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from Colonel Crossman's Report that the resources of the country are at Third Report, pp. 295–298. present so limited that these ports cannot now be considered available.
Hong Kong.
79. Hong Kong is at once the chief centre of British trade in the China
Sea, and the only possession of your Majesty from which that trade can be Board of Trade Returns. protected; 26,801 vessels, with an aggregate burden of 4,185,815 tons, and crews numbering 421,887 hands, entered the port during 1880.* Hong Kong is distant from Canton, 80 miles; from Singapore, 1,410 miles; from the French port of Saigon, 910 miles; from Shanghae, 800 miles; from Yokohama, 1,560 miles; from Vladivostock, 1,700 miles; and from Vancouver Island, 5,700 miles. We have no hesitation in saying that Hong Kong must be adequately defended and garrisoned, and no time should be lost in making it strong enough to withstand for some time, alone and unaided, the attack of an enemy. Reinforcements can only be drawn from. Singapore and India, and would almost certainly be delayed by the north-east monsoon, which prevails for the greater part of the year, and which, on the other hand, would be favourable for hostile ships coming from the ports of Russia, China, or Japan.
80. The harbour, which lies between the island and the mainland, is a safe anchorage, and can be made secure as a first class naval station and port of Digest, p. 637. refuge. A commercial dock, called the Aberdeen Dock, already exists, and Third Report, p. 321. is capable of receiving a large iron-clad, but is, unfortunately, outside the proposed lines of defence. We believe that it is intended to construct other commercial docks within the harbour, and we would suggest whether, by some arrangement with the owners, they might not be made suitable for the requirements of the navy.
81. The defence of Hong Kong has been the subject of frequent inquiry. Some improvements have been made in the land works and armaments since 1878, and an iron-clad ship, the "Wyvern," has been stationed in the harbour; but even now the defences are in a very unsatisfactory condi-
tion. Reports as to the measures to be taken are before us. They agree Third Report, pp. 315–343. substantially; but we would refer particularly to the Report, dated the Ditto, pp. 315-330. 24th October, 1881, of Colonel Crossman, R.E., who was specially commis- sioned to report on the defences. Colonel Crossman had the advantage of being fully cognizant of the plans prepared in the War Office, and of being able personally to consult the local authorities and the Defence Committee, who, under the directions of the Governor, were considering the subject at the time of his visit. He enters in detail into the whole subject, and points out the difficulty of a complete submarine mining defence, and the necessity of providing gun and torpedo boats as accessories. He estimates the entire Works cost of the works at 370,1937.
Armaments
£
118,908
78,045
Submarine mines
4,000
80,000
89,240
370,193
This estimate does not include a sum of 25,0001. for a hospital on shore, Naval defences which, being in lieu of the present ship hospital, now nearly worn out, can Barracks hardly be properly charged to the defences.
82. We desire to direct attention to Colonel Crossman's letter, dated the
24th September, 1881, proposing the concentration of the naval and military Third Report, pp. 314, 315. establishments. The barracks are at present separated from cach other, and the Ordnance Stores are in five different places, so that, in the event of an outbreak among the Chinese population, which is very numerous as compared with the Europeans, the buildings and establishments are liable to be destroyed in detail. Colonel Crossman points out that the concentration, if carried out in the manner he proposes, would not only benefit the public service but would greatly improve the town, and without cost to the Govern- ment. He estimates the total cost of reclaiming land and providing new military and naval establishments at 2,250,000 dollars, and believes that the sale of the sites of the present establishments would realize more than
this sum. The officer administering the Government reported strongly in Third Report, pp. 313, 14, favour of the scheme; and it appears to us that the question ought to be
* Of these, 2,073 ships, with a tounage of 1,878,325 tons, and 86,272 men, were British; while 24,075 vessels, aggregating 1,650,258 tons, and crews numbering 303,386 hands, were Chinese, the remainder being principally American (125,133 tons), French (165,452 tons), and German (146,841 tons), with a few ships from almost every maritime State in the world.
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