Page 127
"The fleet of China may for the present be neglected, but if allied with France or Russia her twenty torpedo-boats at Whampoa might be available against British ships, and a nucleus of European troops might make a Chinese army formidable in an attack on the Colony from the land
side.
"It will be seen from the above considerations that Hong Kong might possibly be menaced by a very powerful attack from Japan, or by a serious attack from French Indo-China, with the possible assistance of Russia's naval forces in the Far East. An attack of this nature on a large scale cannot, however, be delivered so long as Her Majesty's navy maintains sea supremacy, and the Admiralty have accepted the responsibility of protecting all British territory abroad against organized invasion from
the sea.
"Her Majesty's ships, however, while engaged in hunting out and destroying the squadrons of an enemy, may not be in a position to prevent the predatory raids of hostile cruisers on British ports; but it is in the highest degree improbable that such a raid would be made by more than a few ships, nor could it have any permanent effect unless troops could be landed. Moreover, the available landing parties of a few cruisers, in constant expectation of having to oppose Her Majesty's ships, would not be a formidable body in point of numbers.
"It is mainly to meet raids of this nature that Hong Kong has been fortified and garrisoned, and the present Defence Scheme drawn up."
5. Page 5. General Character of Hong Kong.-It would appear convenient if the eight gaps in the mountain ridge, which form such a prominent feature in the con- sideration of the defence of the island, were referred to by name in the proper place under this heading.
6. Page 6. Third Paragraph from End. The statement that it would be less risk to an enemy to cut telegraph cables at sea than on the shore-line is correct. This, however, does not obviate the necessity for providing some protection against a party landed to destroy the instruments, &c., at the landing-places of the cables, whereby considerable injury might be inflicted on the Colony.
7. Page 6. Penultimate Paragraph.-It is here stated that the docks are to be protected against torpedo-boat attack by nets, &c. No further reference to this pro- tection is, however, included in the Scheme. The action to be taken with regard to it should be embodied in Chapter VI, and the D.A.A.G. (A), who, on p. 33, Chapter III, is charged with seeing that other precautionary measures are taken by civilian authorities and private firms, should also be made responsible for assisting dock-owners in doing what is necessary in this matter. The subject appears, from paragraph 12 of the Report of the Local Joint Naval and Military Committee of July 1895, to have been already thought out locally, but unless the arrangements are embodied in the Scheme, there is danger that the necessary preparations for carrying them out may be overlooked.
Chapter II.-Organization.
8. Page 11. Imperial Forces.-The Table shows the Royal Artillery available, exclusive of the Hong Kong companies, to be 12 officers and 281 N.C.Os. and men. Table (B), pp. 17 to 20, shows 285 N.C.Os. and men of European Artillery, while Table (B) (i), pp. 21 to 24, gives 281 as the number of N.C.Os. and men of the European Artillery, but also shows 4 British N.C.Os. as belonging to the Permanent Staff of the Hong Kong Companies.
It is evident that these 4 N.C.Os. have been omitted from the Table on p. 11, which should show 722 instead of 718 as the total of available N.C.Os. and men.
The usual denomination of " Army Schools" should be substituted for that of "Educational Department" in the Tables on pp. 11 and 35.
9. Page 11. Colonial Forces. The Committee observe that the Colonial forces carry small arms requiring a different pattern of ammunition to that used by the Imperial troops with whom they will co-operate in war. They have elsewhere pointed out the inconvenience of this arrangement, and they understand that the Colonial Office have already (25th August, 1897) addressed to the Governor a despatch on the subject.
The numbers given on this page for the Colonial troops are 5 officers and 107 N.C.Os. and men in the mountain battery, and 6 officers and 72 N.C.Os. and men in 6 machine-gun sections. These members are those recommended
Page 127
Page 127
J.