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Appendix No. 4.
MAURITIUS.
The Commander should be appointed for three years certain; the officers and men for two years,. one-third to be changed every year.
The force could be borne on the books of the "London," the stationary ship at Zanzibar.
A ship's steward and the executive officer to carry out all accounts, so no accountant officer would be required.
For medical assistance, to depend on garrison.
The Naval Commander-in-chief, or any officer he might depute, not under the rank of Captain, should inspect the force once a-year at least...
Half the men would require quarters to live in; they could not live all the year round in the small gun-boats.
The ordinary naval routine would be carried out by those not detached.
All exercises and Returns to be sent in just the same as if in a ship.
People talk about organizing a small colonial naval force. It will never answer; experience shows, wherever it has been tried, it has failed.
The only way to get any vitality to this sort of body of men is by getting them from the Royal Navy, and changing them before they have time to get slack.
Having discipline strictly enforced and strict inspections.
Of course the Captain of the Port or Harbour-master would have to bear just the same relation to the Colonial Government as at present.
The subordinates, four Lieutenants at least, would carry out all drills,
As the Colonial Government appear to wish to have regular communication with Rodrigues, they could purchase a small sailing-vessel, to be manned and worked by officers and men of the force.
In case of Port Louis being attacked, the Commander could be in Fort George to work with the Artillery Officer, and direct the gun-boats what to do by signals prearranged.
The naval force would make themselves carefully acquainted with all landing-places round the coast, and the gun-boats could of course be sent anywhere.
(Signed)
C. G. GORDON, Lieutenant-Colonel, R.E., and Brevet-
Colonel, Chairman.
M. CONNAL, Surveyor-General.
RICHARD D. KING, Captain, R.N.
C. G. ROBINSON, Lieutenant-Colonel, R.A. R. W. S. ROGERS, Lieutenant, R.N.
Port Louis, August 4, 1881.
Inclosure 7 in No. 44.
Memorandum on the Means of Protecting British Commerce in the Indian Ocean, dated July 27, 1881.
A, B, C, D,*---the space of water through which the main lines of communication from Europe to India, China, and Australia pass.
It is manifest that Seychelles, Chagos, Mauritius, and St. Paul are situated so as to command these lines of communications.
Greatest danger to Great Britain is from privateering adventures. I say privateering, for though the term may be obsolete by the Treaty of Paris, there will be found means of evading this, and the principle will remain, viz., adventures protected by flag against penalties of piracy, conducted in fast vessels, whose object will be to destroy British commerce or to force neutrals to employ other flags for the transport of their goods, thus diverting the carrying trade from Great Britain to others, which, when once done, will be difficult to bring back hereafter.
Therefore I would consider that arrangements should be made so that the shaded space A, B, C, D should be so considered that the British commerce should be safe within it; that to secure this security the means should not be confined to defence but should be also offensive.
What, therefore, is required in the space A, B, C, D ?
1. Ports of refuge, refitting stations, coaling stations, and provision stations, sufficiently defended so as to stand by themselves.
2. Such arrangements as will guarantee the internal quiet of the Colonies around these ports of refuge.
These requirements must be so defined as to not exceed the present expenditure in these parts. Mauritius.-This island is under the Colonial Government, which pay the Imperial Government so much (15,0007.) a-year for its defence. Its Colonial Government consider that by that payment they are relieved from all responsibility respecting its defence, and can legally claim compensation from the Home Government for damage done by an enemy.
Though the inhabitants of the island may be loyal to the Imperial Government of Great Britain, this loyalty may be considered more the effect of being under a just Government, powerful enough to protect their rights, than the result of any great liking for the British; and it may be doubtful if the inhabitants would bear with any great equanimity any heavy losses which might come on them from parties of an enemy raiding the coasts. (It was the case in 1810, when Captain Willoughby, R.N., landed, and, distributing Proclamations, made the inhabitants understand that the British would respect their rights; the consequence of which being that the French General had very lukewarm support from them.)
I think, considering all things, that though the inhabitants might not be actively hostile, should a decline of our prestige take place they might be passively so; and that therefore, under these circum- stances, Great Britain could not afford her prestige to decline.
* Plan not printed.
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