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Colonial Office List
10
internal security of a Colony in which there are only 2,703 British inhabitants among a population of 2,401,066. If the volunteer movement should be developed so that it may be relied upon as a permanent resource in aid of the regular troops, a material addition to the military force in the island will be obtained.
48. As to the apportionment of the expense to be incurred at Colombo between the Imperial and Colonial Governments, it would appear to be fair that the Imperial Government should supply the armaments and the gun and torpedo boats, while the Colony should bear the cost of altering and completing the fortifications, and should give up a portion of the land reclaimed or to be reclaimed by dredging in Colombo Harbour sufficient to form a moderate naval establishment. The Colonial Government should further bear the cost of manning and maintaining the gun and torpedo boats.
49. The existing arrangement, under which the Colony contributes 120,000l. a-year towards the expense of the troops, being approximately the cost of all troops in the island, except the garrison of Trincomalee, might be modified on the removal of the Naval Establishment to Colombo, so that the Imperial Government should bear one-fourth and the Colonial Govern- ment three-fourths of the cost of the European troops.
50. Before passing from the Indian Ocean, we think it right to refer to three places to which our attention has been called as offering favourable positions for coaling stations. These are the Island of Diego Garcia, in the Chagos Archipelago, the Seychelles, and Cocos or Keeling Islands.
Diego Garcia.
51. Like many other coral islands, Diego Garcia is a reef inclosing a con- siderable area of deep water, access to which is gained by a comparatively narrow entrance. It lies in the middle of the Indian Ocean, at a distance Q. 2426, 2430 of 900 miles from Ceylon and 1,070 miles from Mauritius, at the point
Digest, p. 610.
Evidence.
2434.
Third Report, pp. 183–191.
Third Report, pp. 191–194.
Letter to Colonial Office,
May 12, 1882. Third Report, p. 194.
where the trade route between Mauritius and Ceylon intersects that between Australia and the Red Sea. For this reason, as well as on account of the secure anchorage, it would seem to offer peculiar advantages as a base for your Majesty's ships, and as a harbour of refuge.
52. Beyond the information afforded by the Admiralty Chart little was known of the island till, at our request, a Naval Officer and an officer of Royal Engineers visited and reported upon it in 1880. Their examination confirms previous reports as to the excellence of the harbour, but shows that it is not well adapted for a coaling-station and harbour of refuge in time of war. The water immediately outside the reef is so deep that ships could lie close to the shore, and command the anchorage within by firing over the reef, of which the highest part is not more than 3 or 4 feet above the sea-level. Although the harbour is perfectly sheltered from the sea, the defence of its entrance alone would not secure ships lying within it from an enemy's fire, and the works required would be large and expensive.
53. We have come to the conclusion that, under the circumstances, Diego Garcia should be left undefended, assuming always that the defences which we recommend on the confines of the Indian Ocean are carried out.
54. The Orient Steam-ship Company have recently leased from the Government of Mauritius two islets at the entrance of the harbour, and have there established a coal depôt for their own use. A large stock of coal at Diego Garcia would, if undefended, be a serious danger in time of war; and we consider that the Orient Company should be required, if called We would further upon, to remove or destroy their stock of coal at once. recommend that any concessions of land made in future to Steam-ship Companies should be subject to similar conditions.
Seychelles.
55. The Seychelles are a large group of islands, of which Mahé, the principal island, is 1,400 miles from Aden, 960 miles from Mauritius, and 1,620 miles from Galle.
The defence of the port of Victoria was considered by a local Com-
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