Cereal Grains. barley oats rye buck wheat Various Crops. nation, and what a mighty spring is given to, the hops wax Bushels of potatoes Tobacco, Cotton, Sugar, &c. rice sugar made Cords of wood sold Gallons of wine made orchard Value of home made or family goods 35,802,114 1,238,502 628,303 108,298,060 10,248,108 95,251 "Few would believe it, yet such is the truth, that the Indian corn raised in Tennessee is nearly three times the amount raised in Pennsylvania, and more than four times the quantity produced in the great State of New York; and yet Tennessee, The same is the case with the commerce of the Mississippi: and we find the numerous steam ships and flat boats which ply upon that river during the season of navigation, are laden with the agricultural products of the states that border its banks, or that are sent down through the interior by the Ohio. The commerce of the lakes is maintained, moreover, in a great measure by the transportation of the agricultural produce of the great states of Ohio, Illinois and Michigan, lying upon their borders, to the eastern markets: and the same may be said of the canal and rail-road transportation of the greater number of the states as well as our coastwise trade. Furthermore, if we examine the in the north, is hardly looked upon as an agriculdecks and holds of the ships which are constantly tural State. By the table furnished below, it will setting sail from our commercial towns both at the be seen that more than two-thirds of the crop of east and south, we find that agriculture supplies Indian corn is raised in the slave-holding Statesthe great bulk of the cargoes which are exported and of this quantity but a very small portion is abroad. It is agriculture indeed which gives life- exported. It is the great staple for the food of all blood to the trade and commerce of the country, classes-and for beast as well as man. In these and is doubtless as important to the solid vigor of States, it will be seen by the table, a comparatively commercial enterprise as nutritious food to the small amount of wheat is raised, though the crops health of the human body. Withdraw this reof oats are large. The great wheat-growing source from our commerce, and the veins and arte- States are Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and ries of the commercial system would sink into a Virginia, as appears by the following table, which state of collapse, exhibiting the cadaverous and has reference to the crops of 1839. These are pallid hue of disease and starvation. Of the probably still the greatest in this respect, though amount of the several species of agricultural pro- it is known they have been greatly gained on the ducts yielded by the country, we are furnished past two years by Illinois and Michigan. with full data by the statistical returns, which al- table, as it stands, is an interesting one to all perthough perhaps not entirely accurate, present as sons, but especially so to farmers. It will be seen complete a statement as could, under the circum- that Tennessee is the banner State in corn; Ohio stances, have been furnished. By a table compiled in wheat, and New York in oats; while in the from these returns, it appears that we have produced during the year ending the 1st of June, 1840, the products, a statement of which we here subjoin, with their amount. Horses and mules Live Stock. Neat cattle Sheep Swine Poultry of all kinds, estimated value The aggregate of these three principal grains, Ohio is the banner State of the Union-Pennsylvania rating No. 5 in the list. New England stands very low in the scale, in both corn and wheat, and not very high up in oats. Massachusetts and Connecticut are both below little Delaware in their 4,333,669 product of wheat and corn. The following table 14,971,586 shows the product of each State in 1839, and the 19,311,374 aggregate bushels of the different kinds, excepting rice, buckwheat and barley-their culture being not very extensive-the entire yield of rice being 26,301,293 $9,344,410 but eighteen and a half millions of bushels; buckwheat seven and a quarter millions, and barley four and one-eighth millions. Kentucky Ohio Indiana Corn. Wheat. Oats. 34,577,591 10,109,716 13,451,062 58,187,369 RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE NAVY OF THE UNITED Aggregate. To the Editor of the Southern Literary Messenger. Tennessee 44,986,188 4,569,692| 7,035,67 56,591,358 DEAR SIR-For several years past, your jour39,847,120 4,803,152 7,155,974 51,806,246 nal has been characterized by a healthful Naval 33,668,144 16,571,661 14,393,103 64,630,908 feeling, and many of its pages have been given to 28,158,887 4,049,375 5,981,805 38,186,867 the advocacy of the interests of the Navy. On 28,898,763 1,960,855 3,193,941 29,018,559 this account, though I have not written on Naval 22,684,211, 3,335,393, 4,988,008 30,957,612 20,947,001 828,05% 1,106,358 