The cannon ball lying about in Fort Richmond have been collected together; 2,128 32 pounders were counted, the most of which have been piled up carefully in the old Magazine, and the gates of the wall surrounding it have been spiked up. The remainder of 32 pr. balls, and 3,782 24 prs., and 187 18 prs. have been collected and piled up in one of the mess rooms of the fort, the doors and windows of which have been closed and secured with plank. A few over a hundred shot are missing from the number there were when the count of them was last taken by Major Dustan. Those secured are worth over eight thousand dollars at present prices, and they have probably cost double that sum, having been cast at a time when wrought iron for these forts cost two shillings the pound. As much labor and materials as were necessary for the better security of the moveables at the forts, have been given, as circumstances would permit. The dock being old and dilapidated, and the ice of last winter having injured it considerably, several hundred loads of stone and earth have been thrown on the butment, to prevent it from being carried off by the ice this winter entirely. The 32 pr. cannon which for more than twenty years has been lying near the dock, has been got up and drawn to the inside of the fort.

Of the armament of Fort Richmond, the Commissary-General would respectfully remark, that the platform and gun carriages are utterly unfit for service, and that no use can be made of the fort for defence in case of necessity, without the entire removal of the dilapidated materials within it. The cannon may yet be serviceable, but they should all be made to pass the proof test again before service is required of them. It would be a wise precaution to put down a new platform in this fort, and to put its armament in a thorough state of repair, for the defence of the harbor of NewYork. Should any sudden emergency come upon the Union, the cities of New-York and Brooklyn are now both in a lamentable condition for defence. This fort should be well armed at all times, and until its use can be dispensed with by superior permanent constructions. The dock should be kept in good condition. A road beyond Jacobson's store, for the transportation of stores and troops, should be made under the bank, a distance of about fifteen hundred yards, to the fort. Twelve hundred yards of the distance here referred to is at present impracticable as a road, and for want of a road over this distance, a circuit of nearly three miles, through deep sand must be taken, to get to Fort Tompkins on the hill with

a loaded vehicle of any kind, or to Fort Richmond under the hill with a wheel conveyance, coming from any part above the dock. This distance of road could be constructed for two hundred and fifty dollars at most, and in the opinion of the Commissary-General ought to be made.

What the United States should do in this matter is for congress to determine, and the federal government to execute, and not for us to oppose, may be true; but our exposed condition and neglected situation, require our condition for defence to come under review. The immortal Washington has left us, the safe but neglected admonition as a legacy, "In peace prepare for war." That great man, wise among the wisest of a generation of virtuous patriots, has also used the following language: "If (says he) I may be allowed to speak figuratively, our assemblies, in politics, are to be compared to the wheels of a clock in mechanics. The whole, for the general purposes of war, should be set in motion by the great wheel, Congress, and, if all will do their parts, the machine will work easily; but a failure in one disorders the whole. Without the large one, which sets the whole in motion, nothing can be done. It is the united wisdom and exertions of the whole in Congress, that we are to depend upon. Without this we are no better than a rope of sand, and as easily broken." But notwithstanding the admonitions of the patriot and sage, what was the situation of New-York at the commencement of the war of 1812? By whom were these dilapitated materials of defence erected at that crisis? Without anticipating, cr dreading the evil war, as a calamity, what is the actual situation of the harbor of New-York now? Certainly, immeasurably fitter for defence than in 1812; but how much remains to be done, before we can admit to ourselves that comparatively secure at the mouth of our harbor alone, without taking into view the shores of the Sound, and the heights. of Brooklyn towards Flatbush? From the experience of the past, may we not presume that when the time comes for defence, the citizens of New-York, Brooklyn, and the surrounding country, will find that their defence will depend mainly, for the personal, on themselves; and if so, does it not behoove the citizens of the southern district of this state, to see and to urge that every preparatory material means required for resistance be prepared and in order, whether to be furnished in part or the whole by the constituted authorities of the State or the Union?

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The southern section of this state, is that immediately interested, when a powerful maratime enemy, other than Great Britain, with an imposing land force shall be on our coasts. "Millions for defence, but not a cent for tribute," is an apophthegm of the statesmen and orators of our country. A sound, thrilling to the feelings of freemen, it is admitted; but should the constituted authorities of our country "keep the word of promise to the ear," and through neglect "break it to the hope"? Of what value is life, when liberty, the ornament of life, lies prostrated; or life and liberty, without a guarantee for our possessions and the enjoyment of the fruits of our own labour in safety? Here, our harbour and cities are assailable; our possessions insecure; our available material for defence belonging to the State, prostrate and in ruins; and our personal organization deficient for prompt application as a mean of defence of this frontier of the State. Whether our claims to attention shall be heard, and acted upon fully by the Legislature and Congress, and our harbour, our cities and their environs, be rendered more secure from dangers abroad, are questions for the patriot statesmen of the Legislature and Congress to consider and determine. That our country will be defended, there is no doubt; but the means should always be ready, at hand, and in order. There are thousands of hearts among us brave to rashness, whose undisciplined valour would shine in opportunity; but the energy of discipline is an auxiliary, so powerful to natural bravery, that it makes valour invincible, when directed by an able chief, such as he, who, amidst disaffection and treachery, proclaimed determinedly, "our country must and shall be defended!" Brave hearts we have many-chiefs qualified and capable of disciplining and directing the military energies of the country successfully, but few.

