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Appendix, No. 17.

Appendix, No. 5.

Expediency of re- mitting the annual military contribu- tion paid by the Ionian States to Great Britain.

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and to investigate the whole subject, in conjunction with Lieutenant-Colonel Trelawney, commanding the royal artillery, and Captain Alexander, comunanding the royal engineers

in the Island.

In answer to the first of the three questions referred to those officers, they have reported in the following terms:-"We think we may propose that the amount and composition of the permanent garrison establishment of the Island, where there is a possibility of attack, should, with the present defences, consist of—

Artillery Infantry Militia

300 800

500."

great In answer to the second question, the officers have reported:-"We consider the deficiency of the works at present to be the total want of a position where the garrison could maintain themselves till they should be relieved;" and, in order to provide against this deficiency, they have recommended certain works, the estimated cost of which would not exceed £15,084 15s. 10jd.

In answer to the third question, the officers have reported:" As the great defence of the Island is the difficulty of effecting a landing, and the best means of preventing it is the immediate opposition of troops in sufficient force, we fear that the construction of a citadel, or works such as we have proposed, will not permit us to reduce the military establish- ment. The strength stated by us, of 1,600 men, appears the lowest that could make an effective resistance, considering the extent and nature of the Island, with the number of landing places; and the works proposed should only be viewed as the means of pre- serving the ultimate possession, should the superior force of the enemy, or accident, oblige the garrison to abandon the coast, and retire to them.

"In times of perfect security, and especially if ships of war be on the station, the garrison may of course be reduced below that scale; but we would still recommend sonic increase to the present number of artillery, &c., and also in the present number of militia, who, from their capability of traversing mountain paths, where no troops could follow them, we think might be made an effective force, if encouraged and inspired with a love for the service."

The report of the committee of officers having been submitted to the Governor, Major-General Middlemore, was approved by him. Their proposed system of defence appears to the Inspector-General of Fortifications to be judicious. The Master-General of the Ordnance gives it as his opinion that the report is very judicious; but he differs, although with diffidence, as to the amount of force proposed for the defence of the Island. It appears to him, that it would be unreasonable to calculate on any attack on the Island of St. Helena, beyond an attempt to take it by a coup de main, or at least, certainly not on such an attack as would admit of landing a force at different points; to attempt which would require a larger number of troops than any Power would like to employ in it, looking to the peculiar character of the Island, and the impossibility of finding an anchorage for a fleet, excepting under the guns of the place.

But the Master-General is of opinion, that the number of artillerymen should be augmented, either by the formation of a corps of militia artillery in the Island, or by an additional number of men from this country; and he concurs, moreover, with the com- mittee of officers in thinking that it would be desirable to increase somewhat the infantry force, although hardly perhaps to the extent proposed by them.

It remains to be stated that, in pursuance of the arrangements which have been made at the commencement of the present year for meeting the pressing exigencies of the public service at the Cape of Good Hope, measures have been taken for transferring three of the service companies of the 91st regiment, with its head quarters, from St. Helena to the Cape, so that by this time the regular troops appointed for the defence of the Island, cannot be estimated to exceed 355 rank and file, including artillery.

It has been suggested by the General Commanding-in-Chief, but without reference to the facts of the preceding statement, that the island might be garrisoned by three veteran companies to be formed from soldiers who have served in India. The Secretary at War is of opinion that veteran companies formed from pensioners of the Royal Artillery would be preferable.

From the Ionian Islands a question is pressed officially on Lord Normanby's atten- tion by the Lord High Commissioner, Sir Howard Douglas, which had already been sub- mitted, in an unofficial form, to Lord Glenelg,

The Government is aware that the Ionian States now pay to Her Majesty an annual contribution of £35,000 per annum, towards the expense incurred by Great Britain for the military defence of the States.

The history of that contribution is shortly this

•

The IVth Article of the Treaty of Paris, 5th November, 1815, by which the Ionian Legislative Islands were placed under the protection of Great Britain, provided that a Assembly should be convoked, with the view of drawing up a constitutional charter for regulating the internal Government of the States, which Ilis Britannic, Majesty should be requested to ratify; the Vth Article stipulated that His Majesty should have the right to maintain garrisons in the Islands; and the VIth Article of the same Treaty enacted what His Britannic Majesty emsents, that a particular convention ith the Government ** of the said (Ionian) States shall regulate, according to the revenues those States, every- thing which may relate to the maintenance of the fortresses already existing, as well as to "the subsistence and payment of the British garnisons, and to the number of men of which

follows:-

"they shall be composed in the time of peace. The same convention shall fix the relations "which are to exist between the said armed force and the Ionian Government."

