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Printed for the use of the Colonial Office. September 17, 1894.
CONFIDENTIAL.
CAPE.
No. 4.
[For consideration of the Secretaries of State for the Colonies and for War and of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty.]
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.
Scheme of Defence revised to January 1894.
Remarks by the Colonial Defence Committee.
THE Colonial Defence Committee desire to invite the attention of Her Majesty's Government to two important points brought to light by the Cape Scheme of Defence for 1894.
1. The system on which, as at present laid down, the garrisons of the Cape and Mauritius are to be raised to war strength on the imminence of hostilities with a Maritime Power seems open to grave objection. The Cape is to supply the necessary reinforcements to Mauritius and St. Helena, and to receive in its turn reinforcements from Natal and England, all these moves having to be carried out by long and precarious sea transit.
When the reinforcement scheme was made out it was no doubt the best arrangement possible at the time, but having regard to the clearly expressed opinion of the Admiralty that they cannot be responsible for the safe arrival of reinforcements by sea at our distant stations during the early periods of a war, the Committee can arrive at but one conclusion, which is, that the present arrangements would break down when it was attempted to put them into execution.
As the scheme for the distribution of the Imperial infantry in South Africa on imminence of war is somewhat complicated, it may be useful to recapitulate it.
The ordinary peace distribution of the Imperial infantry in the com- mand is as follows:-
MATOSARUL FOR INFO=57%99%
Corps.
Distribution.
ダ
Established Strength.
i
Officers.
Men.
No. 1 Battalion
7 Companies and Head-quarters, Cape Town
1 Company, St. Helena
No. 2
No. 3
4 Companies and Head-quarters, Mauritius
15
"
4 Companies, Cape Town
13
$1
The whole, Natal
25588
757
3
107
436
428
864
[532 a]
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