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285
Inclosure 7 in No. 79.
Census of Penang, Province Wellesley and Dindings.
[Not printed.]
Appendix No. 4.
PENANG.
No. 80.
War Office Memorandum on the Defence of Penang.
AT the north end of the Straits of Malacca, at a distance of about 380 miles from Singapore, is situated the island of Penang, one of those British possessions which altogether unite to form the Straits Settlements.
The island averages about 13 miles in length and 8 in breadth. Its general aspect is mountainous, especially the northern half; some of the hills there rising to heights exceeding 2,500 feet, and all being well clothed with trees, chiefly spice plantations. The lower lands, which fringe the east and west coasts, are occupied either by spice plantations or by patches of paddy ground.
The island is separated from the main land-Province Wellesley, also British territory--by straits averaging about 4 miles in width; but at the northern end a low-lying spit projects so far towards the opposite shore that the channel at this point is but 14 miles wide. Roughly speaking, the island may be described as quadrilateral in plan, surrounded by an extensive mud shoal of such outline that, opposite the four angles of the island alone is there deep water near in-shore.
The spit above mentioned forms one of these angles, and immediately off it and divided by it is the harbour or roadstead, commodious, well-sheltered, and from the northern side easy of approach, but difficult of access from the southern channel, which is intricate, narrow, shallow, and stated to be gradually silting up.
The population of the island, for the most part composed of Malays and Chinese, was in 1871 about 71,000, and almost exclusively engaged in agriculture.
The total value of the trade is about 7,000,000 annually. This trade, which is chiefly in the hands of a few wealthy Chinese, consists in great part of the produce brought from the east coast of Sumatra in native boats, and thence transhipped to English bottoms.
George Town, the capital, a small town of 13,000 inhabitants, is built on the spit, at the north- eastern extremity of which, and close to the water, stands Fort Cornwallis, the only work at present provided for the defence of the harbour. It is a bastioned fort, constructed on a square of about 150 yards side, and was built at the end of the last century, at which date it was a work of some strength, having revetted escarps and counterscarps, and a wide ditch, into which the water still percolates through the porous subsoil, rising and falling with the tide.
Owing to the development of modern artillery, it is, in its present condition, quite unsuited to withstand attack. The revetments are weak, the magazines exposed, and the interior crowded with buildings, some of which being on the terre-plein itself are open to view above the parapet, while on its western side the ramparts are overlooked by the buildings of the town, which, at the south-west angle, approach to within 100 yards of them.
No guns, except a few 32-pounder smooth-bore guns for saluting purposes, are now mounted within the fort. Its English garrison consists of a detachment Royal Artillery, about 30 strong, and two com- panies of infantry.
On proceeding to determine the nature of defence required for this station, the consideration at once presents itself, what is there to defend?
There are no docks or slips, no fitting or repairing shops, no facilities for coaling, no extensive stores, piers, wharves, or seat of Government; neither are there any great Imperial or mercantile interests at stake. Seeing, moreover, that at Singapore (at a distance of about 36 hours' steaming) nearly all the conditions above enumerated as here deficient are there already existent, it appears improbable that other works of the above description will be constructed, or that such interests will arise at Penang.
There only remains what nature has provided, viz., a commodious anchorage, but one in which the tide runs so strongly that moorings are necessary, and a bountiful supply of good water obtained from the neighbouring mountains.
It appears, therefore, that neither the Imperial or local interests at stake are of sufficient impor- tance to require such a defence as would convert the harbour or roadstead into a place of refuge for British shipping, secure from the attack of a small squadron, or even of a single powerful ship; but that it will be sufficient to guard against the Settlement falling a ready prey to one or two lightly- armed unarmoured cruizers, or to acts of piracy.
This may be effected by remodelling Fort Cornwallis, revising the magazine accommodation, and mounting therein six 6·6-inch rifled muzzle-loading guns en barbette.
For want of detailed plans the cost of this work can only be roughly estimated--
It would probably be about
And that of the armament..
Total
No other natural feature presents equal facilities for defending the roadstead.
[1103]
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£
•
15,730
3,600
19,330
4 D
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