ページの画像
PDF
ePub

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1858.

The following messages were received from the President of the United States, by Mr. Henry, his secretary:

To the Senate of the United States:

I nominate Garey W. Ryckman, of California, to be secretary of the legation of the United States in Chili.

WASHINGTON, December 17, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States :

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate John P. Brown, of Ohio, to be secretary and dragoman of the legation of the United States at Constatinople.

WASHINGTON, December 17, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States :

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate Benjamin Wiggin, of Maine, to be commissioner of the United States under the reciprocity treaty between the United States and Her Britannic Majesty, concluded June 5th, 1854.

WASHINGTON, December 17th, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate James B. Bowlin, of Missouri, to be commissioner of the United States to Paraguay.

WASHINGTON, December 17th, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate Visesimus Turner, of California, to be consul of the United States at Tahiti.

WASHINGTON, December 17th, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate Richard Fitzpatrick, of Texas, to be consul of the United States at Matamoras.

WASHINGTON, December 17th, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate Theodore Frean, of New York, to be consul of the United States at Belfast.

WASHINGTON, December 17th, 1858.

JAMES BUCHANAN.

To the Senate of the United States :

I nominate William Fell Giles, jr., of Maryland, to be consul of the United States at Geneva.

JAMES BUCHANAN.

To the Senate of the United States:

I nominate Robert Rose, of Texas, to be consul of the United States at Guaymas.

WASHINGTON, December 17th, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate John Merritt, of Delaware, to be consul of the United States at Tunis.

WASHINGTON, December 17th, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate William H. McGrath, of New Jersey, to be consul of the United States at Maranham.

WASHINGTON, December 17th, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate Charles J. Helm, of Kentucky, to be consul general of the United States at Havana.

WASHINGTON, December 17th, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate Robert A. Finlay, of New York, to be consul of the United States at Santa Cruz.

WASHINGTON, December 17th, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate Leonard G. Sanford, of New York, to be consul of the United States at Tumbez.

WASHINGTON, December 17th, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate Charles Bodmann, of Ohio, to be consul of the United States at Carlsrhue.

WASHINGTON, December 17th, 1858.

JAMES BUCHANAN.

To the Senate of the United States:

I nominate Horatio de V. Glentworth, of New York, to be consul of the United States at Rome.

WASHINGTON, December 17th, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate Andrew J. Smith, of Texas, to be consul of the United States at Laguayra.

JAMES BUCHANAN.

To the Senate of the United States:

I nominate Stephen S. Remak, of Pennsylvania, to be consul of the United States at Trieste.

WASHINGTON, December 17th, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate James F. Mag ire, of Massachusetts, to be consul of the United States at Melbourne.

WASHINGTON, December 17th, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States :

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate James McDowell, of Missouri, to be consul-general of the United States at Constantinople.

WASHINGTON, December 17th, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate Rudolph F. Schillow, of New Jersey, to be consul of the United States at Stettin.

WASHINGTON, December 17th, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate Tapley W. Young, of Virginia, to be consul of the United States at Stuttgardt.

WASHINGTON, December 17th, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate A. Lawrence Lovejoy, of Oregon Territory, to be receiver of public moneys for the district of lands subject to sale at Oregon City, Oregon Territory, vice James Guthrie, jr., resigned; and

Berryman Jennings, of Oregon Territory, to be receiver of the land office at Oregon City, Oregon Territory, commissioned during the recess of the Senate, vice G. L. Curry, declined.

WASHINGTON, December 14, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate Sidney M. Torbert, of Alabama, to be receiver of public moneys for the district of lands subject to sale at Demopolis, Alabama, his previous term of office having expired.

WASHINGTON, December 17, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate Robert D. Haden, of Mississippi, to be receiver of public moneys for the district of lands subject to sale at Columbus, Mississippi, to take effect on the 8th of February, 1859, at which time his previous term of office will expire.

JAMES BUCHANAN.

To the Senate of the United States:

I nominate Charles P. Sengstack, of the District of Columbia, to be warden of the penitentiary in the District of Columbia, vice Thomas Thornley, the present incumbent.

WASHINGTON, December 20, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I nominate Samuel Medary, of Ohio, to be governor of the Territory of Kansas.

WASHINGTON Dec. 17th, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States :

JAMES BUCHANAN.

I hereby nominate Howkin B. Beardslee to be deputy postmaster at Honesdale, in the county of Wayne and State of Pennsylvania in place of John Y. Sherwood, removed.

