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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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Reference :-

C.O. 882

1

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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Enclosure 1.

Governor Bonham to Rear-Admiral Collier.

Victoria, Hong Kong, April 5, 1849. I HAVE the honour to bring to the notice of your Excellency, that in obedience to instructions from the Right Honourable the Earl Grey, Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies, it becomes my duty to institute a strict search into the expenditure of this colony, civil, naval, and military; and I hope for the cordial assistance of your Excellency in affording me information connected with the expenditure of the naval department here.

In the first instance it is desirable that I should be furnished with an account of the total annual expenditure entailed upon the Government for the establishment of the naval victualler and storekeeper's department, the nature and value of the stores under his charge, together with the condition and outlay of the present naval stores, buildings, and a detail of any future expenditure which may be in contemplation, either for stores, or public works, or repairs.

be I should also feel obliged for any suggestions that your Excellency may pleased to offer relative to the present site occupied by the naval store rooms, or of any other which to your Excellency may appear better suited for that purpose; and lastly, with a view to making every possible reduction compatible with the interests of the Crown and the objects for which the various depart- ments have been established, I would beg to be further favoured with your opinion upon the following points:

1st. Does your Excellency consider that the "Minden" is equal to con- taining the variety of ship gear and dry stores likely to be required for repairing, refitting, and supplying the squadron ordinarily in these seas, without any buildings being wanted for similar stores on shore?

2ndly. Supposing that the naval victualling department at West Point was abolished, could its duties be transferred to the army commissariat on shore?

3rdly. If the department of naval storekeeper could also be dispensed with, and the ordnance storekeeper directed to furnish Her Majesty's ships with such stores and munitions of war as had been hitherto supplied by the naval store- keeper, would the wants of the navy be as efficiently supplied, and the service equally well conducted ?

In conclusion, I would beg to observe that it is of the utmost importance to enable me to report on this subject, that I should have the benefit and advantage of your Excellency's advice and opinion upon matters so purely naval.

I have, &c.

S. G. BONHAM.

Sir,

(Signed)

Enclosure 2.

Rear-Admiral Collier to Governor Bonham.

"Hastings," at Hong Kong, April 9, 1849.

I HAVE had the bonour to receive your Excellency's letter of the oth instant, communicating the instructions you have received from Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for the Colonies, to institute a strict search into the expenditure of the colony of Hong-Kong, civil, naval, and military; and requesting my assistance therein, which I am happy to afford you, so far as my humble abilities will permit.

I will reply to the questions of your Excellency in the order in which they have been put.

I have called for a return of the total annual expense of the establishment of the naval storekeeper and agent victualler, which is herewith transmitted for your Excellency's information." I must however be permitted to remark that the expense of this establishment, which is already at as low an ebb as possible, refers not merely to the colony of Hong Kong, but is incurred for the general requirements of Her Majesty's ships and vessels employed on the East India and China station; and as so large a proportion of the squadron has of late been

employed on the coast of China, your Excellency will readily understand that no reduction of the naval civil establishment here can be ventured upon with Your safety, while so many of Her Majesty's vessels are retained in these parts. Excellency can judge whether or not the presence of the squadron is required in China; but so long as it is stationed in these seas there must be adequate means for providing the ships with stores and provisions.

With regard to the nature and value of the stores in charge of the naval storekeeper and agent victualler, I think the first point only need be stated. The stores are what are ordinarily understood by naval stores, and are too numerous to define. There should be every article necessary for the fitting, rigging, refitting, repairing, and victualling of the squadron. The value of these naval and victualling stores is undoubtedly large, but varies so much from day to day as the wants of the squadron may be supplied, and according to the quantities that are sent from England, that any calculation of their value would be giving useless trouble to estimate, and would only mislead your Excellency.

I am not the first person to point out, nor is this the first occasion on which have pointed out that the condition of the buildings at present designated the naval storehouses, is most dilapidated, and that they are altogether and evidently unfit for the purposes to which they have been applied. I have already declined to sanction any further outlay upon them, beyond what may be absolutely required to protect the stores and provisions from the weather; and the experi- ence which every day brings me only tends to strengthen the opinions I have previously expressed. I do not therefore contemplate any further expenditure for works or repairs upon the present naval storehouses.

The site of the buildings at West Point is extremely inconvenient and objectionable, and I have recommended to the Admiralty a range of storehouses, now vacant, called the Albany Godowns, as being well adapted for naval purposes; but I will presently bring under the notice of your Excellency a pile of buildings which will be still more appropriate for the purpose.

Your Excellency inquires whether I consider "that the Minden is equal to containing the variety of ship gear and dry stores likely to be required for repairing, refitting, and supplying the squadron ordinarily in these seas, without any buildings being wanted for similar stores on shore."

To which I answer that the Minden certainly is not equal to containing the whole of the naval stores likely to be required; there are some articles such as spars, anchors, chain cables, iron, coals, boats, &c., which from the want of space and other causes, can only be properly stowed and kept in order on shore; while it is absolutely necessary for the preservation in this country of many kinds of naval stores, that they should be kept afloat.

The next question is, "supposing that the naval victualling department at West Point was abolished, could its duties be transferred to the army com- missariat on shore?"

I think not.

On the 6th instant, 2,150 men were victualled on board Her Majesty's ships in China; and if the present establishment of the commissariat be no more than sufficient to supply the wants of the army, it follows that the number of officers and men must be very much increased if the same branch of the service were also called upon to supply the navy; and in my opinion the increased expense would be better applied in maintaining, as heretofore, alto- gether a distinct victualling establishment for the navy,-the system of accounts, and the scale of victualling and general duties being so different.

To the next question-" If the department of naval storekeeper could also be dispensed with, and the ordnance storekeeper directed to furnish Her Majesty's ships with such stores and munitions of war as had hitherto been supplied by the naval storekeeper, would the wants of the navy be as sufficiently supplied, and the service equally well conducted ?'

"

I must again answer no! but it is a question well worthy of consideration, whether an efficient naval storekeeper would not be quite capable of supplying the wants of the ordnance. Certainly I think much more so than the ordnance storekeeper possibly could be of supplying the navy. I need only beg of your Excellency to compare the number of the ships of war with the number of artillery quartered at Hong Kong, which from the impossibility of fortifying the place, never can be a large garrison.

This brings me to the subject of the splendid range of buildings which have been erected for ordnance storehouses, and which seem to me to be infinitely C