Alexandria Gazette, Commercial And Political

ALEXANDRIA.
FRIDAY, MAY 26.

Jeffersonian Economy.--Soon after this philosopher came into office, among other specious measures of economy, by which he seduced the hearts of the American people, one was to lay up our ships in dry docks, at Washington, and another was to supply their places with a competent number of gun-boats, which to be competent, he told us must be considerable. I do not remember precisely what was the number actually built, but the number proposed by him was 200. They cost upon an average upwards of 20,000 dollars a piece, and required 10,000 sailors to man them; whereas a seventy-four ship in the British service requires but 600; so that, while eight men to a gun, are considered a full complement in that service even for distant expeditions we Americans, by way of economy, employ fifty men to a gun for harbor defence.

A calculation was made some time since in this paper, demonstrating the supreme folly and expense of this system of gun-boats; but it is not necessary to repeat it here, nor will it ever again be necessary to recur to it, for no administration in this country will ever make themselves so ridiculous as to revive it : I only mean to inform the public that the gun-boats in this harbor, have made but a miserable end of it, just such as might have been expected from things unfit for any use; they were sold at auction the day before yesterday at an average price of about $500. In other places they have not done so well. So ends the system of gun-boats.

N. Y. E. Post.