CHAPTER I (C) and (D).
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The other runs by one of the trans-Atlantic cables to Halifax or Canso, Nova Scotia; thence by Canadian land lines and cables to Grappler Creek in Vancouver Island; thence by the Pacific cable touching at Fanning Island, Fiji, and Norfolk Island to Southport, Queensland; thence by Australian land lines to Fremantle, Western Australia; thence by Eastern Extension Telegraph Company's cable to Mauritius; and via the Seychelles, Zanzibar, Aden, &c. An alternative route, not all British, is as above to Australia; thence via Banjoewangie in Java to Singapore, &c. There is also one by trans-Atlantic cable and United States land lines to San Francisco; thence by American cable viâ Honolulu, Midway Island, and Guam Island to Manila; thence by the Eastern Extension Company's cable to Hong Kong.
2. 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 these touch or pass through various foreign countries.
There is direct cable communication from Hong Kong to Macao, Saigon, Labuan, Manila, and Sharp Peak, 28 miles from Foochow; these cables land in Tai-ho-wan. Also to Amoy; this latter cable lands in Deepwater Bay.
There are also the Imperial Chinese Telegraph Administration's land lines to various parts of China.
3. For information on cable communications, see "British and Foreign Cable Com- munications" (A. 866), Part 1, page 18, a copy of which is included in the packet of documents kept by the General Staff Officer for issue to the Censor.
See also the various telegraph companies' handbooks.
(D.) —Probable Forms of Attack.
1. Having regard to the general strategic situation, it is assumed that Hong Kong may be regarded as liable to the following forms of attack :—
(i.) At the Precautionary Stage.
(1.) Attempts to destroy cable landings.
(2.) Attempts to tamper with coast armament, electric light emplacements, P.F.
cells, communications, or docks.
(ii.) At the War Stage.
(3.) Long range bombardment by a squadron of battleships with a view to the destruction of the naval dockyard or of warships lying in the harbour. (4.) Raids by night by unarmoured cruisers on merchant shipping lying in the
harbour.
(5.) Attacks by sea-going torpedo craft with a view to the destruction of the docks
or warships lying in the harbour.
(6.) Raiding attack by two or three armed transports conveying in all a maximum
landing force of 4,000 men, supported by a squadron of armoured vessels.
2. The main gun defences of the Eastern entrance are Gough (1-9-2-inch) and Pottinger (2-9.2-inch) batteries on the north side, and Pakshawan battery on the south side.
3. An attack may be expected to take the form of :-
(a.) Reconnaissance attack.
(b.) Bombardment in detail.
(c.) Attempt to run past the defences.
(a) might be merely for the purpose of drawing fire and locating defences, or it might be the prelude to a bombardment in detail; the latter is the most likely, as the position of our defences unfortunately cannot be disguised, and would be well known to any hostile Power likely to attack.
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