PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
C.O..
Reference :-
885
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO
5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
310
APPENDIX D. to No. 66.
GOVERNOR SIR A. MUSGRAVE, K.C.M.G. (QUEENSLAND), to the RIGHT HON. THE EARL OF DERBY, K.G. (Received October 5, 1885.)
MY LORD,
Government House, Brisbane, August 19, 1885.
REFERRING to your Lordship's Despatch of 12th June last, with respect to the defenceless condition of King George's Sound, communicating a scheme of defence for that port which has been recommended by the Inspector-General of Forti- fications, I now have the honour to enclose a copy of a letter from the Colonial Secretary and leader of the Government, in which he expresses the readiness of this Government to join the other Colonies in provision for this purpose, and proposes to communicate at once with the other Colonies in the sense of his letter to me.
2. I entirely concur in Mr. Griffith's remarks upon the position of Thursday Island in Torres Straits.
The Right Hon. the Secretary of State
SIR,
for the Colonies.
I have, &c., (Signed) A. MUSGRAVE.
Colonial Secretary's Office, Brisbane, August 17, 1885.
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt from your Excellency of Lord Derby's Despatch of 12th June last, with respect to the defenceless condition of King George's Sound, in which the Secretary of State communicates a scheme of defence for that port which has been recommended by the Inspector-General of Forti- fications, and invites this Government to consider the proposals in conjunction with the Governments of the other Australian Colonies, and cominunicate their views to Her Majesty's Government.
2. After consideration of the matter this Government has no difficulty in at once expressing its willingness to join with the Governments of the other Colonies in esta- blishing and maintaining the suggested scheme of defence on the basis of a contribution in proportion to the population of the several Colonies.
3. I think it right, however, to invite the attention of Her Majesty's Government to the position of Thursday Island, which is in many rospects analogous to that of King George's Sound, as has been recently pointed out by Admiral Tryon in a Despatch addressed by him on the 17th of June last to Lord Augustus Loftus. Although this Government is not disposed to stipulate as a condition to its joining in the necessary measures for the defence of King George's Sound that the two places should be dealt with in the same manner, they think that the other Colonies may fairly be called upon to share with Queensland the cost of establishing and maintaining a proper scheme of defence in Torres Straits.
4. I propose to communicate at once with the other Colonies in the sense of this letter, of which, with your Excellency's permission, I propose to send them copies.
I have, &c.. (Signed) S. W. GRIFFITH.
His Excellency Sir Anthony Musgrave, G.C.M.G.,
Governor.
APPENDIX E. to No. 66.
GOVERNOR SIR G. C. STRAHAN, K.C.M.G. (TASMANIA), to COLONEL THE RIGHT HON. F. A. STANLEY, M.P. (Received October 21, 1885.)
SIR,
Government House, Hobart, September 5, 1885.
In reply to your predecessor's Despatch of 12th June last, with reference
to the defenceless condition of King George's Sound, I have the honour to forward to you a Memorandum from the Premier which I have received upon the subject.
Col. the Right Hon. F. A. Stanley, M.P.
&c.
&c.
&c.
I have, &c.,
(Signed) GEO. C. STRAHAN.
311
MEMORANDUM for His EXCELLENCY the GOVERNOR.
Premier's Office, Hobart, August 20, 1885. THE Premier has the honour to return to your Excellency Despatch of the 12th June last, requesting the consideration of the Government of this Colony for certain proposals connected with the defence of the Port of Albany, Western Australia.
Your Excellency's advisers have given careful attention to this subject, and whilst fully recognising the great importance attached to the fortification of a coaling station so advantageously situated as Albany, they are able to recommend that, under the existing circumstances, the Colony of Tasmania should be burdened with a heavy disbursement of public funds for this purpose.
The contribution proposed to be made by Her Majesty's Government towards the expense of the projected works and their maintenance appears to Ministers to be quito inadequate in comparison with the large Imperial interests involved.
The principal value of Albany as a coaling station consists in the facilities it affords to vessels of Her Majesty's Navy, and to vessels belonging to companies of purely British constitution, and therefore, under these circumstances, as the Colonial stake at issue in its existence as a coaling station is comparatively so unimportant, this Govern- ment consider that the larger proportion of the estimated cost of the proposed defence works and the attendant expenses should be defrayed by the mother country.
The Premier, however, is of opinion that a subject of this importance, involving the expenditure of large sums of public money, should be postponed for the consideration of a Federal Council, when the representatives of most of the Colonies interested will have an opportunity of fully discussing the merits of the scheme,
ADYE DOUGLAS.
APPENDIX F. to No. 66.
GOVERNOR SIR W. F. D. JERVOIS, G.C.M.G., C.B. (NEW ZEALAND), to COLONEL THE
RIGHT HON. F. A. STANLEY, M.P. (Received January 4, 1886.)
SIR.
Government House, Wellington, November 18, 1885.
WITH reference to the Despatch from your predecessor, dated the 12th June last, concerning the defences of King George's Sound, I have the honour to state that 1 forwarded it to my Ministers accompanied with a Memorandum (of which I enclose a copy) pointing out the importance to this Colony of King George's Sound. and suggesting that the Government of New Zealand should place themselves in com- munication with the several Governments of Australia, with a view of ascertaining the course which each proposed to adopt.
2. I had previously, in my address to the New Zealand Institute on the 4th October 1884 (as also in a lecture which I delivered in South Australia upwards of five years ago), suggested that the Australasian Colonies should unite in sharing the outlay requisite for the defence of King George's Sound.
3. I transmit herewith a copy of a Memorandum which I have received from my Ministers on the subject, stating that the Government of this Colony is unable to offer any opinion thereon until Parliament has been consulted.
I forward also copies of the letters which were received by my Government from the Governments of Victoria, Queensland, and Tasmania in answer to their com- munications.
I have, &c.,
(Signed) WM. F. DRUMMOND JERVOIS.
The Right Hon. Colonel Stanley, M.P.,
&c.
&c.
&c.
MEMORANDUM with reference to Despatch dated 12th June 1885, from the Secretary
of State for the Colonies, on the defence of King George's Sound.
Is coming to a conclusion on this important matter it should be observed :—
1. That the only routes for ships approaching the Australasian Colonies, including New Zealand, from the westward, are by the Suez Canal and the Cape of Good Hope.
▲ 51431,
Y Y
-