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The opium trade with China is one of the principal sources of Indian revenue. From the cultiva- Appendix No. 4. tion and sale of opium the Indian Government derives no less than 6,000,0007. per annum,
the gross
SINGAPORE. receipts being 8,000,000l., or nearly one-sixth of the total revenue of India. Any stoppage of the trade through these Straits would thus be most disastrous to the finances and commerce of India, and of serious disadvantage to the commerce of the United Kingdom.
the
Singapore is the chief town and seaport in the Straits, and commands the whole of this large Importance of Singa- passing traffic. Owing to its advantageous position, its excellent roadstead, its fine natural harbour pore. (in which are great facilities for the construction of docks and wharves), and to other causes, Singapore has become a commercial centre of the highest importance for the Eastern trade.
It is * entrepôt in which are brought together and exchanged the products and manufactures of the Western world, of India, Cochin-China, Siam, the Malayan Peninsula, and of the whole wide region of the Eastern Archipelago from its western limits in Sumatra to the mcridian of New Guinea and the Philippines."
To these countries may be added Australia, the trade with which is increasing; and, as the Torres Straits route becomes better known, the passing traffic will doubtless be much augmented.
The number of square-rigged vessels which arrived at the port of Singapore in 1874 amounted to 1,773, and comprised 1,104,277 tons, of which 1,027 vessels, of 642,749 tons, were British. Of these 1,773 vessels 994 were steamers, and comprised 843,265 tons.
The value of the imports for the year 1874 amounted to nearly 10,000,000l. sterling, and the exports to nearly 9,000,0001. sterling.
When first occupied by Sir Stamford Raffles, fifty-seven years ago, the island was inhabited by a few hundred Malay fishermen only; but at the time of the last census in 1871 the population had risen to about 110,000.†
The British trade passing through the Straits of Malacca, and the large commercial interests in the British Settlements of the Straits, must be protected in case of war by the navy.
But ships of war cannot now keep the sea for long without going into harbour to coal, refit, and obtain supplies. Vessels cruizing in the Straits of Malacca, or lower part of the China Sea, must resort for these purposes to Singapore, there being no other naval station nearer than Hong Kong and Trincomalee, distant respectively 1,430 and 1,490 miles.
In a Memorandum, dated the 7th January, 1875 (copy inclosed),‡ when serving in the War Office, I stated reasons why it is of " the utmost importance that those harbours in our foreign possessions, which would, in time of war, be the bases of operations for the navy, should be fortified more or less strongly, in proportion to their importance and the character of the attack to which they are liable." In that Memorandum it was pointed out that, unless the naval stations were thus fortified, our ships of war would either have to guard them, and thus leave our commerce at the mercy of the enemy, or else the harbours would be exposed to the attack of an enemy's cruizers, which would destroy the coal not required for its own use, and burn the naval establishments. Our ships, thus deprived of their coal supply, and of their means of repairing and refitting, would be unable to perform any duty or enterprise, so that by the capture of a coaling depôt an enemy might render powerless the whole of the vessels of war on the station.
As regards Singapore, although there is no great naval establishment there, the mercantile docks in the harbour are available for, and are made use of by, our ships of war, and it is essential, for naval purposes, that these should be efficiently protected.
The capture and destruction of these establishments would be fatal moreover to Imperial com- mercial interests. In the year 1874, 125,862 tons of coal were imported into Singapore, and the average quantity on hand is about 93,000 tons. Nearly a thousand steamers call at Singapore every year, the greater number of which require to take in a fresh supply of coal before proceeding on their voyage.
Not only, therefore, would these necessary supplies of coal be wanting, but, the navy being rendered powerless to chase and capture the cruizers which any enemy-not necessarily an important maritime Power-would be certain to put to sea, our mercantile marine in the adjacent waters would be much harassed, and might even be annihilated.
Necessity of the coaling station of Singapore being
properly fortified.
In addition to the consideration that Singapore is one of our chain of coaling stations, dividing Strategical importance the distance between those of Hong Kong and Ceylon, it also occupies a most important strategic of Singapore. position with respect to the command of the waters of the Eastern Archipelago.
As previously mentioned, the whole of the trade through the Straits of Malacca passes by Singapore, and upon referring to the chart it will be seen that the width of Singapore Straits, from the island of St. John's to the opposite islands belonging to the Dutch, viz., Little Sambo and Pulo Blakang Padang, varies from 6,000 to 7,000 yards. If a work, therefore, were constructed on St. John's and armed with sufficiently powerful artillery, it would, in conjunction with a suitable vessel of war, close the Straits of Malacca against any non-armour-clad vessels. An enemy's commercial traffic through the Straits of Malacca would thus be effectually stopped. Moreover, a squadron operating from Singapore could close the Straits of Sunda, and an enemy's trade could thus be practically cut off from Eastern Asia.
I submit that it is of the utmost importance that Singapore should be secured by permanent defences against such attack as might be made upon it by a hostile cruizer or small squadron of vessels. The harbour would thus be made a secure base of operations for the fleet, and the centre of the commercial operations of Great Britain in the Eastern Archipelago would be protected.
On the other hand, unprotected as Singapore is at present, and prominently situated as it is on the world's high road, it would most certainly attract the attention of an enemy, especially if that enemy be an important maritime Power; for, by its occupation, the important trade which we now carry on with China and the Eastern Archipelago would be practically paralyzed.
* McCullock's Commercial Dictionary, "Singapore."
There is much difficulty in obtaining an accurate census of the Chinese population. It is believed that the total number far exceeds that stated in the text.
Not printed.
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