg Stove nut Chest- January 1,.$4.45 $4.70 $4.70 $4.70 1896 Grate Egg Stove nut PURE Sic 4-55 4.80 4.80 4.80 January 1..$4.15 $4.40 $4.40 $4.40 JULI Soak 4.80 5.05 5.05 5.05 Jume.1 234% 4.25 4.50 4.50 — 4.50 Sept. 1 to : Julyen en: . 4-50 4.75 4-75 4.75 close of yr. 5.05 5.30 5.30 5.30 Sept 1 to close of yr. 4.75 5.00 5.00 5.00 rm a SHIPYARD WORK AT WHEELER’S. Wheeler and Co. put on several large gangs of men this week, making a total of about 750 men at work in the two yards. Of this number 200 men are riveters, di- vided into 50 garigs of four men each. With this force of riveters the plates on ships No. 120 and 121 are going on very fast.. The two Brown, hoists in the old yard, which are working on the steamer, are kept very busy. The traveling: crane ‘used in lifting the heavy plates from the cars to the shops is also in constant use. Steel material is arriving from the Carnegie works in large quantities each day. Eleven cars of the finest oak were received at the yard in one day, to be used in the construction of the bulwarks of steamer No. 121. Eight more cars of the timber will be received later. The work on the boilers for both boats is being rushed at the Saginaw Iron Works, and they are expected to be completed this week. The steamer George Stephenson and the schooner Sir Isaac Lothian Bell, which were completed last fall for John D. Rockefeller and laid up at the yard during the winter owing to the lateness of completion, are being fitted out preparatory to entering into commission at the earliest opening of navigation. a COLLISION LAW SUIT. The collision by which Capt. Hackett and Watchman DavidKinirie, of the tug Torrent, lost their lives while passing through the St. Clair Flats canal on the night of July 17, 1895, has been before the United States Court in the trial of the suit of Bertha Kinirie the widow of the latter, against the Cleveland Transportation Co., for $20,- ooo damages. The complainant was represented by Chadwick & Mc- Ilwain, of Port Huron, the steamboat company by Harvey D. Goulder, and it is needless to say that the case has been fought to a finish at every turn of the testimony. It was concluded Saturday evening, and the jury gave Mrs. Kinirie a verdict for $5,000. The tug, bound up, met the steam barge Sitka and tow barge Yukon in the cut, and the testimony showed that the vessels attempted to pass each other on the port side. The Yukon was heavily loaded, and when some distance from the Torrent took a sheer from the bottom, going across to the east bank and colliding with the sheet pil- ing. Then she took a sheer back to the west side, where she belonged, and Capt. Hackett thought he shed va. clear course. Just as he was passing the Sitka, however, the Yukon sheered across the cut again. There was no time for the Torrent to back, and the captain did the only thing possible. He headed for the space between the Sitka and Yukon, and shouted to the captain of. the latter to cut his towline. The call was not heeded, and the line swept the tug fore and aft, carrying away the stack and uppre works, and kiling Hackett and Kinirie. It was contended by counsel for the plaintiff that the accident was due solely to the length of the towline; that it was 800 feet long, and that it should-have been shortened before an attempt was made to go through the canal. Moreover, it was claimed that the Sitka did not slow down, as required by navigation laws, but, was pulling the Yukon along at eight miles per hour. Mr. Goulder’s main efforts were to disprove these charges, but accord-. ing to the verdict his arguments were ineffectual. ——__——q@4+22 RETAIN THE PRESENT COMMISSIONER. — On March 18th the Marine Record had the following to say editorially: “The-Hon. Eugene T. Chamberlain, U. S. Commissioner of Navigation, ought to be contin- ued in office, although the change of administration will, we fear, hardly admit of Mr. Chamberlain holding down the seat which he has so worthily filled. We cannot even surmise a more worthy successor to the present Commis- sioner of Navigation; however, President McKinley, or rather his advisers, may possibly suggest a man equally as good to fill the position from a Republican stand- point; but to say the least it will be difficult to discount E. T. Chamberlain, and in the event of a change, which is almost certain to follow, this office, or the candidate for it, ought to be more than rigidly scrutinized.” At a meeting of the board of directors of the Philadelphia Maritime Exchange, held the 22d day of March, 1897, the following preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted and forwarded to President McKinley: Whereas, The many questions coming. before the Com- missioner of Navigation for action and decision are of a technical and abstruse character, and often of far-reaching importance to the merchant marine of the United States, and affecting the ae relations of this country with foreign nations; and , Whereas, The said office is one involving, on the part of an efficient incumbent, a thorough special knowledge only attainable after the practical experience and pains- taking study of a considerable length of time; and, Whereas, In the opinion of this exchange the office of Commissioner of Navigation should be made permanent, during good behavior, and not subject to change for po- litical reasons, believing that frequent changes impair the efficiency of the bureau; and, Whereas, A precedent for premanency of the chief in of- fice may be found in several bureaus of the Treasury De- partment, where technical knowledge and experience is required to enable the incumbent to render efficient sery- ice, and Whereas, The presnt Commissioner of Navigation hae proved himself, during his incumbency, an exceptionally efficient officer, who, by indefatigable energy, unflagging interest, and the intelligent prosecution of all affairs per- taining to his bureau, has been directly instrumental in bringing about many reforms within his province, and who has shown himself so eminently qualified for the work of the bureau that his removal at this time would be a distinct loss to the government service; therefore, be it~ Resolved, That, although it has been the custom of the Philadelphia Maritime Exchange scrupulously to ‘avoid making recommendations for appointments to public of- fice, his exceptional fitness for the office of Commissioner of Navigation impels us to depart from. our time-honored practice and to earnestly petition the President to reap- point the Hon. Eugene T. Chamberlain, and continue him in office. z There are many good reasons why the office of Com- missioner of Navigation should be taken entirely out of politics. The questions coming before him ate technical and complicated, and to become efficient the commission- er must of necessity have actual experience. The present incumbent, by his diligent and wise administration of his bureau, has brought about beneficial results to the com- mercial interests of the country, and by constant communi- cation with representatives of shipowners, trade organi- zations and seamen, has learned wherein many of the pres- ent laws are defective and out of date, to remedy which a number of important bills have been introduced into con-— gress. £.