23,181,409 subjects, I respectfully offer the following remarks 20,905,122 1,801,830 1,610,030 24,316,982 for publication, leaving you to judge whether they 17,332,524 1,037,386 2,234,937 20,604,847 1,486,208 17,177,367 fall within your plan or not. N. Carolina Alabama S. Carolina 14,722,805 968,354 13,161,237 5,952,912 196,626 668,624 14,026,487 60 107,353 6,060,325 4,846,632 105,878 3,083,524 2,114,051 206,385 1,777,319 14,240,022 13,213,077 20,611,819 48,094,918 Nearly twenty years ago, (1824,) the lamented 2,277,039 2,157,108 Delaware 2,099,359 315,168 1,296,114 "The above, it will be remembered, is the return for the year 1839. The crops of the present year it is estimated have exceeded those enumerated On the 19th of May, 1832, an act was passed above, at least one-third. It is not immoderate to authorizing the President of the United States to set the yield of 1842 down at 800,000,000 bushels, assemble a board of Navy officers, (Captains,) to the whole of which in price would average about revive the rules and regulations of the Navy. the average selling price of corn, or forty cents board was convened under Commodore Rogers as per bushel; which gives the enormous aggregate of its president, and was known as the Board of Rethree hundred and twenty millions of dollars, as vision. On the 19th of November, 1835, after the worth of the present year's grain crops, exclu- being a whole year engaged in this duty, the Board sive of rye, buckwheat, and barley-which, ac- reported progress; and the result of its labors up cording to the same calculation, is worth about to that time, was submitted to Congress for apsixteen millions dollars more, giving a grand total proval. Owing to their imperfections, the officers of three hundred and thirty-six millions!! This of almost all grades in the Navy, opposed them; and is indeed a great country, and in nothing greater especially owing to the opposition of the medical than its agricultural resources, which are but par- corps, these rules and regulations were not aptially enumerated above, and which, too, have proved. Various attempts were afterwards made, hardly begun to develope themselves." at successive sessions, to get them enacted into laws, but without success. In 1841, Mr. Paulding, then Secretary of the Navy, caused the labors of the Board of Revision to be revised; and, had it not been for the expiration of his tenure of office, they would have been put into operation under the authority of the President of the United States, without the approval of Congress. His neighbor, the Secretary of War, the Hon. John C. Calhoun, as long back as 1823, published for the guidance of the officers of the Army, "General Regulations for the Army of the United States," which were revised by Major General Scott, and printed at Washington, 1825, forming an octavo volume of about five hundred pages. In 1841, a revised edition of the "Rules and Regula The agriculture of Flanders is perhaps in a more improved state than that of any other country-an acre of ground there, being capable of supporting a man. This is a most interesting and valuable publication. It is illustrated with numerous engravings, and contains just that sort of practical and useful information, which is most calculated to assist and please the intelligent farmer. Its scope is of the widest range-embracing all subjects in either of the three kingdoms-Animal, Vegetable, and Mineral-relating immediately to this branch of industry. It is for sale by Messrs. Smith, Drinker & Morris. tions for the Army of the United States" was is- medicine and surgery. For reasons which it is sued under the authority of the War Department, presumed this Board of officers can give, this manuaccompanied by an order that all its provisions script was not respected at all, but all its most salushould be observed by the Army, and any unneces-tary provisions were peremptorily rejected; and, sary departure from them would be punished ac- as has invariably happened with all the revising cording to law. Time has shown that this plan Boards, the Rules and Regulations made for medical has been efficient in the Army; and the example is officers were calculated, both in spirit and letter, certainly worthy of the consideration of the Navy to degrade, if not insult them. For this reason, Department. opposition was made to their approval by medical officers through their friends in Congress, and the code was rejected, in spite of a surreptitious attempt made at the last hour to enact them into law. One more remark on the history of the regula tions: Mr. Upshur, who has ever evinced a strong desire to foster the Navy, and do justice to all, is not responsible for the objectionable features of this code; for it is firmly believed his confidence was in some manner misled. In proof of Mr. Upshur's desire to hear all parties concerned, he referred Dr. Barton's