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6. Germany has now about 5,000 men in China, including the garrison of Kiao- Chau. She maintains a fleet in Far Eastern waters, but it may at present be said to refit at Hong Kong. The new harbour works at Kiao-Chau are progressing.
7. America has at present some 42,000 men in the Philippines. It is intended to reduce this number to 24,000 as soon as the state of the islands will permit. Manila is fifty-four hours' steaming from Hong Kong.
8. The fleets that the various Powers keep in Far Eastern waters can be seen in the Quarterly Return of His Majesty's Ships and Foreign Vessels of War.
9. It will be seen from the above considerations that Hong Kong might possibly be menaced by a very powerful attack from Japan, or, in the event of a possible combina- tion of France and Russia, by an expeditionary force of at least 10,000 to 15,000 men, numbers which are likely to be increased in the near future, when Russia's land communicatious have been perfected, and when the facilities for maritime transport in the China seas have been developed. An attack of this nature on a large scale cannot, however, be delivered so long as His Majesty's navy maintains sea supremacy, and the Admiralty have accepted the responsibility of protecting all British territory abroad against organized invasion from the sea.
It is recognized, however, that His Majesty's ships, engaged in hunting out and bringing to action the enemy's squadrons, might not be in a position to prevent an attempted "coup de main" on Hong Kong by a small number of vessels, including possibly, transports carrying troops. But it is improbable that a raiding attack would be made by more than a few ships, nor could it have any permanent effect unless troops could be landed; while in no case could a large number of men be conveyed to Hong Kong without such arrangements and preparations as would bring the operations under the category of those, which could with certainty be dealt with by the navy.
It is to render Hong Kong secure against raiding attacks of the nature indicated that the fixed defences and garrison have been provided; and for purposes of calcula- tion, the scale of raiding attack, which it is the object of these defences to render impracticable, may conveniently be assumed as one delivered by not more than six or eight armoured vessels, accompanied by two or three armed transports, conveying in all a maximum landing force of 4,000 men,
Cable Communications.
10. There is one all British cable communication between the United Kingdom and Hong Kong, if the land line through Egypt be excepted. This route runs by the Eastern Telegraph Company's cable from Porthcurnow to Gibraltar, Malta, Alexandria, Suez, Perim, Aden, Bombay; thence by Indian Government land lines to Madras, and onwards by the Eastern Extension Telegraph Company's two cables to Penang and Singapore, and by its one cable to Labuan and Hong Kong.
There are various alternative routes, of which the principal are "viâ Indo," making use of the land lines through Germany, Russia, and Persia, and the route round Africa. All of these touch or pass through various foreign countries.
There is direct cable communication from Hong Kong to Macao, Saigon, Labuan, Manila, and Foochow; these cables land in Tai-howan Bay. Also to Amoy; this latter cable lands in Deep Water Bay.
There are also the Imperial Chinese Telegraph Administration's land lines to various parts of China.
Recent information on cable communications can be obtained from the "Report of the Inter-Departmental Committee on Cable Communications," His Majesty's Stationery Office, 1902; and the various telegraph companies' handbooks.
General Character of Hong Kong and Kowloon.
11. A reference to the maps in this Scheme, and to a small scale chart of the vicinity of Hong Kong, will show better than any verbal description the peculiar position of Hong Kong, lying at the southern end of an indented peninsula, between which and the island itself are the famed harbour and roads.
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