186
No. 332.
Colonial Office to Agent-General for South Australia.
Downing Street, September 18, 1878.
Sir,
I AM directed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to inform you, in reply to your letter of the 3rd instant, that, in compliance with a request made by the Acting Governor of South Australia to be furnished with a complete set of confidential publi- cations respecting torpedoes for the use of his Government, the War Office and Admiralty supplied certain publications, which were forwarded to the Acting Governor in a secret despatch dated the 31st ultimo.
187
your
letter
plans of the proposed defensive works at Victoria and Esquimalt, referred to in of the 26th July, together with a copy of a letter to the War Office on the subject.
2. I am also to transmit to you a copy of a letter which has since been received from the Admiralty, inclosing a Report on the defence of the harbour of Esquimalt, from Rear- Admiral de Horsey, with the plans which accompany it.t
I am, &c.
(Signed) R. H. MEADE. P.S.-It is requested that the inclosed Report and plans may be returned to this Department when done with, in order that the Report may be printed.
R. H. M.
No. 333.
. I am, &c. (Signed)
R. H. MEADE,
No. 336.
Colonial Office to Admiralty.
The Right Hon. Sir M. E. Hicks Beach, Bart., to Governor Hennessy, C.M.G.
(Secret.) Sir,
Downing Street, September 18, 1878.
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your confidential despatch dated the 21st July,† reporting the laying, for defensive and lighthouse purposes, of a submarine cable between Hong Kong and Green Island, at a cost of 1,275 dollars, and to inform you that it will be brought to the notice of the Colonial Defence Committee.
2. I do not doubt that the telegraphic communication will be found very useful for communicating with the troops in charge of any guns which may be placed in the island.
3. With regard to your suggestion, that one-half of the cost of the cable should be charged to the Imperial Government, I have to refer you to my secret despatch of the 29th May, and to observe that the cost of the proposed defensive works for Hong Kong will be defrayed by Colonial and Imperial contributions, but in what proportion is left for consideration when the Colonial Defence Committee have reported on the subject.
I have, &c. (Signed)
No. 334.
M. E. HICKS BEACH.
(Secret and Confidential.) Sir,
Downing Street, September 20, 1878. I AM directed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to acknowledge the receipt of your confidential letter of the 6th instant, inclosing a Report from Rear-Admiral de Horsey, relative to the defence of the harbour of Esquimalt; and I am to request that you will inform the Lords Commissioners that your letter and inclosures have been laid before the Colonial Defence Committee.
2. I am to take this opportunity of transmitting, for the information of their Lord- ships, a copy of the correspondence noted in the margin, on the subject of the proposed works for the defence of Victoria and Esquimalt.‡
(Secret.)
Sir,
I am, &c. (Signed)
No. 337.
R. H. MEADE.
War Office to Colonial Office.
War Office, September 21, 1878.
I AM directed by the Secretary of State for War to acquaint you, for the information
of Sir Michael Hicks Beach, that in consequence of reports which have been received from
the station, it has been decided not to send out to the Cape of Good Hope the submarine mining stores proposed in the Report of the Colonial Defence Committee."
I have, &c.
(Signed)
J. L. A. SIMMONS, General.
(Secret.) Sir,
Colonial Office to Colonial Defence Committee.
Downing Street, September 18, 1878.
I AM directed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to transmit to you, for any observations which the Colonial Defence Committee may have to offer, a copy of a confi- dential despatch from the Governor of Hong Kong, reporting the laying, for defensive and lighthouse purposes, of a submarine cable between the Colony and Green Island, and suggesting that the Imperial Government should bear half the cost.t
2. I also inclose a copy of a despatch which has been addressed to Governor Hennessy on the subject.
I am, &c.
(Signed)
R. H. MEADE.
No. 335.
Colonial Office to Colonial Defence Committee.
(Secret and Confidential.) Bir,
Downing Street, September 20, 1878.
I AM directed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to transmit to you, for the information of the Colonial Defence Committee, a copy of a despatch which he addressed to the Governor-General of Canada,§ requesting to be furnished with the statement and
• No. 321.
+ No. 326.
↑ No. 333.
+ No. 325.
No. 338.
Acting Governor Way to the Right Hon. Sir M. E. Hicks Beach, Bart.—(Received
(Confidential.)
September 27.)
Sir,
I HAVE the honour to inform you that on receipt of your secret despatch of the 22nd May last,§ I communicated by telegraph with the Governor of Western Australia. The conclusion of peace, however, appeared to both Sir Harry Ord and myself to make it unnecessary to carry on a correspondence by wire.
Government House, Adelaide, August 1878.
2. The mail now about to leave is the first opportunity I have had of addressing Sir Harry Ord by letter since receiving your despatch, and before any correspondence can be concluded Sir William Jervois will be here to make the Report which is required.
3. I may mention that, before receipt of your despatch, my Government and the Government of Western Australia were in negotiation for subsidizing a line of steamers between Port Adelaide and other South Australian ports and the ports of Western Australia. This project, if completed, would have afforded a convenient solution of the difficulty as to the carriage of the Western Australian mails, in the event of the mail- steamer having to come direct to Adelaide, without calling at King George's Sound.
4 No. 121.
• No. $24.
↑ No. 327.
‡ Nus. 810, 324, and 325.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :~~
mmmmmm C.O. 885
4PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO