CONFIDENTIAL.
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Third and Final Report of the Royal Commissioners appointed to inquire into the Defence of British Possessions and Commerce abroad.
LT
1. OUR first Report contains a summary of the trade of the United Kingdom with British possessions and foreign countries out of Europe, and of the whole trade of the British Colonies.
In our second Report we called attention more especially to the question of coal supply, and to the protection of the colonial and commercial interests of the Empire by your Majesty's fleet. We also dealt, in the second part of that Report, with the defence of the Australian Colonies.
We propose in this, our third Report, to conclude our inquiry, pro- cceding according to the great trade routes in the following order, and referring to the charts appended to our first Report:-
I. The route between the United Kingdom and the Cape of Good
Hope.
II. The various routes across the Indian Ocean.
III. The route through the Mediterranean and Suez Canal.
IV. The routes between Singapore, the China Seas, and Australia.
V. The routes between the United Kingdom, the cast coast of North
America, and the West Indies.
VI. The routes between the United Kingdom and ports in South
America and round Cape Horn up to Vancouver Island.
VII. The routes across the Pacific.
We are of opinion that Heligoland, though a Colony, from its position ought to be considered in connection with the home defences, and we have, therefore, not included it in our inquiry.
I. THE ROUTE BETWEEN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.
2. The distance between England and the Cape of Good Hope is 6,000 miles, and it is imperatively necessary, if only for the sake of main- taining the communication, that means for coaling should be secured for your Majesty's ships at one or more intermediate points.
The intermediate coaling-stations now used are Lisbon, Gibraltar, Madeira, St. Vincent, Sierra Leone, and Ascension. Of these, Lisbon, Madeira, and St. Vincent are in foreign territory, and would not be available during war..
Gibraltar.
3. Gibraltar, although considerably out of the direct line, will be, in time of war, a base for ships protecting the traffic along the coasts of Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, as well as a point of observation at the entrance
of the Mediterranean. We dismiss further consideration of Gibraltar for See paragraph 58, and Ap- reasons to be given hereafter.
Sierra Leone.
pendix No. 3.
4. Sierra Leone is conveniently situated midway between the United Digest, p. 603, 609. Kingdom and the Cape of Good Hope.
[1103]
The harbour is capacious and
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