Mr. KELLEY. I will do so; and I will inform my friend that some of the gentlemen who signed the ma'ority report new regret having done so; an it was by one of them that my attention was called to the matter of which [have just spoken, be having seen the absurd consequences of the statements presented by the engineer. The gentlemen constituting the commission were Professor Bachc, the chief of the Coast Survey, Commodore Gardner, Commodore Stringliam, Commodlire Van Brunt, and Captain Marston, and W. P. S. Sanger, civil engineer. Professor Bache, who understood engineering very thoroughly, and Captain Marston, made a report dissenting from that of the majority. ii‘ this connection my attention has been called to a pamphlet, the production of a gentleman the victim of a monomania, who believes it to be his mission to force the U.S. Government to establish its station for iron vessels in salt water at a beautiful sea side yillage which is so exposed to sea airs in peace and foreign assault in war that no enterprisin NewEngland manufacturer has ever ventured to start a manufactorythereb NewLondon, which may have a village blacksmith shop, but which has not and never has had a manufactory; which by the census of 1860was found to have a population of 11, 100 men, women, and children, being some 1000s less than the number of skilled workmen in metals then found in the city of Philadelphia. That enthu siast or monomnniac tells us that that commission reported against Lea ue Island and in favor oIPNewLondon, and letells us that the report was made by a commission 1/2 of whom were Philadelphians. Sir, it was made by four officers of the U.S. Navy, one citizen of this DistCol, the distinguished chief of the Coast Survey, who had resided here for more than 21 years, and one civil engineer, and it is oul true that one of those naval officers resided in Philadelphia. 'l but neport, Mr. Speaker, false as it was in fact, theory, and conclusion, and delored as its effects have been by some of those who signed it, prevented congress from accepting the proposed gift, and led to a more thorough investigation of the subject. The commission, misled by the engineer in whom it had confided, reported that League Island was a mass of alluvium deposited by 2 rivers at their confluence. Careful investigation, illustrated by boring the island, as Mr. Sanger would not do, though frequently soli cited thereto. at numerous points over the 500 acres of its surface, has shown that it has a surface of 3 feet to 3 feet and a half of clay, and then a substratum of clay laminated with fine sand, and that at from 20 to 25 feet you come upon coarse gravel and boulders. Thus science as verified the assertions at which that commission sucered, that in 1690 the London Land 00m pauv acquired title to League Island, known in the language of the day as “cripple land ” sig iiifying land which is in part covered by the tide and in part overgrown with sturd oaks and other trees of the forest. League Island is part of the mainland of Pennsylvania, and not an accumulation of alluvial deposit, as that commission, misled by a corrupt or partisan engineer, reported. "hut report, so unfounded in fact, created. an impression that the island would require ten feet of filling up, while 4 and a hall feet of filling up Will bring its whole surface to the level of the wharves of Philadelphia and the present naval station at that city. The great want of the Navy before the war was wharfage. With all our stations we had not wharfage enough to lay up our small Navy. Since the war that want has been aggravated many 100 fold. But with the war there entered into our service a new element which makes League Island almost the only place in the country at which an economical and ade quate station for the wants of the Navy can be established. There alone can be found in fresh water adequate water front for the laying up of our iron clad ships. Salt water is the deadly enemy of iron. It not only giiaws into its vitals, peels it oh, shell by shell, until it crumbles into dust, but it fastens to its surface all sorts of para sites and barnacles, so that an English ship returning from a 2 years' cruise had no less than ten tons of crustacea removed from her surface. These parasites diminish the speed of the vessel and throw the action of the salt water upon the few unexposed parts of the surface, where it bores literally, as if by mechan ical power, into the sheathin of the vessel. The gift which Philadelphia offers the government is an island with river front on the Delaware to the extent of 2 miles and 3 eightbs, on the Schuylkill front 7 16 ths of a mile, and on the back channel, delineated on this map as gentlemen will see, and which is 300 yards wide, a basin parallel with the island of 2 miles and 5 8ths of front. In that back channel or natural wet basin at this time are the river and harbor monitors, larger iron clads, several double enders and other vessels, and they have remained there during one of the severest winters we have had in Philadelphia for many years alike secure from the effects of salt water and ice. The Naval Committee, I beg the House