Mr. DEMING. On line 51, age 3, I move to strike out “ 75” an insert in lieu thereof “25, ” so that the clause will read: Fayofort on Ship Island. coast of Mississippi, Ship Island is a mere sand strip in the Gulf of Mexico some 7 miles long by one mile broad. It is 12 miles from the coast. It covers no approach to the mouth of the mississippi and cannotconce ive of an emergency in the future when there will be any necessity for a fort on Ship Island. unless we are eu gaged in another war with the insurgent States of the Gulf, and even in that case a fort upon ship Island will not be necessary so long as we old the forts in Pensacola harbor, the ort in the Narrows, which connects the Gulf with Lake Pontchartrain, or the forts in the mississippi, to wit, Fort Jackson and Fort Philip. In telast war with the rebellious States, when all the forts I have enumerated were in the possession of the enemy, it became necessary to adopt Ship Island as a depot of supplies and a rendezvous for the troops that were to operate against NewOrleans. But it is the worst place in the world for a depot of supplies. As a rendezvous for tree s it is exposed to 3 disadvantages, 2 of which are certainly most extraordinary; and it ought never to be used either as a de.ot of supplies or as a rendezvous of troops i any other dry land could be found in that neighborhood out of the reach of the enemys cannon. In the 1st place, in hea storms in the Gulf of Mexico the waves of the Gulf of Mexico sweep entirely Over the island, and the troops are liable at any time to be washed away. In the next place, they are liable to be starved if any transports brining provisions from NewYork to Ship Islan should be wrecked and in the 3rd place, the troops are liable to be driven of!“ at any time by a gunboat of the enemy, and the fort at the extreme western extremity of the island would afford no possible protection. Under these circumstances I do think that unhappropriation is only necessary for the purpose of protecting the works already erected there. this certainly not necessary to extend the works there any further, and I find that $75,000 was appropriated in the appropriation bill of last year for the repair of this fort on Ship Island. I hope, therefore, that my amendment will be agreed to, and the appropriation cut down from $75,000 to 5 5,000. l