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THE MARINE RECORD. and safer boat passed leaving passengers who preferred traveling with Johnny Me- Kay.” McKay’s Harbor a town on the north shore of Lake Superior, of considerable im- ortance, is named in his honor, showing how popular he was among the people whe know him. Asa navigator he had no su- perior. He wasa part of his ship always, as muchas any timber in her, He was always at his post, and never let anything stand be- tween him and his duty to his boat and em- ployer. He was a kind-hearted nd generous toa fault. Among the men who follow the lakes for a living there are many who van testify to his generosity. Never did a brother sailor in distress apply to John McKay in vain. He loved his friends, and was forgiv- ing to those who trespassed against him. Lt may truly be said of him, ‘This was aman.” He is gone, and none will ever know the exact circumstances of his death; but we know whatever was in the power of a sailcr to do to save his ship aud passengera John McKay did. But it was impossible for him to abrovate the decree of providence, which bad condemned the Manistee. Always faithful to his trust in life, we know he was faithful unto death. The sea’ is a fitting grave for him, but with him there went down a great and tender heart. [t will be long be- fore “we look upon his like again. NAVAL AFFAIRS. The report of the commissioners of the navy yards calls attention to the depreciation inthe military marine of the country asa consequence of the decadence of its merchant marine, and says that in 1860 the tonnage of the United States engaged in foreign trade was 2,546,237 tons, placing us second on the list of maritime countries avd our fighting ships commanded universal admiration. In the twenty years just passed, while the ton- nage of our great commercial rival increased 50 per cent, our tonnage dropped to 1,362,810, placing us third on the list of maritime countries. Our carrying trade has been wrested from us, and we have nota single fighting ship to bear our flag upon the savas. The United States would in anticipation of war, require five naval rendezvous, viz., on Narragansett Bay, Chesapeake Bay, at Key West, San Francisco, and on the lakes. With respect to Mare Island’ navy yard, the com- missioners say of its advantages: Its ap- proaches may be succosstully defended against attacks of a powerful enemy; it is far enough removed from sea to be beyond the reach of guns of the longest range or any possibility of being captured by coup de main, and yet not so far as to make it diffi- cult of access. The adjacent harbor is gooc and perfectly secure in all weather; the channel is deep and never obstructed by ice; the climate is even and salubrious all the year round, and sntable for our out door work, drydocks or basins may be constructed at areasonable cost. ‘The yard is convenient to railroad communications, which center opposite the shore of Napa Straits and on the shores of the Straights of Carquinez, about a mile distant. A convenient supply of fine timber for wooden ship building is practically inexhaustible. ‘here is no diffi- culty tor our heaviest draught ships going up to the quay at any stage of tide. : The disadvantages of the yard are sum- moned up as follows: A fleet at the Golden Gate could blockade it. The immediate ap- proaches to the yard are without defenses. Abounding in the finest timber lands, Cal- ifornia is deficient in supplies of coal, 80 es- sential to the navy of the present day and to warfare on the ocean. Mechanics are scarce, and for any work beyond the current needs of ayard, labor would have to be brought from San Francisco at no little expense and loss of time. ‘here are no private estab- lishments nearer than San Francisco for re- pairing ships and engines to suppliment the government plant. The supply of water is limited. ‘'he commisioners recommend the retention of this yard, as it it the only one on the Pacific coast, and fulfills most of the requirements of a perfect site, They do not consider the question of its sale open to dis- cussion. Concerning the naval stations on the lakes the commissioners say the great importance of naval operations during the war of 1812, and the exposed condition of that portion of our frontier and the enormous amount of property on those waters belong- ing to our citizens and liable to destruction in the event of war, adinorish your com- missioners not to recommend the adandon- ment of the only naval station, whavever its demerits. We now hold that quarter of the situation at Sackett’s Harbor good. But there are about four acres of land only with- out plants or improvements of any value. There is no demand for