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Appendix No. 4.
NEWFOUNDLAND.
400
37. Booms.
Booms or chains between the Chain and Pancake Rocks have been used from time to time for the protection of the harbour, but with a well-arranged system of torpedoes this appears to be unnecessary.
38. Gun-boats.
One or two small gun-boats, carrying a single heavy gun each, would be found most useful auxiliaries to the land defences, as they could move into position where their fire would reach points which might be imperfectly defended from the shore.
39. Torpedo-boat.
A swift torpedo-boat for guard purposes, and for use against an enemy if an opportunity offers, would be most useful to the defence. A boat of this description, patrolling the offing and visiting the small bays in the neighbourhood of the harbour during the night, would discover and give early notice of any suspicious movements of the enemy.
40. Advance by Land.
With respect to the second danger, viz., an advance by land against the capital, it may be assumed Field force necessary. that for its protection it will be necessary to have a field force of sufficient strength to act in conjunction with the local levies against an enemy, by taking up a favourable position on his line of advance, in order to attack him before he approaches the town.
Good positions near roads,
Force suggested.
Field-guns.
Mountain-guns.
intrenching tools. Telegraph wire.
Consideration of the
assistance which may be expected from the Colony,
Training ship sug- gested.
Gun-boat as tender.
Armament of training- ship.
Coast Defence Corps.
On all the roads converging on St. John's good positions could be found which would be most useful to a small defending force; and if previously reconnoitred and the position to be taken up determined upon, there appears to be no reason why a force inferior to that of the enemy, but having the advantage of a knowledge of the country and choice of position, should not be able to defeat one numerically superior. It is very improbable that any force which an enemy would attempt to land would exceed 600 or 800 men, and it is upon this supposition that the following suggestions are based :-
1. A force of at least 400 regular infantry, for the purpose of co-operating in the field with the local levies and maintaining order in the town,
2. Four field-guns. The new 13-pounder muzzle-loading rifled gun seems to be well suited for this purpose, as it is accurate, light, and easily worked. It is suggested that field-guns should be supplied, as there are but few places in the vicinity of the roads to which they could not be moved with ease.
3. Six mountain-guns (200 lbs.). These are recommended for use in those places where it would be impracticable or dangerous to place field-guns. They could be moved from place to place by utilizing the transport of the country.
4. Intrenching tools for at least 500 men.
5. Simple instruments and sufficient field-telegraph wire to connect the capital with the different landing-places in the vicinity. Where the town is so much exposed to attacks from many different points, the telegraph will be most useful, as it will be impossible with a limited garrison to detach a force to watch every point, therefore considerable reliance must be placed on the telegraph to give early notice of the appearance and movements of an enemy, and sufficient wire must be at hand ready for immediate use.
It now becomes necessary to consider what assistance may be expected from the Colony supposing the requisite armament and stores were supplied by the Imperial Government.
It has been previously suggested at paragraph 33 that any local force should be trained and organized on a naval rather than a military model; but in raising such a force it is essential that it should be under Imperial direction and under the entire superintendence of Imperial officers, in a somewhat similar manner to that which exists at present with the Royal Naval Reserve. To apply such a system to Newfoundland it will be necessary that a training-ship should be attached to the It will be Colony where the local levies could be properly trained and brought under discipline. apparent that without Imperial support of this nature it will be very difficult to maintain the connec- tion which should exist between the two services, Imperial and colonial, but also to obtain uniformity of drill, and inculcate those habits of discipline which are so essential to any auxiliary force. It is therefore suggested that one of Her Majesty's ships should be detailed as a permanent training-ship for Newfoundland; one of the old wooden frigates would, for many reasons, be the best suited for such a purpose. This ship should be rigged, and commissioned in the same way as the Royal Naval Reserve drill-ships in England, with a small and carefully-selected crew on board for instructional purposes, and for the maintenance of discipline.
A small gun-boat should be attached as tender for the purpose of training the men at sea; one of the "Tweed, "Tay," "Tees" class would be most useful, and in the event of war, it could co-operate with the land batteries as suggested at paragraph 38.
The training-ship should be provided with a few heavy guns, similar to those mounted in the batteries, for drill purposes only. Although the Moncrieff system proposed for the North Head could not be applied to the guns of the ship, it is recommended that those on board should be of the same. nature, in order to familiarize the men with the management of the projectiles, fuzes, stores, &c.
41. Coast Defence Corps.
If a training-ship with officers and instructors were furnished and partly supported by the Imperial Government, it is suggested that Newfoundland should raise a naval corps for coast defence on the following system :-
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