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12. Page 2, paragraph 13.-The Colonial Defence Committee have elsewhere (Memorandum, No. 141 M, dated 23rd June, 1898) recommended that "negotiations should be entered upon with a view to securing an entirely British communication to St. Lucia, and also to arranging for all the British West Indies being connected with England and each other by an all-British system." This recommendation has been approved by the War Office and Admiralty, and the Committee understand that action will be taken to give effect to it.
13. Page 2, paragraph 14.-The attention of the War Office is called to the list of stores required at St. Lucia on mobilization given in Table G (iii) on p. 78 of the Scheme, and referred to in this paragraph. The stores that are necessary should be supplied now.
Probably less than 500 brassards will be required for hospital and stretcher assistants, and these should be made up locally. The demand for wire for entangle- ment is a very large one, and the Committee suggest that, before supplying, the War Office should ask the G.O.C. to consider whether it might not be reduced without prejudicing the efficiency of the defence.
Defence Scheme.
14. The Defence Scheme as now submitted from the Colony is on the whole a very satisfactory one. When completed and corrected in accordance with the present Remarks it will, so long as the external conditions remain the same, only require these periodical alterations which changes in available personnel and matériel will involve.
CHAPTER I.
15. It would be convenient if this Chapter commenced with some definition of the strategic position of St. Lucia, which might be described in some such terms as the following:-
"St. Lucia, the northernmost of the Windward Islands, is situated 24 miles south of Martinique, 21 miles north-east of St. Vincent, and about 90 miles west of Barbados The island is 24 miles in length, and 12 at its greatest breadth, its area being rather less than that of the county of Middlesex. The interior of the island is hilly, and for the most part densely wooded, and is traversed by but few roads.
“St. Lucia was first colonized by an English Settlement in 1639, but from that date until 1803, when it was finally surrendered to British troops, its possession was contested by France, and the island frequently changed hands. It is noteworthy that during the wars of the last century St. Lucia on seven different occasions was the scene of naval and military operations between French and British forces, viz., in the years 1722, 1744, 1762, 1782, 1793, 1796, and 1802.
The population of the island in 1896 was estimated at 46,671; that of Castries, the principal town, is about 7,000. Most of the inhabitants speak a French patois, but English is gradually becoming more generally used. A very small percentage are of European descent, the remainder being of the negro race, except about 2,560 East Indian immigrants. The sympathies of the majority of the inhabitants are still somewhat French.
"Port Castries is a growing commercial harbour. In 1896 shipping of the tonnage of 1,190,790 entered and cleared at the port, of which 1,008,476 tons were British. It was selected as the coaling- station for Her Majesty's fleet in the Windward group on account of its defensibility and facility of Moreover, the situation of the harbour, only 40 miles from the French naval base of Fort de France, Martinique, renders it well placed for the protection of the South Atlantic trade against cruisers of the United States or other Powers.
access.
It is for these reasons that the harbour has been fortified by Her Majesty's Goverment, and the present Defence Scheme drawn up.
"The nearest hostile base from which St. Lucia is liable to attack is Martinique, the permanent French garrison of which comprises 2 batteries of artillery, 1 battalion of marine infantry, 1 disciplinary company of marines, and 1 company of gendarmerie, with a total strength of about 1,400 men. French have also a garrison of 310 men in Guadaloupe and of 540 men in French Guiana, making a total force in the West Indies and vicinity of about 2,250 men.
The
"The surrender of the Islands of Cuba and Porto Rico to the United States, and the pronounced intention of this Power to maintain a coaling station at San Juan in the latter island, have a consider- able strategic influence on St. Lucia; at present, however, the nearest American base is Key West ; and with the existing organization of the United States' military forces there is no reason to anticipate that at the outset of a war with Great Britain the States would be able to dispatch, before the naval supremacy of Her Majesty's fleet had been definitely asserted in West Indian waters, any considerable force to land at St. Lucia.
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A fleet attack on St. Lucia need not, under existing conditious, be anticipated.
"It is necessary, however, that the coaling station should be protected against the raid of one or more cruisers, which may carry with them 2nd-class torpedo-boats, or in the event of war with
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