it for commercial or other uses. Its retention does not therefore involve appreciable expense, ‘he com- missioners recommend that the navy yard at New London, Conn.,, be abandoned and all the rest maintained, and urge the importance ot preparation in time of peace for war, “War,” they say, “is a heritage of man, and for the people of the United States. History will have been written in vain should they delude themselves with the idle hope of perpetual peace: and when war does come in these modern days it is swift and terrible. \xposed and unprepared as we are, the daw- age that could be inflicted upon us ere the note of warning was well sounded woula be beyond calculation, But unmindtul ot the great lessons of war, we wait for the emergency hour to force us into measures that should have already matured. Of all the methods that have been found most wasteful the panic caused by the Virginins affair cost the country $5,000,000 without adequate* return, It is the popular belief that our traditional policy of peace can be easily maintained by reason of our isolation and freedom from the entanglements which so frequently disturb the relations of Kuro- pean powers, -but this isa delusion. We have, in common with all maritime countries, interests which in our duties we are bound to support. ‘The present disturbed condition of affairs onthe Asiatic station, the construction of the Panama canal, the interpolation of the Monroe doctrine into our political creed ; our growing commerce on the Pacific, and the naval strength developed in the’ rising powers of South America are each and every one subjects prolific of questions of serious import to the people of the United States. Their government may any day be called upon to take its stand and carry into effect the broad and enlightened principles which have characterized Its foreign policy. ‘To do this and exercise the moral influence which belongs to us of right as one of the wealthiest and most liberal members of the great family of tations, a certain reserve force is absqintely essential now; but more particularly the condition of our pavy. yards tay be regarded as part of that reserve and as an exponent of-our vaval power, ‘The logical deduction therefore is a power must be developed or our foreign pelicy be aband- oned if we would avoid national humiliation. The commissioners conclude their report as follows: ‘It only remains to answer a por- tion of the act which calls fora report on any other facts deemed useftil or advisable in regard to this question. ‘The most prominent ‘facts’ which come to the notice of your commissioners in connec- tion with the subject are want of proper organization in the working forces of our navy yards, the multiplicity of ships of the same Clase, a diffusion of work unnecessarily extended in area, want of uniformity in the transaction of business, and an objectionable method of keeping accounts (no reflection upon individuals intended,) as these evils result radically in,a defective system. ‘True economy therefore can be reached, not by selling any navy yards, but by remodeling the naval system of our administration and placing it upon such a sound basis that the government will receive adequate return for liberal sums annually voted to the main- tenance of « navy.” LAKE COMMERCE. Appended is the annual report of the collector of customs tor this district, show- ing the quantitity of merchandise and the value thereof, imported and exported during the season of navigation of the year just end- ed, at the ports of Lorain, Cleveland, Fair- port, Ashtabula, and Conneaut, CLEARED COASTWISE, Articles. Value. Coal, Coal, fuel, Chain, tons, 117 23,400 Cows.. 15 Coke. 5,403 Cheese, boxes, £ 31,488 Car springs. 11,040 Castings...... . 10,200 Corn, bushels, 70,47 42,287 COrk...... ssescesenceenes 9,080 Chestnut, bushels, 75. . 295 fxpress 200,' 00 Engines. 20,000 Earthenwar 23,400 foundry facings. 1,578 Flagging, tons, 4,525. 53.100 Fertilizer, barrels, 126 550. Feed ... an datae 4,680 Flour, barrels, é 30,960 BU 49,998 74 Glassware, package 76,135 Grease, axle, 864 Gravel Horses Hair Household gooc Hay.. Hardware Hides... Iron, merchant’s, tons, Tron roofing. Iron, pig, t« Iron, gas pipe Tron, railroad Iron, splic Iron, scrap Iron, spiege Iron, water Iron, spike Locomotives tons, 3 1 3 20,00 Lard... 600 Merchandise .. 26,150,900) Marble ........ 1,600 Machines, mo 13,400, Machines, sewing. 2,000 Molding sand... 600 Nails, kegs, 218 639,192 Nuts, pea 7 5 Oil, carb arrels, 169,589 837,94F Oil, lubricating, barrels, 17,485 438,20 Oysters. 