code of Regulations to a Board The code which was prepared by Mr. Secretary Paulding, was sent to Congress by the present Secretary of the Navy with a recommendation that it should not be approved. At the same session, 1841'42, the Secretary asked of Congress authority to constitute a Board of Naval officers, composed of two individuals from each grade of commission officers, for the purpose of forming a code to be submitted to Congress for approval at its next ensuing session. But the measure was opposed, I believe, by Mr. Adams, on the ground that it was not constitutional for Congress to delegate its legislative powers; of five surgeons which happened to be assembled that it might, with equal propriety, give power to for the examination of assistant surgeons for proother Boards to form laws on other subjects. The motion. It was carefully examined and fully disresult of the debate was, that the legislative power cussed, and its whole spirit embodied in a system was unconstitutionally (?) delegated to the Secretary of Rules and Regulations for the Medical Departof the Navy and Attorney General of the United ment of the Navy, which has been submitted to the States, who were directed to prepare a system of Secretary of the Navy for his examination. rules to be submitted to Congress for approval. It may be now asked, why has there been so much In obedience to a resolution of the 24th of May, difficulty in devising a wholesome code of Regu 1842, Mr. Upshur presented to Congress a system lations for the Navy, that twenty years should have of Rules and Regulations for the Navy, which was passed away, without this object being attained? referred to the committee on Naval affairs, in the The prominent reason is, that the technicalities House of Representatives, on the 16th of February, of the Navy are so generally unknown to citizens, 1843. In his report accompanying these rules, that no Secretary has possessed the kind of knowdated January 13, 1843, Mr. Upshur says: "much ledge to enable him to act on the subject; and, on of this duty, however, related to matters so purely this account, the matter has fallen exclusively into technical, that I did not venture to rely upon my the hands of captains of the Navy. And it is a own views in regard to them, but availed myself remarkable fact, that these officers have not been of the best information I could obtain from officers able or willing to perceive the utility of any rules of the Navy, on whose intelligence, experience, which did not place all power, all privilege, all and knowledge, I could rely with confidence. The responsibility and every opportunity of credit, in code now presented is the result of their labors, their own exclusive control. Such is the clear conjointly with my own. The rules, as prepared by myself, were submitted to their revision and connection, and others were added by them, on subjects which none but seamen understand, and which, for that reason, I had forborne to touch. As officers of acknowledged merit in the different grades A brief examination of the last code prepared, of the service were engaged on this duty, the fact will show in what spirit and with what intelligence that the Rules and Regulations, as now presented, the Rules and Regulations have been usually devisare approved by all of them, affords a strong pre-ed; and it will also show the propriety of resorting to sumption they are right.” the very judicious and efficient plan suggested by It is pretty generally understood that the Board Mr. Upshur, of forming a mixed commission in of officers, alluded to by Mr. Upshur, was com- which all grades of commission officers shall be posed of a captain, a commander, a lieutenant and fully represented. a purser, but no surgeon, the place of the latter being represented by a manuscript code of Rules and Regulations for the government of the medical The fourth article of the first chapter says, department of the Navy, prepared under directions" The civil officers of the Navy shall have assimi of the Secretary, by the chief of the Bureau of lated rank with sea-officers of the Navy." inference from the acts of all Boards of Revision composed of captains; but it is not my design to imply that this obtuseness or illiberality belongs to every member of that most deservedly distinguished grade. The first chapter of the regulations is on the subject of rank and command. The context shows that the word "civil" is made " sea-officer," "assimilated rank," &c.