Alexandria Gazette & Daily Advertiser

The Raleigh, N. C. Minerva, after announcing the arrival of Mr. Calhoun, Secretary at War, on the 15th inst. observes, "of course it is not yet known which of the places the President may have visited will be selected as the site of our great naval depot; but we understand that the Secretary of War spoke of one plan that had been suggested, which, if it be ever accomplished, will present to the world a most magnificent national work:--This is, erecting a chain of fortifications, of massy and impregnable construction, from the Horse Shoe to the Middle Ground of the Chesapeake, by which that great bay would be completely protected from invasion by any hostile naval force. If such a thing be practicable, even at an enormous expense, it ought to be accomplished. A retreat would thus be secured for our own squadrons when overpowered, the means of preparing and uniting at any moment of war, a large naval force would be rendered certain, and all the citizens on the navigable waters entering this inland sea would have secured to them the means of extensive water communication with each other. Under such circumstances, even as inland navigation now stands, exchanges could be safely made, by water, between the Juniata in Pennsylvania, and many Virginia and N. Carolina streams."