WASHINGTON, 17 December, 1858.

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

The Senate will learn from the thirty-five naval nominations herewith submitted the result of my investigations under the resolutions of Congress of March 10th and May 11th, 1858. In compliance with these resolutions I have carefully examined the records of the courts of inquiry in fifty-eight cases, and have arrived at the conclusion that twentythree of the officers ought to remain in the posit ons where they have been fixed by the courts of inquiry.

The records are very voluminous, and the labor of examination, in which I have been materially assisted by the Secretary of the Navy, the Attorney-General, and the Commissioner of Patents, has consumed much time.

Under the act of January 17th, 1857, the courts of inquiry were directed to investigate "the physical, mental, professional, and moral fitness" of each officer who applied to them for relief. These investigations it was my duty to review. They have been very extensive and searching, as the Senate will perceive from an examination of the records, embracing in many instances almost the entire professional life of the individual from his first entrance into the service.

In the performance of my duty I found the greatest difficulty in deciding what should be considered as "moral fitness" for the Navy. Physical, mental, and professional fitness may be decided with a considerable degree of accuracy by a naval court of inquiry, but the question of moral fitness is of a very different character. There has been but one perfect standard of morality on earth, and how far a departure from His precepts and example must proceed in order to disqualify an officer for the naval service is a question on which a great difference of honest opinion must always exist. On this question I have differed in several instances from the courts of inquiry.

There is one nomination which I regret that I have not the power to present to the Senate, and this is in the case of Commodore Stewart. His name stood on the Register at the head of the list of captains in the Navy until it was removed from this well-earned position by the retiring board and placed on the list of retired officers. The deeply wounded feelings of this veteran officer, who had contributed so much to the

efficiency and glory of the Navy from its infancy, prevented him from applying for restoration to his rank and submitting to a court of inquiry, composed of his junior officers, the question of his "physical, mental, professional, and moral fitness" for the naval service. I would ere this have recommended to Congress the passage of a joint resolution to restore him to his former rank had I not believed this would more appropriately emanate from the legislative branch of Government.

I transmit herewith to the Senate the original records in the fifty-eight cases to which I have referred. After they shall have been examined by the Senate, I would respectfully request that they might be returned to the Navy Department.

WASHINGTON, December 20, 1858

To the Senate of the United States:

JAMES BUCHANAN.

By the authority conferred upon me by the joint resolution of March 10th and May 11th, 1858, in case where the records of the courts of inquiry, appointed under the act of January 16th, 1857, may render it advisable, in the opinion of the President of the United States, to nominate before the 1st of January, 1859, to the active or reserved list of the Navy, or to transfer from furlough to leave of absence on the latter list any officer who may have been dropped or retired by the operation of the act of February 28th, 1855, I nominate the following officers who were dropped or retired by the operation of the above act, as follows: Philip F. Voorhees, a captain on the reserved list on furlough pay, to leave pay.

Thomas Paine, a captain on the reserved list on furlough pay, to the active list, to take rank next after Captain Thomas Crabbe.

William Ramsay, a captain, dropped to the active list, to take rank next after Captain French Forrest.

William Inman, a captain on the reserved list on leave pay, to the active list, to take rank next after Captain Josiah Tattnall.

Samuel W. Lecompte, a commander on the reserved list on furlough pay, to leave pay.

William M. Armstrong, a commander on the reserved list on leave pay, to be a captain on the active list, to take rank next after Captain Joseph R. Jarvis.

Andrew K. Long, a commander on the reserved list on furlough pay, to be a captain on the active list, to take rank next after Captain Henry Eagle.

Zachariah F. Johnston, a commander, dropped, to take rank next after Captain George S. Blake.

T. Darrah Shaw, a commander on the reserved list on leave pay, to be a commander on the active list, to take rank next after Commander Wm. C. Whittle.

William D. Porter, a lieutenant on the reserved list on furlough pay, to be a commander on the active list, to take rank next after Commander Henry K. Thatcher.

Gab'l G. Williamson, a lieutenant on the reserved list on leave pay, to be a commander on the active list, to take rank next after Commander Fred'k Chatard.

John C. Carter, a lieutenant on the reserved list on furlough pay, to be a commander on the active list, to take rank next after Com'd'r Geo. A. Prentiss.

Simon B. Bissell, a lieutenant on the reserved list on leave pay, to be a commander on the active list, to take rank next after Commander

« 前へ次へ »