—is attribuapplicable to surgeons, pursers, chaplains, secreta- table to arrogance and a false estimate placed upon ries, professors of mathematics, passed assistant their own intrinsic value, which they themselves surgeons, assistant surgeons, clerks. But without would speedily discover if they were called upon any disrespect to the Board, I think the term is to serve and fight in a frigate for a few months, totally inapplicable, because, according to the estab- without association with those grades of Navy lished meaning of the word, it can be applied only officers, which they habitually designate by terms, to persons who do not belong to any military body which, if applied to themselves, they would conor community, and as all the persons named are sider derogatory. attached to a branch of the military service of the The article under consideration gives assimicountry, known as the Navy, and as they all wear |lated, that is, correlative rank, to the grades assoa military badge or uniform, and are subject to ciated with military seamen, as follows: military usages and laws, and to trial by courts- Surgeons, martial, they ought not to be called "civil officers." Pursers, Strictly speaking, the only civil officers of the Chaplains, Navy are Navy agents, Navy store-keepers, Naval Pecretaries, Mathematics, constructors, and perhaps engineers, who are not subject to military law or trial by courts-martial. It is supposed that the term "civil officers," even used in a technical sense, has excited an unhappy influence upon the interests of the persons thus designated in the Navy. “The term "assimilated" is used technically, and probably means "made to resemble," and when applied, as above, signifies an anomaly-a sort of rank made to resemble rank, or, in other words, a kind of rank which is correlative to lineal or true rank-Assimulated or counterfeit would be a more appropriate word. with Lieutenants. with Masters. Passed Assistant Surgeons, with Second Masters. But after assigning this rank, it declares " Assistant Surgeons have virtually no rank, because they are assimilated with Passed-Midshipmen, who, being below second-masters, are below the privileges of rank. "Sea-officer" is another term employed in a technical sense, and is used to designate captains, rank"-consequently, even by these regulations, commanders, lieutenants, passed-midshipinen, midshipmen, masters, boatswains, gunners, carpenters, sail-makers, and none others. But this is not a perfectly legitimate application, because all officers who serve at sea, are sea-officers; and The Regulations do not assign any relation or peculiarity of duty or avocation certainly gives precedence among the grades of civil officers, but those so named, no exclusive title to the epithet. agglomerate them, by providing that, "The civil Even on this ground, the purser at any rate, who officers of the Navy, of the same assimilated rank, usually commands the berth-deck division, and su- shall take precedence of each other according to perintends the supply of ammunition for the battery the date of commission." Consequently surgeons, in time of battle, is certainly entitled to the term pursers and chaplains rank with each other presea-officer, and by no means to that of civil officer. cisely as they should, were they all surgeons, or Small as these matters may seem to many, they all pursers, or all chaplains. One objection to this are really important. According to strict and defi- arrangement is, that the surgeon gains nothing in nite use of language, those persons who are styled rank for the five or ten years he must serve in the sea-officers should be called official military sea- subordinate grades of passed-assistant and assistant men. They should be called so, because they are surgeon. If two individuals of the same age, enter in fact, seamen serving in a military capacity, and the Navy on the same day, one as an assistant suras they hold the situation of officers among mili- geon, and the other as purser or chaplain, when tary men serving on board ship, they are by this the assistant surgeon is made a surgeon, the purser term pretty definitely described, and also distin- or chaplain will rank him at least five years, and it guished from seamen employed in the commercial will be probably ten. Does not this give a greater advantage to the commission of a purser or chap marine. It is customary too, to speak of surgeons, pur-lain, than it ought to possess over that of a sursers and some others, as "non-combatants," just as if their services in action contributed nothing to the success of a fight or battle at sea. The sense given by official military seamen to the terms “civil officer," "non-combatant," "idler," geon? If this matter were settled according to the British table of precedence, we should see a very different relative position; for, according to it,-and this subject has been thorougly studied in England-both the grades of surgeon and chap lain would precede that of purser, simply on the | might arise a difference of opinion between a surground that degrees of universities give their owners geon and a commanding officer as to the manner in a dignity or consideration higher than those, not which assistant surgeons should practice and disnoble, who do not possess such