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Appendix No. 4.
Port Louis.
MAURITIUS.
Fort George. 2 7-in. M.L.R. guns. 4 7-in. B.L.R. guns.
11 8-in. S.B. guns.
2 68-pr. S.B. guns.
17 32-pr. S.B. guns.
7 8-in. S.B. howitzers.
43
Fort George. (Remodel.)
132
Very great injury was inflicted by French war-vessels, and by privateers fitted out at this island, upon British commerce and British ships of war, from the year 1804 until its capture by us in 1810; and it is remarkable that this happened notwithstanding the British blockades of the island, and the frequent superiority of the British at sea. Among a host of smaller vessels the names of six vessels of war and ten East-Indiamen appear in the list of vessels captured by the French during this period.*
Assuredly no moderate expenditure need be grudged with a view to preserve British shipping from the possibility of a recurrence of such disasters.
The Mauritius is so much nearer to its supports than to the foreign possessions of any Great Power, that it is not very liable to attack by heavily-armoured vessels of war-not so liable, for instance, as Singapore or Hong Kong-while it does not invite the attack of predatory cruizers, as the harbour is easily denied to an enemy, and a landing in small force for the purpose of exacting supplies would be attended with considerable risk.
Probably 10-inch muzzle-loading rifled guns of 18 tons will fully meet the necessities of the case here.
Port Louis is situated at the head of a narrow inlet of the sea, 2,700 yards in length; a little within the entrance to this inlet-which is here about 350 yards wide-stand Forts George and William, on its eastern and western sides respectively. Fort William has long been in ruins, but Fort George is an inclosed modern work of no very strong profile, but containing emplacements for 43 guns, and barrack accommodation for 153 men.
Recently four 7-inch breech-loading rifled guns of 82 cwt. have been mounted on its sea-face, and to these two 7-inch muzzle-loading rifled guns of 6 tons were added as a temporary armament, upon the recommendation of the Colonial Defence Committee.
Evidently, if four or five heavy guns were mounted in this work, the work itself strengthened, and submarine mines placed across the Channel, an enemy would not attempt to force his way in, and he would not be able to shell the town and dock establishments but from distances exceeding 4,500 yards.
At this distance he would be able to do considerable damage to the lower part of the town; but the docks, which are placed in a narrow corner, might escape material injury for some time.
It is proposed, then, to mount four 10-inch muzzle-loading rifled guns of 18 tons in 4 10-in. M.L.R. guns of 18 tons Fort George, of which two should be shielded; to retain the two 7-inch muzzle-loading
(2 shielded).
Batteries
Armament
Submarine mines Land faces
•
Tombeau Point.
..
3 10-in. M.L.R. guns, 18 tons.
2 64-pr. M.L.R. guns.
Battery Armament
£
rifled guns of 6 tons recently mounted, modifying the emplacements to afford better 20,470 protection, as well as the four 7-inch breech-loading rifled guns, for service against boats, 16,800 and for the protection of the submarine mines, and to retain six of the smooth-bore guns for
2,000 flank defence. 5,000
£
22,425
If the land defences proposed hereafter be not carried out, the land faces of Fort George must be strengthened, and for this 5,000l. should be provided.
But, though this would deny the harbour to an enemy, it would still be necessary to take measures to prevent him, either from landing in strength to march upon the town, or from taking the town in the event of his landing.
The French, when they held the Mauritius, placed batteries and small posts at all the landing-places in the island; these have been wisely suffered to fall into disuse, and, with the exception of the two bays in the immediate vicinity, and on either side of Port Louis, and one other bay which will be considered hereafter, there is no longer question of their reoccupation.
The garrisons of these batteries and posts would absorb a large number of men; they would disseminate the garrison of the island to such an extent that it would be almost impracticable to collect it into an effective fighting body, and they would be a continual source of anxiety to the officer in command; moreover, the fall of one here or there would not have any material effect upon the fall of the island, if we may judge from what happened when the French had the island.
Then, the posts at Ile de la Passe, Pointe du Diable, Grand Port, and Grande- Rivière S. E., fell into the hands of the British, but the latter could not retain their hold of them, and the capture of them had no effect on the capture of the island, which eventually fell to the attack of a numerous force landed in the vicinity of Cape Malheureux.†
The two accessible bays in the vicinity of the town are Tombeau and Grande Rivière Bays; the former is the more accessible, as large vessels can stand close in to the shore. Both are out of the range of Fort George, and from both the approach to the town is easy, so that it is not only necessary to hold these bays, but to hold also the low ground between the bays and the mountains inclosing the town, commanding thereby the approaches from the north-east and south-west.
This is especially necessary on the north-east, as the country is easy and flat, and the roads are good up to Cape Malheureux.
But there is no reef on this side, and, as the water is always smooth, large vessels can stand close in to bombard the town as well as to cover a landing; and it is, therefore, necessary to construct works to keep large vessels at a distance, and to prevent them sup- porting with the fire of their heavy guns the advance of troops on shore.
With this object it is proposed to construct at Tombeau Point a battery for three 10-inch muzzle-loading rifled guns of 18 tons, one of which shall be shielded, and for two 64-pounder muzzle-loading rifled guns to sweep the beach on both sides, and to place an
* Lord Mornington, writing to Lord Castlereagh, says, the captures made in India by privateers fitted out in the 12,000 Isle of France are estimated at 4,000,000%.
† 10,000 men were landed from the British fleet.
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