COPY.
longkong:- Acquisition of Land at Devil's Peak.
Lands.
76
ENCLOSURE 6, sublucl. 1.
C.C. C. 0.
10045
From
The Officer in Charge Military Works Loan, JNO!
To
The Commanding Royal Engineer in China.
Hongkong, 31st. December, 1900.
Sir,
There are various questions in connec-
tion with the construction of the new batteries at Devil's Peak which cannot be properly considered until it has been decided what Garrison is to be permanently quartered on the North side of the Lyemun Pass,
2.
Upon this decision also depends the amount of land which it will be necessary for the War Department to acquire for building purposes; while the area, which it will be desirable to keep as a Military Reserve, will be governed by
the extent of the defence of the batteries against land attack ground required for the Military exercise of the Troops, and the necessity of keeping an efficient sanitary control over the land around the barracks, especially the water supply.
3.
-
It has already been proposed to build barracks for the Artillery, who will work the Guns, in the new batteries on the Peninsula between Yau Tong Bay and Chong Lui Bay But the housing of Infantry for the land defence, not only of these batteries, but of the whole Northern Section remains to be considered.
4.
The acquisition of the New Territory bas increased the risk of attack from the North. The North Eastern section is very open to attack by an enemy landing near Shelter Bay. The construction of the Canton Railway, which will probably be carried out before long, will render the North Western por- tion more liable to attack. The Harbour could be shelled by field) Guns from any of the bills to the North.
5.
These considerations lead to the con- clusion that an increase in the Infantry Garrison, to protect the Northern frontier, will become a necessity.
8.
The question will then arise where they are to be housed, and trained in drill, musketry and entrenching.
New Barracks, in or near Victoria, seen out of the question owing to the value of land and scarcity of sites. Moreover, the Troops would not then be quartered in the proper tactical situations.
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