marked No. 3, which appears to me to embrace the case, and has, in my opinion, pledged the faith of the government fully; whether he was authorized by the Department to give such pledges or not, is, I think, wholly immaterial to the present case. It has been done: and those who have complied and received the bounty, believed such to be the fact, which the Department alone could give, thereby binding the contract on the part of the government; which (acting for the best interests of the service in which we are engaged) I have thought proper to confirm by issuing the order referred to, which I cannot doubt will meet your approbation. Although, previous to sailing from Hampton Roads, I was aware of some of the deficiencies in the outfits of this ship and the Peacock, in preparing them at the navy-yard, Norfolk, for the service in which we are engaged, I omitted to mention the same to the Department, owing to the necessity of our sailing without delay or detention; but since our arrival at this port, the Peacock particularly has been found in such a condition, that it is with regret I consider it my duty to represent the same to you, and take leave to enclose herewith a report of her commander, by which it appears she was in a much worse condition on leaving the dock-yard at Norfolk, than had been anticipated; instead of being well prepared for the service required in the Exploring Expedition. I have forwarded to you, through the navy-agent at New York, for your examination, a box containing an iron hoop, taken from one of the pumps of the Peacock, as a fair specimen of the little attention which had been bestowed upon her at the navy-yard in her repairs. I have to state also, that a few days after the ship left the navy-yard, her fore and cross-jack-yards were found so much decayed, that it was necessary to replace them by new ones, on representation of her commander. I consider it my duty to state that we have found nearly all the men furnished us from the receiving-ship at Norfolk, by your order, unfit for the duty required of them; and on sending some of them back, they refused to receive them; consequently I shall have to send them home, or transfer them to the squadron on the Brazil coast, if Commodore Nicolson will take them, and obtain others if possible. We shall be put to much inconvenience and delay at Rio de Janeiro, where it will be necessary to repair and recalk the Peacock, as far as possible to enable her to perform the cruise required; this will be attended with much additional expense, and is another reason for making a full representation of the facts, to be made use of as the Department may see fit. I have the honour to be, sir, Most respectfully, &c., CHARLES WILKES. Commanding Exploring Expedition To the HON. JAS. K. PAULDING, U. S. Ship Peacock, SIR, Madeira, September 18th, 1838. In a verbal communication, a few days previous to leaving Hampton Roads, I stated to you that I could point out many things that ought to be done, or rather done over, on board this ship, particularly the calking about the water-ways, sides of the ship, deck, &c., and that I had no doubt the ship would make considerable water, when we got to sea; as the work enumerated would occupy some time, and to do it conveniently we ought to go back to the yard, it was determined at that interview (from the great desire of the Department, and in fact the whole country, that the Exploring Squadron should get to sea, as well as the injurious effects delay would have upon the officers and men) that the squadron should get off the moment sailing orders were received, and remedy as much as possible within our means, such defects as might thereafter show themselves in the course of our passage. Coinciding most fully in opinion with yourself, on that occasion, as soon as I returned to the Peacock, I had an examination of our pump. gear, and found but one set of boxes in the two forward pumps, which, from their rusty and otherwise worn-out appearance, I was induced to believe had not been removed since her arrival in port. The pumpgear had not yet come on board; we immediately sent to the navyyard for it; when it arrived, (the day before sailing,) the pumps were tried, and appeared to work well; we found, however, two of the pumps with half an inch less diameter or bore than the others; this I consider a defect, for two reasons: first, the small ones not discharging as much water as the large; secondly, having to use pump-boxes of different sizes in the same ship, where from accident to one set, the other cannot be used to make up the deficiency. As the sequel proved, the ship leaked considerably the moment we got a breeze which drove us through the sea; not only through her water-ways, upper works, and decks, but through the eyes of her combings, I presume through the scarf in the stem,—at all events, running by buckets-full down the apron into the store-room, forcing such quantities of water on her berthdeck, that I found it necessary to scuttle it to carry the water off. The chain-cables of the ship I rowsed out of the lockers at sea, examined the shackles, and found it necessary in two of the cables to have almost every shackle put in the forge. So completely had the bolts rusted in, that they could not be started until fire had done its work upon them, and even then some of them had to be cut entirely out. While thus making an overhaul below, I examined the pumpwell, and to my utter surprise and astonishment, found all the iron bands on the two after pumps, below the berth-deck, in the state of the one I now send to you for inspection; and from the fact of one of them having entirely rusted off, and found lying in pieces at the bottom of the well-room, it may fairly be inferred they were not examined at all after the arrival of the ship at Norfolk. I had the two pumps, from which the bands had dropped off, well woolded at sea, and from the appearance of soft spots about them, am fearful when taken out, (which must be done at Rio,) we will find them rotten. I should have recommended taking them out here, but in consequence of having to raise up a portion of the spar-deck for that purpose, think we may venture to delay it until our arrival at that port. I have also to state that the bibbs of both the fore and main-masts have started and canted three-quarters of an inch forward, and work considerably while at sea. This we shall remedy by raising our lower rigging, tops, and trestle-trees, and endeavour to get them back in their places, and secure them with extra bolts. I have stated but a few of many defects, and can only say that I have, during my service, assisted in the fitting out of many vessels, and regret, under all the circumstances of the case, to be compelled to add, that, taken as a whole, the Peacock has been fitted out, (so far as the navy-yard was concerned,) with less regard to safety and convenience, than any vessel I have ever had any thing to do with. CHARLES WILKES, Respectfully, &c., Commanding U. S. Ship Peacock Commanding Exploring Expedition. |