CO885(3-4) — Page 420

24

And We do by these presents will and ordain that this Our Commission shall continue in full force and virtue, and that you, Our said Commissioners, or any three or more of you, may from time to time proceed in the execution thereof, and of every matter and thing therein contained, although the same be not continued from time to time by adjournment.

And Our further will and pleasure is, that you, Our said Commissioners, or any three or more of you, upon due inquiry into the premises, do report to Us, in writing, under your hands and seals, your several proceedings, under and by virtue of this Commission, together with what you shall find touching or concerning the premises.

And We further ordain that you, or any three or more of you, may have liberty to report to us your proceedings under this Commission from time to time, should you judge it expedient so to do.

•

And for your assistance in the due execution of these presents, We have made choice of Our trusty and well-beloved Herbert Jekyll, Esquire, a Captain in Our corps of Royal Engineers, to be Secretary to this Our Commission, and to attend you, whose services and assistance We require you to avail yourself of from time to time, as occasion may require.

Given at Our Court at Balmoral, this eighth day of September, 1879, in the Forty- third year of Our reign.

By Her Majesty's command.

(Signed)

25

No. 25.

Colonial Office to Royal Commission on the Defence of British Possessions and Commerce abroad. (Secret.) My Lord,

Downing Street, September 20, 1879. I AM directed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to transmit to your Lordship, for the consideration of the Colonial Defence Commission, a copy of a despatch from Sir W. F. D. Jervois respecting a proposal to provide an iron-clad vessel for the defence of that Colony.

The Governor will now be informed that his despatch had been kept until the appoint- ment of the Royal Defence Commission, so that the proposal, which obviously could not be discussed with reference to South Australia alone, might receive the consideration due to the importance of the subject which no doubt the Royal Commission will be prepared to give to it when they take up that part of the inquiry on which they are engaged.

M. E. HICKS BEACH.

(Confidential.)

Sir,

Inclosure in No. 25.

I am, &c. (Signed)

R. H. MEADE.

(Secret.) 8ir,

No. 23.

Colonial Office to Treasury.

Downing Street, September 13, 1879. I AM directed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to transmit to you, for the information of the Lords Commissioners of the Treasury, a copy of a Commission* which the Queen has been pleased to issue under the Royal Sign Manual and Signet, appointing the Right Honourable the Earl of Carnarvon and the gentlemen named therein to be Commissioners to inquire into the state of the defences of the more important colonial ports and coaling stations, and to consider the apportionment of the cost of such defences; and appointing Captain Herbert Jekyll, R.E., to be Secretary to the Commission.

2. In transmitting this Commission to Lord Carnarvon, Sir Michael Hicks Beach bas requested his Lordship to cause him to be furnished with an estimate of any expenses which may be likely to be incurred by the Commission for transmission to the Lords Commissioners before the 31st October next.

I am, &c.

(Secret.) Sir,

(Signed)

No. 24.

Colonial Office to Captain Jekyll, R.E.

R. H. MEADE.

Downing Street, September 13, 1879.

I AM directed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to transmit to you a copy of a Commission which the Queen has been pleased to issue under the Royal Sign Manual and Signet, appointing the Right Honourable the Earl of Carnarvon and the gentlemen named therein to be Commissioners to inquire into the state of the defences of the more important colonial ports and coaling stations, and to consider the apportionment of the cost of such defences; and appointing you to be Secretary to the Commission.

• Inclosure in No. 22.

I am, &c.

(Signed) R. H. MEADE.

Government House, Adelaide, September 5, 1878. WITH reference to your cypher telegram of the 14th ultimo, informing me that any request from South Australia for a contribution from the Imperial Government towards the expense of an iron-clad vessel must be accompanied by a statement showing-

war;

What the Colony is doing in other respects in matters relating to defence;

(b.) That an iron-clad is preferable to a gun-boat or other description of vessel of

(c.) That the harbours of South Australia cannot be defended by batteries and torpedoes alone.

2. I have the honour to state that the measures taken up to the present time by the Government of this Colony for its defence are as follows:-

On

(1.) The raising of a paid force of volunteers, consisting of 60 mounted rifles, 140 artillery, and 700 infantry, at a cost, as regards pay only, of 8,0001. per annum. receipt of an equipment ordered last year from England, the cavalry will be armed with Martini-Henry carbines and revolvers, the artillery with 16-pounder muzzle-loading rifled guns and revolvers. The infantry are already provided with Martini-Henry rifles.

(2.) Two forts have been designed for the protection of Port Adelaide and the adja. cent anchorage, and a tender for the construction of one of them has already been accepted. The armament for the two forts, viz., two 10-inch, two 9-inch, two 80-pounder, and two 64-pounder guns, has been ordered.

(8.) A military road about 20 miles in length, with emplacements for field artillery, is in course of construction behind the sand-hills which skirt the shore on either side of Port Adelaide, so that infantry and artillery may be readily moved to points where a landing might be attempted with a view to an attack upon Adelaide itself.

(4.) A Bill is about to be laid before Parliament to provide a for permanent force of

130 artillery, at an annual cost, for pay and equipment, of 13,4861.

(5.) A Bill will also be brought before Parliament for the encouragement and organi- zation of rifle clubs throughout the Colony. Each member of these clubs will be sworn to turn out for defence of the country in case he is required. This will involve a cost for rifles alone of about 4,000l. per 1,000 men.

3. As regards the question whether an iron-clad is preferable to a gun-boat or other description of vessel of war, one of the first conditions of an effective defence by sea is that the vessel resisting the attack should be superior in power to the vessel making the attack, and I submit that an unarmoured vessel or gun-boat would not suffice to insure the fulfilment of this condition. On this point I beg leave to refer to my Report of the 4th December last (p. 7) on defences, South Australia, a copy of which I herewith inclose for the sake of easy reference.*

4. I beg leave also to refer to that Report as regards the question whether the har- bours of South Australia cannot be defended by batteries and torpedoes alone. I have

• Not printed.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

1117 C.O. 885

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

Page 420Page 421