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"2. The nearest foreign ports from which an enemy could issue for those purposes are as follows:-
United States of America-
Wilmington
Charleston
Key West
Mobile
Pensacola
Galveston
New Orleans
San Juan, Porto Rico
Cuban Republic-
Havana, Cuba
Santiago de Cuba
France-
Fort de France, Martinique
Cayenne, French Guiana.. Holland-
Curaçoa
Venezuela
La Gunyra
::
The nearest defended British ports are the following:
The naval coaling station of Jamaica
St. Lucia
The defended port of Georgetown, British Guiana
::
::
Distance.
Miles.
1.710
1,680
1,500
2,000
1,980
2,180
2,070
550
1,500
990
275
670
445
330
Distance.
Miles.
970
220 340
"3. Her Majesty's Navy are prepared to intercept a hostile expedition organized on a large scale for the attack of any portion of Her Majesty's possessions, but the responsibilities thus accepted by the Navy do not allow of the permanent detachment of isolated ships for the protection of individual ports from attack by one or two cruisers which might elude the British fleet. Trinidad need not apprehend or prepare against a stronger attack than that of one or two cruisers which could not afford to waste much ammunition on a possibly futile bombardment. If, however, one of these were a large auxiliary cruiser, which might be the case in the event of war with the United States of America, the landing force carried might amount to 600 men, who would endeavour to surprise their objective, carry off specie, and inflict as much damage as possible in a very short time.
4. Trinidad is separated from the Continent of America by the Gulf of Paria, into which fall the northern mouths of the Orinoco. The Gulf of Paria is about 80 miles long from east to west, and 30 miles wide from north to south. Excepting the neighbourhood of the Dragons' Mouths, which form the northern and most frequented entrances-it is shallow throughout, being nowhere more than 19 fathoms. It is sheltered from the north-east trades by the Island of Trinidad; and is subject to the influence of the equatorial current which sets in through the southern entrance- the Serpents' Mouths-and out through the Dragons' Mouths, accelerating the tidal currents flowing northward and retarding those flowing southward. These currents are, on the south, also affected by the flow from the mouths of the Orinoco. The bottom is almost invariably soft mud, which a vessel takes no harm in touching. Some of this mud is furnished by the small rivers of Trinidad, but the great bulk of it no doubt has been carried down by the Orinoco in prehistoric times, and that process is going on still, but at so slow a rate as to be of no practical consequence.
Hurricanes do not extend to Trinidad, and strong winds are rare. That part of the Gulf of Paria, which extends along the west coast of Trinidad from the Dragons' Mouths past Port of Spain to the Pitch Lake, is consequently a most reliable and safe anchorage with so little disturbance that transhipment into lighters can be carried on with security almost every day in the year.
The 3-fathom line is a mile from the frontage of Port of Spain, the 4-fathom line a inile and a-half, and the 5-fathom line 24 miles from shore. Spring tides rise 4 feet, and neaps 24 feet. Only shallow draft craft can therefore go alongside the wharves of the town; 74 miles from Port of Spain, just inside the most easterly of the Bocas, is the Bay of Chaguaramas, formed by the Island of Gaspar Grande. This harbour, about a mile and a-half wide, affords excellent anchorage in every part, and has deep water close to shore in many places.
At the wharves of Port of Spain, and at many places along the shore to the north-west up to Chaguaramas and the Bocas, landing from boats would be easy. To the south the mangrove swamps render landing impossible for many miles. There are piers at San Fernando and La Brea (the Pitch Lake), 22 and 25 sea miles from Port of Spain in this direction. The former admits of small steamers laying alongside at high water, and alongside the latter vessels of 1,000 tons can load. Otherwise, there are no special facilities for landing troops at either place, nor would there be any object in disem- barking there, as there are many better landing places nearer Port of Spain.
On the north and east coasts of Trinidad landing is generally impossible on account of the surf, due to the trade winds, and the South Coast is little better and much further off from Port of Spain,
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