to observe, visited the island and examined those monitors and other vessels on the 17th of. February, the coldest da of last winter, and found that they were undisturbed and unaffected by the floating ice of the river or the fixed ice of the back channel. Sir, that channel or basin is, Iain assured by naval officers of experience, capable of containing the combined navies of the U.S. England, and France. No nation in the world has its equal as a safe harbor for an iron navy laid up in ordinary; for no nation has such a body of fresh water accessible to the largest sea going vessels., It is said that it will require expenditure to fit up a station here. It will involve some outlay, but not such, as gentlemen apprehend. To dredge the channel will fill the island to an adequate height. There need be brought to it no cinders, slag, or gravel, even were we to engage in the Quix otic work of converting the whole into‘a naval station at the outset. To deepen the channel will, I repeat, supply the material with which to fill up the island. But the bill provides a fund. with which to defray these eXpenditures. We have the Philadelphia navy yard, containing about 20 acres, which now obstructs the commercial growth and deveIOpment of that city. The bill proposes to sell that yard, at the earliest day' it can he done with convenience to the service, and to apply the prbeeeds,0. million and a half or 2 million dollars, to the dredging out of the back channel, the filling of the' surface of this island, and the construction of workshops. There is no unusual appropriation asked for this work. On the other hand, it Will gradually complete itself. What the Government wants at this time is wharfage and space in fresh water in which to lay up its iron clads in ordinary, and here it can have it without a dollar of out lay, for here they can lie for years as they have him through the past winter. This want is supplied by nature, and the accommodations can be expanded and perfected from year to year without unusual appropriations. But, sir, let me invoke the weightof authority. I voted yesterday for a bill against which my private judment ran. I vote for it because a carefu committee recommended it, and because every military man that I knew in the House, save one, and it related to military matters, sustained it. Isubmitted my indivi unl judment to that of the committee and those who knew more of the matter in hand than I did. So the Naval Committee, after a personal examination of the premises, after an elaborate examination of Admiral Smith, the chief of the Bureau of Yards and Docks, of Commodore Turner, who is in charge of iron clad vessels in the back channel.of the island, and of Captain Fox, who has iveu years of consideration to this question an kin dred questions, recommend this bill. But I propose to add a little force to the recommendation of the committee, sustained as it is by these weighty authorities. To this end let me read a brief letter addressed by Admiral Porter to the chairman of the Naval Committee. I invite the attention of gentlemen to the admiral’s views, as I apprehend that he is as capable of judging of a question of this kind as I or any other member of this House: Wnsiiis'oros CITY, May 9, 1866. DEAR Sir: Mr, Fox informs me that someone is quoting me as beingan advocatefor placing a navy iard at NewLondon in preferencein LeagueIsland. do not know that my opinion is of any consequence. but if it is. permit me to say that I have been one of the strongest advocates in favor of League Island and neverconsidei edNewLondon orany other place sonenr theseatit for a navy yard. LeagueIslnnd can be made all that the Nuvyrequires and I fully in dorsothe pamphletthat was issued by the proprie tors. Nnd whic I read with much interest. I remain. respectfully, yours. DAVID D. PORTER. Rear Admiral. Hon. A. H. Rics. So, too, Commodore Striblin, who has been opposed to the acceptance of eague Island, and who has been cited more than once by my adversary as against me in this matter, after he had made a thorough investigation of the facts, and disabused himselfof Engineer Sang er’s misstatements, says: " MY DEAR Sin: I have received the pamphlet entitled 'Advuntn gosof League Island, dzc., for which I thank you. It is a full and fair discussion of the advan esof that islnndfor ll naval station. dock yard, an fresh waterbasin tor iron clad ships and pthei vesscls of war.’and I am free to confess that it is nowapparentto methat it possessesadvan tagesover any other place named or that purpose and I hope Congresswill passthe necessarylaws to tchneablethe Deptto commence the work upon island. to make it such a place as the necessities of the serum require.” I go still further in the same direction, and turn to a letter of Commodore Turner, who has been in charge of the island and channel and of the iron ciads and other vessels laid up there, and who has done whatever work has been done at League Island. So early as Feb ruary 8, 1866, he wrote me as follows: Icon Cup OFFICE.Uni gunSn'rrs Navy Yuan, PHILADELPHIA, February 8, 1866. MY DEAR Sin: As it is possible that the “ Lesguo Island" questionwill come