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82

No. 167.

The Earl of Dufferin to the Right Hon. Sir M. E. Hicks Beach, Bart.—(Received June 12.)

(Secret.) Sir,

Government House, Ottawa, May 28, 1878.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch of the 11th May, marked Secret, inclosing copies of a report of the Colonial Defence Committee on the defences of Esquimalt and the harbour of Victoria, which have been duly communicated to my Government.

No. 168,

I have, &c.

(Signed)

DUFFERIN.

The Earl of Dufferin to the Right Hon. Sir M. E. Hicks Beach, Bart.--(Received June 12.) (Confidential.) Sir,

Government House, Ottawa, May 30, 1878.

I HAVE the honour of submitting to you for the information of Her Majesty's Government a copy of a letter addressed to the Honourable the Acting Minister of Militia and Defence by Lieutenant-General Sir Edward Selby Smyth, setting forth the services that have been carried out for the better protection of the Canadian sea-board, as well as the land frontier along the boundary line.

Sir,

Inclosure in No. 168.

I have, &c. (Signed) DUFFERIN.

Lieutenant-General Sir E. Selby Smyth to the Acting Minister of Militia and Defence.

Ottawa, May 29, 1878.

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I HAVE the honour to report that since writing my letter, dated the 3rd instant, addressed to the Minister of Militia, representing my impressions of the consequences that might follow upon the arrival of the steamer "Cimbria" from Russia, in the port of Ellsworth, State of Maine, I have carried out the following services for the better protection of our sea-board as well as the land frontier along the boundary line, viz. :—

Nova Scotia.

Two 32-pounder guns placed in battery at New Liverpool, and a battery of artillery. men ordered to be raised and instructed in

gunnery.

Four 32-pounder guns mounted at Yarmouth (south point), and a battery of artillerymen to be raised and instructed by a non-Commissioned Officer of Royal Artillery.

Four 32-pounder guns to be mounted at Sydney, Cape Breton, and a battery of artillerymen to be raised.

The battery of six 32-pounder guns at Digby, entrance to Bay of Annapolis, to be repaired and rendered fit for service. The battery of artillerymen to be instructed more perfect in gunnery.

The efficient battery at Pictou to be supplied with service ammunition; likewise those before named.

New Brunswick.

Fort Dufferin at St. John armed with five ft converted rifled guns and two 32-pounders. This is an excellent commanding work."

Red Head battery to be armed with four 32-pounder guns to cross fire with Fort Dufferin to command entrance by both channels.

ODE

Partridge Island lying in the entrance and dividing the two channels. Works to be

gune, thoroughly repaired; its armament consists of two 8-inch guns, two long 68 32-pounder and one 18-pounder.

Barrack battery, inside the harbour four 32-pounder guns.

• No. 90.

63.

Carlton Tower has one 32-pounder with an all round,fire, but, the tower will cost. 2,000 dollars to repair it.

The above guns are all supplied with shot and shell.

There are 250 artillerymen in St, John very fairly drilled and instructed in gunnery, besides a company of engineers fifty strong and about 300 infantry.

Reinforcements of infantry to the extent of 1,200 are within a short journey by trains from St. John.

St. Andrews on the immediate frontier has a small battery of two 32-pounder guns and some artillerymen; these have been ordered to be looked to.

Prince Edward Island.

A small battery of four 32-pounder guns at head of Hillsboro' Bay, close to Charlotte Town, to be repaired and rendered serviceable.

There is a 6-pounder battery of six field guns at Charlotte Town.

There are 40 artillerymen. This island is badly defended, and open to attack from the sea all around.

There are about 1,600 militia in detached companies.

The above comprises all the militia defence for the coasts of the maritime provinces that have been undertaken since the date of my letter.

There is a considerable force of militia, cavalry, and infantry in the interior of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in very good order.

I do not allude to Halifax, as it has an Imperial garrison.

But the militia have a coast battery of heavy guns at Point Pleasant.

From the maritime provinces to Quebec there is no defence except a small 2-gun battery of 24-pounder guns at Gropé basin.

The remainder of the long line of coast with many rich and flourishing sea-ports it quite defenceless.

this

Quebec.

Has been well armed of late. Besides its old smooth bore armament and six 7-inch breech-loading rifled guns, I last year mounted ten converted Palliser rifled guns and

year a 7-inch and an 8-inch Palliser rifled gun presented by Sir William Palliser. The citadel would give a good account of any number of wooden ships, or anything short of a heavy ironclad.

At the three forts of Levis we have mounted sixteen 32-pounder cannonades to sweep

the ditches, and a 7-incù breech-loading rifled gun on the salient of each fort will be mounted when the concrete platforms are ready for the racers.

B battery of artillery, 160 strong, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Strange, R.A., permanently garrisons the citadel.

A new battery of artilleryinen, 42 strong, has been raised for Quebec, and tolerably drilled.

A battery of the same strength has been also ordered to be enrolled at Levis for the forts.

Quebec should have 300 artillerymen, and not a man to spare, to man its extensive and important batteries.

Further west :-

I

was directed to prepare six 6-pounder bronze gune and two 24-pounder howitzers with ship carriages, to arm hired steamers at Kingston and St. Catherine's,

on Lake Ontario, and at Windsor and Samia on Detroit and St. Clair Rivers. These are ready, and twenty artillerymen told off for each steamer, under officers.

All along the frontier from New Brunswick to Lake Huron, as well as in Manitoba, the rifles have been taken from the armouries, where they might have been captured by surprise, and distributed to the militiamen, with twenty rounds of ball cartridge per rifle.

About 1,500 miles of frontier: This in view of warning notices of communistic organizations of drilled men in many thousands, prepared, it is said, to trespass with hostile intent upon Canadian soil, if England should become involved in a European war. I think the foregoing embraces all the preparations subsequent to my letter before

I have, &c.

referred to.

(Signed)

ED. SELBY SMYTH,

P.S.-I omitted to refer to Vancouver Island. About three weeks ago Lieut.-Colonel Irvine, R.A., was sent there to construct a

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