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144

No. 165.

Colonial Office to the Secretary to the Royal Commission on the Defence of British Possessions and Commerce Abroad.

Sir,

Downing Street, March 10, 188O. WITH reference to the letter from this Department of the 30th January, and to your reply of the 13th February, I am directed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to transmit to you, to be laid before the Royal Commission on the Defence of British Possessions and Commerce Abroad, copies of further correspondencet with Mr. G. F. Smith in regard to his proposals for establishing telegraphic communication with Bermuda, and I am to say that Sir Michael Hicks Beach would be glad to be favoured with the views of the Commission upon the subject.

Sir,

No. 166.

I am, &c.

(Signed) JOHN BRAMSTON.

Colonial Office to Captain Charles Mills, C.M.G.

Downing Street, March 10, 1880. THE Secretary of State for the Colonies understands that you have been asked to give evidence before the Royal Commission on the Defence of British Possessions and Commerce Abroad respecting the defences of the Cape Colony, but that before doing so you desire to have an opportunity of again reading the papers which were transmitted to the Governor of the Cape in reference to the points which Her Majesty's Government desired to have considered by a local Committee.

I am now to inglose, for your information, a copy of the papers referred to, and I am to request that you will treat them as strictly confidential, and that you will return them to this Department at as early a date as possible.

I am, &c.

(Signed)

No. 167.

ROBERT G. W. HERBERT.

145

No. 168.

Messrs. Siemens Brothers to Colonial Office.

12, Queen Anne's Gate, Westminster, London,

March 11, 1880.

Sir,

AS we understand that Her Majesty's Government for the Colonies contemplates bringing the Island of Bermuda into telegraphic communication with other parts of the British Possessions, we beg leave to offer our services for the carrying out of the work, and we shall therefore esteem it a favour if you will kindly give instructions that such parti- culars may be furnished to us as are necessary to make us acquainted with the requirements of Her Majesty's Government in this respect, and to afford us an opportunity either to submit our tenders or our other proposals, as may be desired.

With regard to our resources for carrying out works of the kind, we beg leave to point out that we have on repeated occasions executed the establishment of submarine telegraph lines of greater magnitude than a line between Bermuda and the British possessions would entail, and we may add that during the past year we executed an order for a telegraph cable connecting France with New York and Nova Scotia via St. Pierre, including the manufacture and laying of 3,500 miles of cable and the erection of 500 miles of land-line within the short period of seven months and a-half from receipt of order.

Sir,

て

We have, &c. (Signed)

No. 169.

SIEMENS BROTHERS.

War Office to Colonial Office. }

>

Surveyor-General's Department, War Office, March 11, 1880.

WITH reference to your letter of the 24th ultimo, and to former correspondence, I am directed by the Secretary of State for War to acquaint you, for the information of Sir Michael Hicks Beach, that the necessary orders will be given for furnishing, upon repay- ment, the information and drawings required by Captain Palliser with regard to certain guns ordered by the Canadian Government, and I am to suggest that Captain Palliser should be requested to place himself in direct communication with the Superintendent of the Royal gun factories on the subject.

I am, &c.

(For Director of Artillery),

(Signed) H. T. ALDERSON,

Sir,

Colonial Office to the Secretary to the Royal Commission on the Defence of British Possessions and Commerce Abroad.

Downing Street, March 11, 1880.

I AM directed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 20th February, and I am to inclose, for the information of the Royal Commission on the Defence of British Possessions and Commerce Abroad, a copy in para- phrase of a telegram§ in which Sir Michael Hicks Beach has communicated to the Governors of the Australasian Colonies, except Western Australia, the suggestion of the Commission that Delegates should be appointed by the Colonial Governments to represent their views in connection with the defences of the Colonies before the Commission.

I am also to transmit to you a copy in paraphrase of a telegram which has been received from the Governor of New South Wales in answer to this invitation, together with a copy of the reply¶ which Sir Michael Hicks Beach has returned to it, and also copies** of the despatches in which he has communicated to the Governors of the Australasian Colonies, and to the Governor-General of Canada, and to the Governor of the Cape, a copy of letter of the 20th February.

your

I am, &c.

(Signed) R. H. MEADE.

No. 170.

Admiralty to Colonial Office.

Sir,

IN reply to your letter of the 24th ultimot forwarding a communication from the

4dmiralty, March 11, 1880. Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company of their intention to dispause with their coaling-station at Albany, King George's Sound (Western Australia), and inquiring whether my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have any wish to purchase the property in question, I am commanded by their Lordships to acquaint you, for the informa- tion of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, that, having carefully considered the matter, they do not consider it advisable to acquire the depôt in question.

I am, &c.

(Signed)

ROBERT HALL.

Nos. 112 and 197.

+ Nos. 11, 143, 158 and 155.

I No. 185.

§ No. 142.

|| No. 132.

No. 158.

** Nos. 156 and 157.

• No. 138.

[1093]

† No. 140.

2 Q

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

4

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

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON