Alexandria Gazette

TWENTY-SEVENTH CONGRESS.
HASSLER'S COAST SURVEY
In the House of Representatives, on Friday,
Mr. Aycrigg moved to strike out the appropria-
tion for the survey of the coast of the United
States, including compensation of superinten-
dent and assistants, $50,000.

Mr. Mallory said it would be recollected
that, at the last session of Congress the House
appointed a select committee to examine this
subject. The committee were engaged in
their investigations several months, their du-
ties were very arduous, and a large mass of
information was obtained. In consequence,
however, of the absence of certain informa-
tion deemed material by the committee, and
from other causes, they were unable to report
during the session. The result of their exam-
ination, however, was, that, although they
were satisfied of the importance of this work,
a majority of them came to the conclusion that
the individual placed at the head of it was
both physically and mentally incapable of car-
rying it on. They, therefore, came to the de-
termination, when they should make a report,
to bring in a bill to correct the abuses which
they believed to exist. While, however, he
said this much, he would also say that he was
opposed to striking out the appropriation, for
the work must still go on.

Mr. Aycrigg asked if the appropriation of the
last year was exhausted.

Mr. Mallory would answer the gentleman
as far as he could, by saying that the superin-
tendent was still in the field, and had not been
to Washington: therefore, it was impossible
to state how much of the appropriation was
on hand. He repeated, that he could see no
propriety in withholding the appropriation, for
it was in the power of Congress to correct the
abuses that might be found to exist.

Mr. Wise asked if he understood his col-
league correctly, in saying that a majority of
the committee came to the conclusion that the
superintendent was physically and mentally
incapable of carrying on the work.

Mr. Mallory replied in the affirmative.

Mr. Wise would ask his colleague if there
was any vote in the committee on this head.

Mr. Mallory said that when the majority of
the committee came to that conclusion, and
determined to make a report to that effect,
his colleague and the gentleman from South
Carolina (Mr. Holmes) were not present.

Mr. Wise expressed his astonishment at
what his colleague stated, and declared that
it was the first time he had ever heard it said
that Mr. Hassler was mentally and physical-
ly incapable.

Mr. Mallory said it was not his fault if his
colleague was not present.

Mr. Wise rose in vindication of the expedi-
ency of the appropriation. If it even was a
fact that three of the committee were prepar-
ed to report that Mr. Hassler was both men-
tally and physically incompetent to carry on
this survey in a proper manner, it was the
first he had ever heard of it. He asserted
that a majority of the committee never had
come to any such determination. They would
not dare to put it in an official form that they
believed the celebrated mathematician Has-
sler mentally incompetent to perform the du-
ties of this survey. True it might be, that in
making disbursements—in the mere mechan-
ical operations—Mr. Hassler might be an unfit
person; but, in the manipulation of instruments
there was no one who could compare with
him. The testimony of Europe was record-
ed in his favor as a man of science. Indeed,
he, (Mr. W.) ventured to assert that testimo-
ny could be adduced to show, and conclusive-
ly prove, that this survey had been better and
more cheaply conducted than any other work
in the world.

Here Mr. Mallory interrupted Mr. W., and
denied the positions which the latter gentle-
man had assumed. He referred to a map en-
graved from a chart of Mr. Hassler, by order
of the House, and appealed to the gentleman
from New Jersey (Mr. Aycrigg) to state how
that chart had been executed.

Mr. Wise. I desire him to state what he
knows. (Here Mr. Aycrigg left the hall, and
went to the library to get the chart and map
referred to.) In the absence of the gentleman
he would state the facts, as he had them from
Capt. Gedney, whose statements were in eve-
ry respect to be relied on. The map was li-
thographed here in Washington, and Mr. Has-
sler had nothing to do with it. The scale of
the map was laid down incorrectly by the per-
son who copied from Hassler's chart. He (Mr.
W.) had inquired of Capt. Gedney whether
the original chart was correct, and was ans-
swered that it was. Thus gentlemen would
see—that a typographical error was charged up-
on Mr. Hassler as a grievous fault.

Here Mr. Aycrigg rose, and exhibited sev-
eral charts and maps obtained from the libra-
ry, and was understood to say that the scale
of the maps was falsified, and to charge gen-
eral incorrectness upon them.

Mr. Wise inquired whether Captain Ged-
ney had not informed the gentleman from N.
Jersey that the error in the maps was not Mr.
Hassler's, but occurred in copying and litho-
graphing.

Mr. Aycrigg answered in the negative, and
stated that he held the original chart in his
hand.

Mr. Wise. Is it the original?

Mr. Aycrigg. Yes.

Mr. Wise. It must be a copy.

Mr. Aycrigg reiterated his statement.

Mr. Wise, resumed. He thought the State
of New Jersey, by its Representative, was
the last section in the Union that had any rea-
son to complain of the survey. It had so hap-
pened that the survey was nearly complete a-
long the Delaware. The whole coast of New
Jersey was complete.

Mr. Aycrigg here rose, and was understood
to contest the scientific accuracy of Mr. Has-
sler's survey, and the system on which it had
been conducted.

Mr. Wise replied, and remarked, that if the
gentleman thought proper to come to matters
of science—to introduce technicalities into
the debate—he (Mr. W.) must stand off. He
did not presume to think himself mathemati-
cian enough to overlook the celebrated Has-
sler. He knew not if Mr. H. had verified his
work: but he knew that the next base to be
taken would be upon the Chesapeake; and
then the work would be verified from Long
Island to Cape Charles. He had been told
by all the young officers that the survey of
New Jersey was so accurate, that the lines
of many hundred miles met within a few feet.
He was unqualifiedly of the opinion that
the chart of the survey was itself worth more
than the amount of one year's appropriation.

Mr. Mallory here rose and inquired whether
the port of New York had ever been publish-
ed; and why not?

Mr. Wise remarked, that Mr. Hassler was
jealous of his reputation, and had, therefore,
withheld the chart until he could determine
its positive verification. It was withheld un-
til the matter could be made complete; and
this was made a subject of complaint by ma-
ny gentlemen opposed to the continuance of
the survey. Acting upon this complaint, the
select committee had determined that the
chart should be published. In six weeks it
would be out and before the public.

There was another class of enemies to this
appropriation for Hassler's survey. There
were a certain number of gentlemen—headed
by a clique in the navy—who had made the
discovery that surveying by chronometric
astronomy was to be revived. Such a survey.
would not meet the object desired by the
country; and would, in nine cases out of ten,
run a vessel upon the shoals.