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2. I have not had time to get the Appendices copied, and I should be glad to have them back as soon as your Excellency favours me with any remarks you may desire to make upon the Report.
I have, &c.
J. POPE HENNESSY, Governor and Commander-in-chief.
(Signed)
Appendix No. 4.
HONG KONG.
Inclosure 5 in No. 88.
Major-General Donovan to Governor Hennessy.
(Confidential.) Sir,
Head-Quarter House, Hong Kong, March 3, 1880. WITH reference to your letter of the 19th ultimo,* Secret and Confidential, I have the honour to return the Appendices, together with my remarks on the Report therewith transmitted, as requested.
I much regret that the approaching inspections, reports, and other military business, together with the quantity of matter that was forwarded with your Excellency's letter for perusal, prevented my returning the documents, with my reply, at an earlier date.
I have, &c. (Signed)
G. W. DONOVAN, Commanding Forces, China and Straits Settlements.
Inclosure 6 in No. 88.
Observations of Major-General Donovan on the Report, &c., of the Committee on raising a Local Force in Hong Kong.
I CONCUR in the opinion of the Committee that the standing force of Hong Kong should be increased, and that in war time the force should be capable of further augmentation; but when the Committee goes on to propose the raising of a company of Chinese by way of an experiment, I cannot go with it. No experiment whatever should be admitted into a deliberately-planned scheme for the defence of a military station, and Hong Kong is for all intents and purposes as much a military station as Gibraltar, Malta, and Bermuda. It guards the docks, naval yard, and the stores required for Her Majesty's navy, and affords protection to a few British merchants and banks. It also gives a certain amount of protection to the different banks and the British merchants at the Treaty ports. It is true some foreign merchants avail themselves of our protection and laws, and many Chinese make it an asylum when they either have made a little money and prefer to keep it under our rule, or find it convenient for their own interests to live at a safe distance from their own country. But though Hong Kong is styled a Colony, it has no colonists, and, from its peculiar formation, it is never likely to be colonized by Her Majesty's subjects. But, on account of its important position, its defence must be made as safe and secure from an enemy's attack as foresight, forethought, and engineering skill can make it. In a scheme for the defence of Hong Kong, it appears to me desirable to consider the defence of the rest of this command, for one station ought to be able to help the other in time of need, and what I would submit for the consideration of the home authorities is :-
•
1. That another battery of Royal Artillery may be sent to the command; a half-battery to be stationed at Hong Kong, and a half-battery at the Straits. That the gun lascars may be Sikhs, and that the same numbers be allowed for the Straits as are now allowed for Hong Kong.
2. That a company of Royal Engineers may be sent to the command, half for Hong Kong and half for the Straits.
3. That a regiment of 600 rank and file, officered by Europeans, as in India, may be enrolled for service in the command. This regiment I would also divide, stationing the head-quarters at Hong Kong, with a wing at the Straits.
4. That a troop of Indian cavalry may form part of the Straits command (the horses would do better there than at Hong Kong). In war time a portion of the troops could be detached for service in Hong Kong, to act as mounted orderlies, and to carry on communication between the different posts. In a climate like this, telegraphs, either wire or signal, cannot always be depended upon.
5. In war time, I apprehend there would be no difficulty in finding suitable men on the spot to work torpedo-launches, and to assist the Royal Engineers in submarine mining. These might be either Europeans or natives, but the actual placing of mines should be entrusted to Europeans only.
6. In the event of war, a complete division should always be held in readiness at Madras to embark for service at Hong Kong or the Straits at the shortest notice. I do not think it would be advisable to keep more troops at Hong Kong than are actually required, on account of the limited space, and the difficulty there would be in subsisting them.
7. A coolie corps of 100 Chinese might be found useful, but, except as labourers or pioneers, I should not like to recommend the employment of Chinese.
With regard to the regiment I propose for service in the command, I would recommend that it should be raised from natives in our north-west Provinces of India and in Madras. The Malays are not fitted for soldiers, and there are no other natives available excepting the Chinese; and I am so thoroughly convinced that the employment of Chinese as a local force would be such a great mistake,
* Inclosure 4.
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