11,016 \ Onions 135, Oats... shels, 616 471 Ttall csscsssssescessrseranes ENTERED COASTW Barrels, empt Beans, bushels, 3,930. Barley, bushels, 1,642 Copper, tons, 3,285 Corn. bushels, 15,000, Carboys, empty Canned goo'ls. Hams, tierces, 3,28: Horseshoes, kegs, 5, 137 Hou-ehoid goods. Tron ore, tons, 1,544, 42! Iron, pig, tons, 23,81 Iron, bloom., Iron, railroad, tons, 553.. Iron, merchants, Poles, telegraph Seed. flsx, bushels, 43,317 Salt, barrels, 50,225. 1e, grind, tons, 3,977 Ties, railroad Water, mineral. Total......-.-- weeece Inclnded in the above is the following from Ashtabula: Ore, tons, 660,35: M Stone, lime, cc Coal tons 137 856 Coal for fuel tons 13131.. | Ore tons 39 785... Lumber 1 080. Lath Ms 427.. Stone lime cords 9 ‘Ties railroad ..- 500 1 232 124 220 | . 28 8,000 | Chinaware decorated . 940 Drugs and medicines. e 17 849 840 | Eygs............2..-- 127 140,080 | Flax manufactures of 89 U99 500 1 263 435 5 739 14631 717 11269 2939 2748 100 5 637 3 383 Tron spe 15 543 Tron ore...... 18 064 591 Liquors 8 870 Bs. 6 862 Lumber 1 450 Musio:! instruments. 7,899 Musical instruments, etrings 1,273 Marbie and manufactures of. 428 Metale, manufactures of 2.615 Machinery .... 949 Oils, essential 359 Oil, olive 134 Oilclorh 227 Perfumer. 82 Paper, manufactures of, 2,476 Paints . ae 2,081 Paintings and statiouery 9,648 ubber, manufacurcs of. 84 Ropo, wire ... sess 13,423 Steel, munufactures o! 850 Salt. .eeseee eee ssecees 791 Silk manufactures of 16 925 Soap “173 Sundries... 4566 Stone pavin; 1615 Stone manufacture: 165 Spices... 9 359 Staves . 1 530 Slate manufaciures of. 381 Seeds garden.._....... 515 ‘Tin and manufactures o 1101 Ties railrond . 2647 Tobacco ..... 1681 Wood manufue' ure: 5 470 Wood fire........ 3778 Wcol manufactures of 88 890 Wine..........--.--. Total...-.-..- dus hae eebecuasetdeceieawkiccs: Acids... Coal to: Chemicals. Grease .. Glasswaro.. Household goods ‘ron, manufactu: Tron, machinis.s.. Mechines, sewing Meal corn .-.. Stone block. Stone grind. Stoneware 630 Staves..... 570 2290 Total. ....-.--.--- anc nce mnnnens cocec cence: - $952 633 Vessels engaged in foreign trade entered into and cleared from the district of Cuyahoga, r Numbe Cleared ‘onuge. umber, 00: je. Seedesseseees == 66,243 | 398... cece seesentenee ee. 00, Included in the above is the following: ASHTABULA, Entered. Cleared. Number. Tonnage. | Number, Tonnage. 12... ooh ue Sexne nO 200s] IDscscavanees errr | LORAIN. Entered. ‘ Cleared. Number. Tonnage. ! Number. . Tonnage. G1 yp secoseeesness catensi 12 547 | 101 ...---.----------- 10 666 FAIRPORT, Entered, Cleared. Number. Tonnage. | Number Tonnage. De sce oie heee see uaaacts OSU. voacswsieedaisigeinnen oA Vesselsengaged in the coastwise trade entered into and cleared from the district: . CLEVELAND, Entered Cleared Tonnage, | Number. - Tonnage. sen eee cece cseeee 1128 146 | 2866 ...... ..-..---1 109 143 ASHTABULA. Entered. Cleared. Numfter. Tonnage, | Number. Tonnage, 624... seeeeeeees + 418,064 | 610... seeneeeeeeneere 410,581 LORAIN. Entered. Cleared. Number, Tonnage. | Number. Tonnage. QWs ssesesseenneeanentereseeetOy TB sav csssertosvestseresascnneen Dy FAIRPORT. Entered Cleared. Number. ‘Yonnage. | Number. Tonnage. BT oo ceeeaee ai so sniesa> = OOe GL, oe sesese en ansenee enenee Qe! CONNKAUT. intered, Cleared, Number. Tonnage. | Number. nnage. ZA cab. suscaiagtacsneniewseseqsenOT LI T9L 240 24 ane once D268 In a recent letter to the Scientific Ameri- can Mr. R. B. Forbes, of Milton, Mass., ad- vances u project for saving life and property, Jespecially at sea. Mr. Forbes, whose large acquaintance with all marine matters enti- | les his views on this subject to great weight, proposes to “pack all valuable goods in a form to stow close,”’ instead of stowing them loose- ly and in con:mon boxes. A very strong point in favor of this system is that if a steamer goes ashore and staves a hole in each of her compartments very little water would enter to fill up the spaces between the puekages, and as Mr. Forbes says, “every one of these packages, if duly im- mersed, instead of sonking up much water, destroying or damaging the contents and assisting to sink the ship or keep her on the rocks, Would in a great measure assist to float her.’ [f the cargo were stowed in wa- tertight easks it could also be saved from many wrecks in good condition, What our merchant marine wants and needs is Jess restrictive legislation, It is burdened with excessive charges, with petty and annoying fees, which, though small in 2) themselves, together make quite a tax, and itis cheeked in its development by an il- liberal commercial policy, It has moved in | but one direction since the war, and has be- come each yeara less and less important tactor in the foreign commerce of the coun- try. There ought to be no diMeulty in pass- ing Representative Dingley’s four measures,