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No. 17.

Government House, Perth, July 14, 1879.

Governor Sir H. St. George Ord, K.C.M.G., to the Right Hon. Sir Michael Hicks Beach, Bart. (Received August 27.) (Secret.) Sir,

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch, Secret, of the 20th February, 1879,* in reply to my despatch, Secret and Confidential, of the 28th August, 1878, respecting the defences of the Colony, in which you are good enough to say that you have observed with much satisfaction the attention I have given to the subject, and that the views I have expressed upon it have been read with interest, pointing out, how- ever, that it is not to be expected that Her Majesty's Government can reopen the question of principle with which my despatch deals.

2. am much gratified with this expression of your approval at the manner in which I have undertaken this duty, and am perfectly satisfied with the conclusions which have been arrived at respecting it. I had no other object than to lay before Her Majesty's Government the opinion which I have formed on the matter during a military and civil career extending over a great many years, under circumstances which required me to give much consideration to it. I have therefore felt it to be right that I should put forth these views when the opportunity was afforded me, but without any expectation that they would receive any consideration, differing so greatly as they do from those adopted by the very able and experienced officer on whose opinion Her Majesty's Government is now acting.

3. I notice in the inclosure that the Admiralty, in their letter of the 12th February, 1879, state that they fail to see any reason advanced in my despatch to cause them to alter the views they entertain respecting the giving up King George's Sound, which were communicated to the Colonial Office in the Admiralty letter of the 10th May, 1878. I do not presume to doubt the soundness of the conclusion at which the Admiralty has arrived, after the perusal of the objections which I ventured to suggest existed to such a step, but it would be a satisfaction to me to learn the grounds on which this decision has been arrived at, and to know wherein my judgment has been at fault, and I shall be obliged if you will allow me to be supplied with a copy of the Admiralty letter of the 10th May, 1878, referred to.

4. I would also take the liberty of asking that my despatch, Secret and Confidential, of the 28th August, 1878, may be submitted for the perusal of the members of the Colonial Defence Committee, if still sitting, or to any body of officers to whom this, or any similar question, may be referred, and that it may be included in any copies of corre- spondence on the subject which may be eventually laid before Parliament.

I have, &c.

(Signed) H. ST. GEORGE ORD.

No. 18.

Acting Governor Anson, C.M.G., to the Right Hon. Sir Michael Hicks Beach, Bart.— (Received August 28.)

(No. 242.)

Sir,

Government House, Singapore, July 22, 1879.

I HAVE the honour to transmit, for your information, a copy of the Report of Lieutenant McCallum, Royal Engineers, on the military defences which he has constructed at this Settlement.

2. In transmitting this Report I should be doing an injustice to this excellent engineer officer were I to neglect to bring under your notice the general abilities, great professional knowledge, and energy he has displayed in carrying out these works for the Colony. Much credit is also due to him for his tact and good management in overcoming no light difficulties in connection with the contractors and labourers he employed, as well as for the economical manner in which he managed the funds at his disposal.

3. Should Captain Satterthwaite's health prevent his resuming his duties here, no better qualified officer than Lieutenant McCallum, who has acquired a knowledge of the language spoken in the Colony, could be found to replace him.

4. Lieutenant McCallum served as Private Secretary to Sir William Jervois, when Governor of this Colony, who spoke to me in the highest terms of his abilities.

I have, &c.

A. E. H. ANSON,

(Signed)

No. 18 of "Miscellaneous, No. 38."

† No. 347 of “Miscellaneous, No. 35 m.”

17

Inclosure in No. 18.

Sir,

Defence Office, Singapore, July 16, 1879. AS the defences of Singapore cannot but be a matter of great colonial interest, I consider it right that I should, before leaving Singapore, furnish a Report for the informa- tion of his Excellency the Administrator upon the work which has been executed during the last year.

Upon the 24th April, 1878, I received orders by telegram to proceed from Hong Kong (where I was then stationed) to Singapore, there to meet the General Officer Com- manding, who was about to start from England. At that time affairs with Russia were assuming a serious aspect, and war appeared to be imminent, so much so that the various Colonies were ordered to adopt such measures as they were able to defend themselves against the attack of hostile cruizers, and, above all, to defend or burn their coals. At Hong Kong measures were taken to throw up earthworks and mount guns; and, when the telegram referred to arrived, I was hard at work designing and constructing the necessary batteries,

I arrived in this Colony on the 18th May, and at once put myself in communication with his Excellency the Governor, who acquainted me with what was being done in the matter of defence. This could be but little. An antiquated smooth-bore armament (56-pounders) was being mounted in old Fort Palmer, which was being cleared of jungle; but, as I pointed out, the fire of such armament (which was the only one available) could be considered effective only over a very small zone of defence, extending, indeed, not even to the front of the town.7.

However, as it seemed probable that guns of modern construction were being hastily dispatched from England to the various Colonies, Mount Palmer Battery would have formed a convenient platform to have mounted two guns in a temporary manner to bring a fire to bear over the eastern entrance to the new harbour; but the battery itself was 60 unfortunately situated on the side of the hill, and its design was so faulty and feeble, that no idea could be entertained of its being occupied for a permanent measure. The Colonial Government had likewise purchased a quick steam-launch, with the idea of fitting her with extempore spar torpedoes.

Before the General arrived I visited the sites of the batteries as recommended by Governor Sir William Jervois, R.E., and found them much overgrown with thick jungle. Had war broken out, it would seem to have been the best policy to have closed the narrow western entrance of the new harbour with a boom, defended against boat attacks by light guns mounted in tongkangs inside the point. A strong cable then lying at the New Harbour Dock Company's wharves would have formed the nucleus of a good boom, the composite beams of which could have been constructed at Tanjong Pagar in a few days.

Any guns which might arrive would have been mounted on wooden racers in pits on the hills on either side of the eastern entrance, these pits being gradually strengthened as time allowed of it.

I also saw the Managers of the Tanjong Pagar Dock Company and of the Telegraph Company with the idea of having made boiler-plate torpedo cases, and of getting cables and make-shift instruments to fire the charges. Dynamite I could get from the Borneo Company.

On the arrival of the Major-General, however, I found that the Imperial authorities had voted a much larger sum of money than I had anticipated, and that substantial batteries mounting ten 7-inch guns of 6 tons and six 64-pounders were to be erected, at a cost of 17,6001., one on either end of Blakan Mati, and the third on Mount Palmer. A supply of torpedoes was being sent from England, and notification was made that a fourth battery was to be afterwards constructed at Tanjong Katong. The distribution of the guns was to be determined on the spot; and this could not be done with certainty until the jungle was cleared away. But, having visited the sites with the Major-General, it was proposed, for local and military reasons, to slightly deviate from the distribution proposéd by the War Office, and to make preparations to mount-

Four 7-inch M.L.. guns and two 64-pounders at Blakan Mati, Fast.

Three Ditto

-

ditto ditto

ditto ditto'

Mount Siloso. -Mount Palmer.

Upon clearing the sites no change was found to be necessary, and, the matter being subsequently fully reported to the War Office, met with entire approval.

Singapore is not a Royal Engineer Station; the service upon which I was engaged

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 885

4PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-