degrees. But as charge their professional duties, and therefore (prowe do not acknowledge any legal precedence what- videntially for the sick no doubt) it prepared a rule, ever in civil life, it may be considered idle to refer and placed the right of decision in the hands of the to British authority to sustain the position, even in captain. Is it within the range of possibility that argument. There is, however, one ground, it ap- any commanding sea-officer" will ever assume pears to me, strictly in accordance with military the responsibility of forming "general regulations" principle, which gives surgeons a very strong, if which will, in any way, affect "the professional not incontestible claim to precedence of pursers. I duties and practice" of surgeons or assistant surmean the age of the commission; for it is to be geons in the Navy? borne in mind, that prior to the year 1812, pursers were warrant and not commission officers, and surgeons as well as assistant surgeons were always commissioned. 66 Does not such a rule as this transfer, in a degree, the responsibility of medical practice to "commanding sea-officers ?" Is it politic to make captains, directly or indirectly, responsible for the professional duties and practice of medical officers? Is it to be presumed, they possess the knowledge requisite to enable them to judge of the correctness or incorrectness of medical or surgical practice! Certainly not. Then, if they ignorantly arrogate such knowledge to themselves, ought they not to be ranked with grannies and old women, who always fancy they know more about diseases and hurts than the doctor, until they are sick or hurt themselves, when they are usually not unwilling to admit their own insufficiency? There is another anomalous arrangement in the relative position of other "civil officers." Passed and other assistant surgeons are commissioned by the President and Senate of the United States; and the tenor and terms of their commissions are precisely the same as those of every other commission officer of the Navy. Secretaries are appointed only by commanders-in-chief of squadrons for the term of their respective cruises; and professors of mathematics, (who were not many years ago styled school-masters, and still discharge the same duties) are appointed by the Secretary of the But the most objectionable feature of the article Navy, and until recently were not considered to be is, that it here indirectly imposes a duty on "compermanently attached to the service. Notwith-manding sea-officers" to make "general regulastanding this striking difference in the manner of appointment and their comparative claims to consideration, Passed and other Assistant surgeons, with commissions in their pockets, are inferior to the commodore's secretary and professor of mathe-command in the sequel. matics. tions ;" and it further anticipates that they will have the power and disposition to make rules contrary to the "general regulations of the Navy." We shall again recur to the subject of rank and The second chapter relates to commanders-inchief and flag-captains, &c. In the next article (5th) we read: "Marine officers will cominand each other and the marines, in The fourth article of this chapter provides, that whatever relates to the military duties and police of all requisitions for supplies of all kinds for vessels their detachments, according to their relative rank; must be approved by the commanding officer beand surgeons shall have authority to direct and fore the articles can be furnished; and directs that, regulate the professional duties and practice of as-"The approving officer must, in all cases, satisfy sistant surgeons Provided, That, in all cases, the himself that the articles and quantity required, are orders given by such marine officer and surgeons necessary for the public service, or conformable to shall be in conformity with the general regulations of the Navy, and of their commanding sea-officer!" To say nothing about making the words "will," and "shall have," synonymous, let us analyze this specimen of nautical legislation, without reference to grammatical construction. such allowances as are or shall be established." As the rule stands, approving officers must pos sess an amount and extent of knowledge that it is hardly fair to expect them to have. They should be intimately acquainted with all the minutiae and details of the trades of carpenter, smith, sailmaker, caulker, rigger, and be able to correctly estimate the rate of wear and tear, under various circamstances, for any given time, of wood and iron work, cordage, canvass, &c.-or how can they conscientiously satisfy themselves as to the weight of cordage, measure of canvass, &c., that the public ser vice may require? A little reflection will show this rule requires commanding officers to discharge a duty which, very few, if any, are competent to perform. What |