up before long and you are ndclegate from this city. it is proper that you s"hould be informed that a person calling himself Bollcs, " on evidenteinissary and agentoftho “ NewLondon s’ eculators.has beenpitying a visit totho weastisoenlssiant a cNaegwuoIsland and publishing his obser London paper, ivin garbled accountsof his conversationswith tso ccrson duty there. for the purpose of prejudicing that locality and preventing its acceptance by an act of Congress. No doubt this man has cen furnishing the enemies of League Islandin Congresswith damagin information grounded, its he saysin his published letter, unn i 1: opinions of the officers employed there. which they, 'in essentialparticulars, deny. Ho made a 2ndvisit there, and wasrecognizedat once and oargdaeinre. d 08: so we shall not be troubled with him I tell you these things that you may make iutyseof themin casehe should becited as an author when the subject comes up, In y charge and "Defiance of that place I am so ingly primedwith unanswerlblo nr uments in its favor, doriy from News! kuowl go of mryih'uig about it, at I think iftho sroposition to take it is to bedocidedin the Naval omniitteo before a bill is reported. I ought to be examined beforethat committee. I think it would be such an egregiousiiiid inexcusableblun der to lot it get out of the hands of or to lot the chanceto getpossessiotnloief itGsolivpebrnym, the antt. I am very anxious to see it secured; and if it is not taken we shall have a pretty smart annual expense, I imagine. to incur for the accommodation of the vesselsthere when it is known thii t it is not pose of the Governmentto receiveit. thofizur 1 on may nvo seen extraordinary accountsin.the recent ronch papers of the destruction of their iron eludeby the saltwater in which they be. They stateifsonicprotoction is not invented to staythe corrosive I'OI:5EBB of salt water 5 yearswill use themup. '1‘ [la is a powerful argumentin favor of fresh water, which our vesselslie in. Very truly, yours. T. TURNER Cbmaodora U.S. New. In accordance with the suggestion contained in his letter, Commodore Turner, in the presence of, and in conjunction with Admiral Smith, the chief of the Bureau of Tards and Docks, was examined very fully by the Naval Committee; and influenced by the opinion of these experts, of these scientific men, these men of naval experience, the committee agreed upon this bill and instructed me to report it to the House. With a single remark or 2 I shall close. I ask gentlemen to note what this bill is. It does not propose a commission to ascertain the capacity of our country for establishing naval stations. It does not propose a commission to learn whether NewEngland can contain more than 3 naval stations, for she has now th rec of the 4 new in 0 cration. I grant you that the NewYork yar does not lie within the geographical limits of NewEngland, but it lies cast of the Hudsonmnd at one end of the Sound, which is the great inland water of NewEngland, known as the American Mediterra nean, LongIsland Sound; nnbther of them is at Boston or Charlestown; the 3rd is at Kit tery Maine. The only other available yard on the Atlantic coast is the one at'Philadel pliia, and in a briefnote to me today Admiral ’orter refers to its diminutive proportions as a reproach to the American people. I met him to dn, and fearing that the c airman of the Nave. Committee, the Gentfrom Massachusetts, [Mr. Rico] might still be obsent, he placed in my hand this note: WASHINGTON, D. 0., June 6, 1866. DEAR Sin: Someone, I see, is quoting measbeing opposed to' the location of a navy yard at Lcuguc Island. I take the liberty ofstating toyou that this is not so. I have always been in favor of League Island. I considerthe present navy yard at Philadolphia. a reproach to t c country. We have not a single navy yard that meetsthe requirementsof the Navy. Some persons object to LeagueIsland owing to its distancefrom the sen. That is its chief nierit; it is nway from the attacks of anenemy. I hopothut conress will give us one decent navy yard, and it cap edoiie at Lcaguo Island. remain, respectfully, yours. DAVID D. PORTER. Rear Admiral. The navy yard at Philadelphia, to which he refers, has one 10th the wharfage of the English naval station at the neighboring island of Bermuda. It has one 20th of the proportions of the private shipyard of John Laird, the builder of the buccaneers of the southern confederacy. The people of Philadelphia, in view of the new emgencies of the Navy, propose to give you 900 acres of and, and the back channel, bein land covered With’water, which, as I have sai, by the construction of marine gates and a dredging machine employed from mouth to month as you require it to reclaim the channel, you will have a station such as no other naval Power can haye, and one unequaled by any save the growmg one H mean growing in perfection, not in dimenSions at Iare lslan, on the Pacific coast, and have it, sir, without making now or hereafter an estraordinnry appropriation. I The bill does not propose to establish a new naval station, it only proposes to enlarge, Without expense, one that is almost useless from its wunt of dimensions.