26
A copy of a letter which, by his Lordship's direction, had been sent to the Colonial Office on this subject on the 16th instant was enclosed in my letter of yesterday to your address.
am now to transmit, for the confidential information of the Lords of the Admiralty, a copy of a letter which has been received to-day from the Colonial Office in reply. It will be seen that, in the opinion of Mr. Secretary Lyttelton, the instructions contained in the Colonial Defence Committee's Meniorandum of July 1899, which deal at some length with the contingencies referred to, are sufficient for the guidance of the Governors of Colonies to whom it has been furnished.
Lord Lansdowne, while fully admitting the necessity of adopting sufficient precautions to guard against the occurrence of such incidents as the Lords Commissioners apprehend, agrees with Mr. Lyttelton that it is not necessary to take any steps other than those which have been already suggested with this object.
I am, &c.
F. A. CAMPBELL.
43230.
(Confidential.)
SIR,
27
No. 49.
FOREIGN OFFICE TO COLONIAL OFFICE.
(Received December 23, 1904.) ~
Foreign Office,
December 22, 1904.
WITH reference to my letter of the 7th instant, I am directed by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to transmit to you, to be laid before Mr. Secretary Lyttelton, for his confidential information, a copy of a letter from the Admiralty relative to the use of the Marshall Islands by the Russian fleet.
Enclosure in No, 49.
ADMIRALTY to FOREIGN OFFICE,
I
am, &c.
F. A. CAMPBELL.
The Secretary
of the Admiralty.
43171.
No. 47.
NATAL.
GOVERNOR SIR H. E. MCCALLUM TO MR. LYTTELTON. (Received 3:17 P.M., December 22, 1904.)
(Paraphrase.)
TELEGRAM.
[Copy to Foreign Office and Admiralty, December 24, 1904, not printed.]
(December 22. No. 1.)
[Answered by No. 117.]
A FRENCH steamer, named the "Espérance," but lately called the "Maori King," from Liverpool and Barry, loaded with 1,020 tons of frozen Argentine meat for Saigon, has called at Durban with bunkers empty, and has requested 1,000 tons of coal to enable her to reach her destination. She called at Tangier and at Dakar on her way out. Her papers are in order, but I suspect that her cargo is intended for the Russian fleet. I have given her only 300 tons of coal, so as to enable her to reach a French port in Madagascar, and her Captain has agreed to this arrangement.
(M. Confidential.)
SIR,
Admiralty,
December 15, 1904.
WITH reference to Admiralty letter M of the 7th instant, forwarding copy of a telegram No. 144 from Commander-in-chief, Australia, as to the use of Marshall Islands as a base for the Baltic fleet, I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to transmit, for the information of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, copy of remarks on the Commander-in-chief's telegram by the Director of Naval Intelligence.
The Under-Secretary of State,
Foreign Office.
I am, &c.
EVAN MACGREGOR.
Use of Marshall Islands by Baltic Fleet. Remarks by Director of Naval Intelligence on Telegram No. 144 from Commander-in-chief, Australia.
THESE islands are about 2,500 miles from Japan. A ship using one of these as
a base of operations in Japan seas (as is implied in the telegram) would have to carry coal to steam 5,000 miles, plus a considerable margin for high speed steaming whilst carrying out these operations at the far end. This is manifestly absurd. Besides, the very friendly neutrality of Germany could hardly go to such lengths. It is, however, quite possible that Germany would permit her possessions in those regions to be used as the last coaling stage for Baltic fleet. In that case the Caroline Islands, being considerably nearer, would be much more suitable.
43171.
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
8859 RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
43209.
No. 48.
CEYLON.
GOVERNOR SIR H. A. BLAKE TO MR. LYTTELTON.
(Paraphrase.)
(Received 4:50 P.M., December 22, 1904.)
TELEGRAM.
REFERRING to your telegram of 21st [? 20th] December.*
The "Coromandel
left Colombo on 18th November for Bombay, carrying no Japanese. The "Ischia " did not call at Colombo in November.
No. 50.
NATAL.
GOVERNOR SIR H. E. MCCALLUM TO MR. LYTTELTON.
(Received 2:15 P.M., December 24, 1904.)
(Paraphrase.)
(December 24. No. 1.)
TELEGRAM.
[Answered by No. 117.]
My telegram No. 1 of the 22nd December.†
Supply of 300 tons of water, 18 tons of vegetables, and 8,000 lemons has been requested by captain of "Espérance." I have authorized all the water and enough lemons and vegetables for the crew to the next French port. I am strengthened in my suspicion about real destination of cargo by demand for an abnormal number of lemons.
• No. 44.
• No. 30 A.
[1185]
↑ No. 47.
E 2
a
43325.
28
No. 51.