PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O.
8855 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO
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Total expenditure by the department of militia and defence
during above period for the services specified
Or an average annual expenditure during the 15 years of VII. Any further expenditure projected. The general question of the defences being still under considera- tion, any special expenditure cannot meantime be specified.
15,407,100 1,027,140
The Committee advise that your Excellency be moved to forward the information contained herewith to Sir Henry Holland in accordance with the request contained in his despatch of the 20th January last.
All which is respectfully submitted for your Excellency's approval.
No. 78.
(Signed) JOHN J. MCGEE,
NEW SOUTH WALES DEFENCES.
Clerk, Privy Council,
Canada.
PAPER presented on behalf of the DELEGATES from NEW SOUTH WALES to the COLONIAL CONFERENCE, held in London in the mouths of April and May 1887.
THE military history of New South Wales, the parent Colony of the Australasian group, before the year 1870, up to which time the Colony had been garrisoned by the Imperial troops, is briefly narrated in the official memorandum of the commandant, which is embodied at length in this paper.
In the year 1870, a Royal Commission was appointed by the Right Honourable the Earl of Belmore, who was then Governor of New South Wales, to inquire into, consider, and report upon all matters touching and concerning measures necessary for the defence of the Colony of New South Wales from foreign aggression; and the Royal Commission presented its report in November 1870, which dealt with the various plans and suggestions made to them under two heads, styled "The outer and the inner lines of defence." The former consisted in fortifying the heads of Port Jackson, and in con- structing powerful batteries on Middle Head, George's Head, and the Inner South Hend, while the inner system had in view the protection of the anchorage and the city by batteries at Mrs. Macquaries' Chair, Forts Denison, Kirribilli, Macquarie, and Dawes' Point.
The Commission also recommended that booms should be laid down at the harbour in curves convex to seaward in order to obtain the greatest amount of elasticity from the Sow and Pigs Rock to George's Head on the one side, and from the Sow and Pigs Rock to the head between Lady Bay and Camp Cove on the other side, the shore ends of the booms to be flanked by guns in casemate batteries; à series of lines of torpedoes laid in the main channels of Port Jackson; and two small steam gun-boats.
It was further recommended that Botany Bay and the Port of Newcastle, as offering opportunities for attack on the part of an invading force, should be adequately protected, and urged upon his Excellency the enrolment of a small regular force, consisting of a battery of garrison artillery and a company of infantry. Also the immediate importation of twenty heavy guns of the best description, and two batteries of 9-pounder field guns of the latest approved pattern.
This Commission further reported that, while expressing an opinion that it was highly improbable that a direct attack on Sydney, or any attempt to invest it, would be made in the direction of Botany Bay, which might endanger the destruction of the waterworks supplying the city with water, an earthwork should be constructed, with three 32-pounder guns, and the works protected by a number of small torpedoes placed throughout the water area of the vicinity.
It was also pointed out that the great value of the export trade of Newcastle, coupled with the circumstances of the port being the most convenient in those seas at which an enemy could obtain the necessary supply of coal to enable him to conduct offensive operations against the Colonies, rendered it necessary that effectual means should be adopted to make the port inaccessible to hostile vessels.
In the year 1876, in connexion with this question of defence of the Australasian Colonies, a correspondence was opened up between Sir John Robertson (then Premier and
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Colonial Secretary) with the Colonies of Victoria, South Australia, and Queensland, pointing out that, in the contemplation of events then passing in Europe, which seemed to render the contingency of war not altogether improbable, and also perils to which, in the event of war, these great Colonies would be exposed, it would be highly prudent to obtain the best professional advice within reach to guide the Colonies to some effective scheme of defence, on which such funds as it would be thought well to apply to the purposes of defence might be expended.
In the full assurance that the funds would be applied to the best advantage, it was suggested that an application should be made by the Governor of New South Wales, and supported by similar applications on the part of the other Colonies chiefly interested in the matter, to obtain, if possible, the services of Sir William Jervois, or some other officer of high eminence in the profession of military engineering, for the purpose of obtaining his advice on a general scheme of defence.
Telegraphic communication was, accordingly, opened up between the Colonies interested, and the Imperial Government, from the tenour of which it that Sir William Jervois could not be spared from the Government of the Straits Settle- ments for some time, and Colonels Laffan and Scratchley were selected by the Imperial appears Government, and the appointment was ratified by the Colonial Governments.
It was, however, found possible to permit Sir William Jervois to visit the Colonies in May 1877, and, accompanied by Lieut.-Colonel Scratchley, R.E., he made an elaborate and interesting preliminary report to his Excellency Sir Hercules Robinson (then Governor), after having with Colonel Scratchley inspected the works ai that time con- structed for the defence of Port Jackson, the country between the Hawkesbury and Wollongong, the harbours, bays, and coast between the latter place and Broken Bay on the south, and on the north the port of Newcastle.
In this preliminary memorandum respecting the defences of New South Wales, which is dated Sydney, 4th June 1877, Sir William Jervois considers in a clear and exhaustive manner the question of how best to resist foreign aggression, and the nature and degree of attack to which the Colonies might be exposed. It is assumed in this report that there is not much probability of an expedition on an extensive scale being dispatched against Australia, and that in the event of Great Britain' being engaged in hostilities with any great maritime power, the enemy would retain the most powerful portion of its fleet in European waters, or in the Atlantic; and if any considerable portion of a hostile fleet were despatched on an expedition against the Australian Colonies, a sufficient part of the home fleet would in turn be set free to intercept it, and the Colonies might rely for further assistance on the Imperial squadrons in the Pacific, China, the Australian, and Indian Stations. It was, however, pointed out that an attack of this nature was im- probable, but that one or more cruisers might be dispatched to operate against our maritime commerce, or make a descent upon our Colonial possessions. A squadron intended for such an operation might consist of some three or four vessels, one or two of which would probably be armoured, and might issue from the Russian ports of Vladivostock, or Petropaulovski, from the French port of Saigon, from San Francisco, or from some other quarter.
Sir William Jervois' report, which is a valuable one, describes the general character of the const-line of New South Wales, which extends for a distance of 600 nautical miles, and is open to the Pacific Ocean. He pointed out that the coast generally consists
of cliffs of varying heights, bold headlands, and undulating hills, interspersed with low- lying country and sandy beaches, with no islands of any importance along the seaboard, and further stated that the navigation of the coast lighted.
was easy, and it was well
He further described the harbours of Port Jackson (about 4 miles from the entrance of which Sydney is situated), and, to the north, the harbours of Broken Bay, Newcastle, and Port Stephens, and of the open roadsteads at Cape Byron, Trial Bay, and Cape Hawke. A description is also given of Botany Bay, which is south of Port Jackson and close to Sydney, Jervis Bay, 95 miles distant, Twofold Bay, near the boundary of Victoria, and of the minor harbours.
The places most likely to be attacked, as pointed out clearly in the report, are of course Sydney (the capital) and Newcastle (the flourishing port of the greatest coal district of New South Wales). After investigating the probabilities of attack on these places under varying circumstances, and referring to the recommendations of the Commission appointed by the Government of New South Wales, as above mentioned, six years before, Sir William Jervois and Colonel Scratchley pointed out the enormous additional experience that had been gained in the meantime as to the efficacy of torpedoes, and also that, under an efficient system of submarine mines, the booms which had been already recommended would be altogether an unnecessary expense, but might 3 D 3