SECRET.
Printed for the use of the Colonial Office. July 1889.
Reply to Defence Circular.
HONG KONG.
HONG KONG.
471. Secret.
13
89
Beport of Local Committee, with Letter of General Officer Commanding, and Appendices.
I.-Strategical Considerations.
THE Committee consider it unnecessary to dwell upon the importance
of Hong Kong as a naval base, and that with its loss all British power in the Chinese Seas and Western Pacific is at an end, and that not only would our trade be destroyed, but the independence of our rising Colonies in Australasia would be seriously threatened.
The probable bases of operations against Hong Kong are Vladivostok, Saigon, and Hanoi, which are respectively 1,780, 900, and 500 miles distant. The Chinese Empire, as a possible enemy, must be taken into account, and it might even be found arrayed on the side of France and Russia against England. It is more probable, however, that in the event of England being engaged in a war with France and Russia combined, that China would be allied with England, and ready to give very material aid in the defence of Hong Kong.
No powerful attack could ever be made so long as England retains the command of the China Seas, but if this command is lost, even if only for a short time, an attack in force will certainly be made upon this very valuable possession. It would probably be carried out by a few cruizers of moderate power, accompanied by smaller vessels, and by transports carrying a considerable body of troops.
Although an attack of this nature could be easily met with a garrison of moderate strength, the number of the troops is so small that the Committee experiences great difficulty in making arrangements to meet it. In the event of a war against France and Russia combined, and even in the case of war with either, there are a number of small vessels of Her Majesty's Navy which would be of little use, and they would consequently be concentrated at Hong Kong.
These vessels would greatly increase the power of the defence, and although the Committee cannot, of course, take them into account, it
onsiders that this probability should not be lost sight of.
In a war with either France or Russia alone it is probable that only a raid by two or three ships, which had evaded our fleet, would be attempted, and this could be met by the artillery and submarine mining defences, but against bath Powers combined the possibility of the attack being accom. panied by a land expedition must be taken into account.
The Beturn given in Appendix I shows the relative strength of the French, Russian, and British fleets in these waters. While there is no
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