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it is unlikely that any attempt would be made outside the Gulf of Paria, within which the water is smooth, and a good deal of the shore accessible.
From the above it will be seen that the Defence of Trinidad with its existing resources, should nsist in defending Port of Spain from a small hostile force landed probably in the vicinity of Port of Spain or between that port and the Dragons' Mouths, but possibly at other parts of the island, and in protecting from sudden attack the landing-places of the cables at Macaripe Cove and Moruga
Point.
5. Port of Spain lies on the shore in a flat valley at the base of a range of hills forming a segment of a circle 4 to 5 miles in diameter, of which the shore is the chord. To the north-west the hills approach the shore at Cacorite village, and rise to Hislop's Advance, a wooded spur about 350 feet above the pa, and thence to Fort George (1,120 feet). The higher summits to the north are from about 1,500 to er 2,000 feet, the spurs forming the deep valleys of Maraval and St. Anne's, and several minor ones. On the east the range descends towards the sea by the Laventille Hills, on which is situated Fort Picton (about 700 feet) and St. David's Tower (about 400 feet), 800 yards from the shore.
The hills are all steep and covered with tropical jungle, only passable for any large number of en by a few roads and paths, which, if neglected, very soon becoine overgrown and impassable. At present the roads which enter the town near the sea from the east and west, and the one from the Lorth by the Maraval Valley, are the only good roads of approach.
Fort George is used as a signal station to communicate with a look-out on the north shore.
6. Macaripe Cove, the landing-place of the West India and Panamá Company's cables to St. Croix Danish) and Grenada is on the north coast of the island, 10 miles from Port of Spain, and approached by the west road out of that town.
7. Moruga Point, the landing-place of the West India and Panamá Company's two cables to Demerara, is on the south coast, some 50 miles froin Port of Spain, and over 18 miles by road from Prince's Town. the southern terminus of the railway from Port of Spain.
4. Following on the above description of the strategic conditions in Chapter I it will be convenient if a summary is given of the available resources of the Colony in defence personnel, guns, small arms, and ammunition.
64
CHAPTER II.
Jy
5. Page 9, paragraph 2.-The arrangements by which, under the heading "Divisions of Command," detachments are told off to guard Port of Spain from an enemy advancing on it by the western, northern, and eastern roads are generally satisfactory. It would be better if the word "detachments were substituted for sections," as the latter is generally used in Defence Schemes to denote a division of a large fortress to which complete units of the different arms are told off which pass for
purposes of administration directly under a Section Commander. In Trinidad the general administration of the police, yeomanry, and volunteers, would, it is understood, remain directly under the Commandant.
In addition to the three detachments and the central reserve told off for the fence of Port of Spain, one for each of the cable landing-places will be neces- ry. In Chapter III of the Scheme it is laid down that these should be protected by small outposts, but it is not stated whence they are to be furnished. In the case of Moruga Point, a considerable time would elapse before the post could be reinforced, and a detachment of some strength-say 50 men-would, therefore, be necessary.
6. Page 9, paragraph 2.- -It is stated that "officers to command the different sections will be selected." It would seem desirable that they should be indicated în the Defence Scheme by their peace appointments, so that they could make themselves amiliar in peace with the duties they will have to carry out in war.
7. Page 9, paragraph 3.-The details given of the Defence forces on mobilization require some further development. The organization proposed contemplates that 100 yeomanry, 200 artillery, and 800 infantry will be available for defence. From the last Return of naval and military resources at Trinidad it appears that the existing
nl forces are as under:-
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Trinidad Field Artillery
Trinidad Light Horse ..
Trinidad Light Infantry
Police
(850]
Officers.
Men.
13
27
6324
162
.94
531
545*
* Of the police only 400 are armed with rifles (M.-H.),
B 2
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