When Sir Thomas Maitland assumed the administration of Ionian affairs in 1816, his first care was to take measures for fulfilling the object of the IVth Article of the Treaty of Paris, which was finally accomplished by the enactment and ratification of the Ionian Charter.

But the depressed state of the revenues of the Islands appeared to Sir Thomas Maitland to render it impracticable to

to call upon the States enter into defined engagements, in regard to the extent of the contribution to which they were liable, under the VIth Article of the Treaty. He, therefore, for the time, limited his negotiations with the Legislative Assembly, to the end of inducing that body to in- troduce into their Charter the general features of the arrangement traced out in the Treaty. Accordingly it was enacted by the Charter, that the regular established number of His Majesty's troops, for the garrison of the islands, should be considered as consisting of 3,000 men; but that it should be competent to increase or diminish that number as His Majesty's Commander-in-Chief might deem fitting, and that all expence of quartering the regular forces of His Majesty, the Protecting Sovereign, and, generally speaking, all military expences of every kind, to be incurred by the States (as far as relates to the 3,000 men above-named), should be paid out of the general treasury of the same.

Without stopping to notice the numerous conflicting interpretations which have been put upon the meaning of the last enactment, it will be sufficient to state here, that there is reason for believing that its intention was to reserve to its author the power of regulating administratively, in concert with the Ionian Government, the objects con- templated in the VIth Article of the Treaty of Paris, until the period might arrive when it would be safe and proper to enter into a more defined and formal understanding with the States.

In accordance with these views of Sir Thomas Maitland, the Ionian States, besides providing for the salaries of the British functionaries, including the Lord High Com- missioner, gradually took on themselves the expence of quartering the troops, of providing for the pay of the staff, and various other fluctuating charges, besides providing separate successive grants to the extent of about £220,000 for rebuilding the fortifications of Corfu, until, in the year 1834, it was represented by Lord Nugent, that he concurred with his predecessor, Sir F. Adam, in thinking it desirable that it should be finally decided to what extent the States should contribute towards the expense of their military protection, and that the Ionian Legislature would willingly agree to a fixed con- tribution of £40,000 per annum, besides undertaking to provide for the maintenance of a Fencible Regiment.

Lord Stanley acquiesced in these propositions; but was of opinion that Lord Nugent had overrated the means of the Ionian Government, and that the contribution should be fixed at £35,000; with the understanding, that the Protecting Sovereign would undertake to provide the means of completing the fortifications of Corfu.

Lord Nugent was finally instructed to conclude an arrangement to that effect with the States: but as the particular form, in which that arrangement was executed, was not approved, it ultimately devolved upon Sir Howard Douglas to complete the measure in the shape of an enactment of the Legislative Assembly, now forming part of the Charter, of which an extract is subjoined, viz.

The Legislative Assembly, &c., &c., deliberates and declares:

"Whereas it is provided by the VIth Article of the Treaty, which was concluded at "Paris, on the 5th day of November, 1815, between Great Britain, Austria, Russia, and "Prussia, that everything relating to the fortresses already existing, as well as to the sub- "sistence and payment of the British garrisons, shall be regulated by a convention with the "Government of the United States of the Ionian Islands, Now it is hereby understood and "enacted, that the Ionian States shall, from the 1st of November, 1834, pay annually into "His Majesty the Protecting Sovereign's military chest, by quarterly payments, the sum of "£35,000 sterling in fulfilment of the obligation imposed upon the States by the aforesaid "Treaty, in respect of the maintenance of the existing fortresses, and of the subsistence and pay- ment of the British garrisons; provided, nevertheless, that it shall be reserved to His Majesty, "as well as to the Ionian States, to demand a just and proportionate increase or diminution "of the said sum, according as the state of the Ionian revenues shall render an increase or "a diminution reasonable and expedient."

When Lord Stanley proposed to fix the amount of the contribution at £35,000, instead of £40,000, as suggested by Lord Nugent, he bore in mind that the States were defraying the salaries, not only of the Lord High Commissioner, but of all the British functionaries, which could not be estimated much under £15,000 per annum. But he took into consideration also the charge of a Fencible Regiment, amounting to above £12,000, which Lord Nugent had it in contemplation to propose for the sanction of the Ionian Legislature. At that time the expence of the eivil Government, including the salaries of the British functionaries, was fixed at £90,000; and although Lord Nugent estimated the revenue at £180,000, Lord Stanley doubted the propriety of relying on more than £145,000.

The subjoined statement of the public income of the States, since the year 1884, seems to corroborate Lord Stanley's doubts.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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Reference :-

885

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