The arsenal building at New-York, the Commissary General has done nothing to during the season, being under the impression that the Legislature would, finally, remove the arsenal from its present site. This building is old; the walls are cracked, the roof leaky, and the gutters decayed, as stated in his report of 1833. He has checked the progress of dilapidation of this building, as much as could be done, by occasionally doing the most necessary repairs only; and he has proceeded in the same manner with the sheds and fences. It is presumed that the Commanderin-Chief has been informed, that by widening Center-street, fifteen feet will be taken off the arsenal yard on that line, thereby

removing thirty feet of `shed room, of which there is not at present sufficient for the protection of some field carriages. This alteration will circumscribe thé yard, and sheds will be less, of both of which kinds of room, more is wanted instead of less.

In 1833 the Commissary-General found the largest gun carriages at this arsenal utterly unfit for service-indeed condemned, as unworthy of repair. As soon therefore as the labor of preservation to the articles most in want of attention had been rendered, he took up the repair of these gun carriages. This season the two field forge carriages have been overhauled, repaired, and put in good order and painted, and they are now fit for service, but not however of a construction to be of great facility in movement. The largest field gun carriages for the four iron 18 pounders, and the two long iron 12 pounders, and limbers, have been thoroughly overhauled and repaired, and new ammunition boxes and necessary implements supplied, painted, and the cannon mounted. They are now available for service. The carriages and limbers for six brass 12 pounders, and two brass 9 pounders, have received the same attention as the largest field gun carriages, and are ready for service. There are still carriages for four brass 9 pounders, and three iron nine pounders, which have not been repaired; nor has the Commissary-General been able to give them and other property attention, in consequence of the demands for other labor for securing property at the forts, and for the preservation of property at this arsenal. Thirty-three field carriages have been repaired this season.

On overhauling the old gun carriages of our two brass 18 pounders last winter, the construction of the limbers was so altered as to give improved facility to the draft of these two heavy guns, and success has attended the alteration, for two horses draw one of them now, with as much ease as four could before the alteration was made. The bore of these cannon were unequal through their length. A reamer and cutters were constructed, and they have been reamed out carefully and beautifully to an equal bore. They will carry a ball now of about 22 lbs. weight. The metal being of the best quality, and its weight in the cannon equal to 24 pounds, the Commissary-General would propose to ream them up to 24 pounders for howitzers, and to give their carriages wheels of the same height, with iron axles and patent boxes, and some few other alterations, to the limbers chiefly, to render them su

perior for management to any 12 pounder on a carriage of the old construction.

A gun carriage and limber for a three pounder, have been con structed at this arsenal in a very superior manner, this season, which, for convenience of service for the horse or foot artillery, for ease of transportation to the munitions, and accommodations. for the pointers and aids to mount when required, and its mobility, will be found superior to any other field-piece now the property of this State. Iron axletrees and patent pipe boxes have been put under experiment in this instance, and their superiority put to test. A drive of forty miles, in Westchester county, with this gun carriage, has afforded means to judge of its superior qualities for strength, ease, celerity and convenience. The wheels of this carriage are all of the same height and dimensions.

The due preservation of the small arms and equipments in this arsenal, has been attended to. About two thousand five hundred stand of muskets have not yet received a thorough cleaning; they are in progress, however, and will be finished as fast as circumstances will permit.

The magazine, and walls surrounding it, cn the island, are in good repair. The United States have a considerable quantity of ammunition stored, in the upper loft of the building, in casks, believed to be fixed musket cartridges. The quantity of stores on hand, ready for service, in the magazine, belonging to the State, is very inadequate, as a supply for the artillery and infantry servi ces, in case of emergency, for the defence of the city and harbor of New-York; that is, if these stores are to be the dependence of the State. For the defence of field works here, the larger caliber of canon, being of the greatest power and range, should, in the opinion of the Commissary-General, be used around and in advance of the city of Brooklyn towards Flatbush. An exterior line of defences, from Yellow-Hook to the heights of Williamsburgh, and an interior line, from Hicks' hill to Fort Greene, ought, in his opinion, be defended, at least, by three hundred pieces of cannon of the calibers of 32 and 24 pounders: the interior line to defend an intrenched camp. The elevations, Hicks' hill and Fort Greene, on which the camp should appui, ought never to be redu ced, for on them the cities of Brooklyn and New-York must rest their ultimate defence, and last efforts, on the land side; and they