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The portion recommending the purchase of an ironclad for coast defence did not, however, meet with the favour or approval of Parliament, although it was felt on all hands that it was most desirable that the Colony should undertake the defence of its own coast, and the inner waters of its harbours, and estuaries of its rivers, leaving the sea defence to be provided for by the Imperial navy,

In the year 1881, Lord Augustus Loftus being then Governor of the Colony,a Commission was issued under his hand and seal, directed to the Honourable Sir James Martin, Knight (Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales), President; Colonel William Aclard Anderson, C.M.G., Commandant of the local forces of Victoria; Colonel Peter Henry Scratchley, C. M.G., R.E.; Colonel Major Francis Downes, R.A., commanding the auxiliary forces of South Australia; James Barnet, Esq., Colonial architect; Edward Knox, Esq., J.P.; Colonel John Soame Richardson, Commandant of the Permanent and Volunteer Military Forces of New South Wales; the Honourable John Brown Watt, M.L.C.; and the Honourable Frederick Matthew Darley, Q.C., M.L.C., to inquire into the working of the laws and regulations, and the arrangements made from time to time for the establishment and maintenance of the military forces of New South Wales, including the system of examination adopted for appointments and promotions therein, and to suggest improvements with the view to economy in expenditure and efficiency in organisation, and generally to report upon the whole subject of the military defences of the Colony.

The Commission was appointed in February 1881, and the report, which was ordered to be printed by the Legislative Assembly on the 12th July 1881, approved in the main of the scheme of coast fortification and defence recommended by Sir William Jervois, and the Commission stated that they did not, considering the eminent authority from which it had proceeded, feel it within their province in any way to interfere.

Their report mainly deals with the organisation, constitution, and government of the then existing force, and stated, as an opinion, that it should be governed by a military code similar to that of the Imperial service, subject to such modified conditions which the Colonial service might require. They also recommended the formation of a reserve force, to be composed of those who had passed through the regular force, and of such other equally fit and approved artillerymen as might present themselves for curolment, to a number not exceeding 560. The majority of the Commission recommended-

"1. That the torpedo corps be affiliated to the permanent artillery, and that in time of action the officer in command of that corps be under the direction of the officer commanding the artillery.

2. That the commandant, or officer commanding the local forces, shall at all times be an officer who has had a militery training and education in the Imperial service.

"3. That the officer cominanding the permanent artillery should at all times be in command of the whole of the permanent and volunteer artillery forces, including the torpedo corps, rank being conferred for this

when necessary. purpose

4. That the Governor should be Commander-in-Chief of the local forces; that all applications for and proceedings of courts-martial and courts of inquiry having reference to questions of purely military discipline should be reported to him direct by the senior military officer; and that all other matters connected with the forces should, when necessary, be communicated to him through the Colonial Secretary.”

And adopted the opinions and recommendations of the military committee of the Commission with regard to the appointment of officers for the local forces, their promotion, and their education; and that there should be a military adviser and inspecting officer for the local forces in Australia, in the following words:

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The committee are unanimous in recommending the appointment of an Imperial officer as inspecting officer of the Australian local forces and military adviser to the several Governments. This appointment to be held from three to five years, subject to renewal. The duties of this officer should be to conduct periodical inspections of the local forces and the military defences and establishments of the Australian Colonies, and advise the Governments on all subjects connected with the maintenance of the local defences. In time of peace this officer would not exercise any executive command, but in time of war, should the be combined or federal arrangements for defence, he would assume supreme direction. The committee, in making this recommendation, desire not to lessen the authority or full responsibility of the local commandants, but rather to strengthen their position."

They also highly approved of the proposal, that a general assembly of the Australian local forces should take place at some convenient locality during Easter-time, and considered that the fact of demonstrating the military strength available for the defence of any one Colony attacked was not to be overlooked as a powerful argument in favour of their proposals.

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Many valuable suggestions and recommendations were also made with regard to the supply and distribution of water, ammunition in the field, and ambulances.

With regard

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to the commissariat supplies and the ordnance stores department, they expressed, their opinion, that it would be desirable to establish a central military school, on a plan somewhat similar to that in Canada, for the instruction of officers of the Australian local forces, and that, considering the great difficulty in time of war of obtaining military supplies from England, a central depôt should be established for all the Australian Colonies, at which depôt gunpowder, small-arm ammunition especially, friction tubes, fuzes, shell, and other niinor articles should be manufactured.

In accordance with a request of this Commission, a report was furnished by the colonel- commandant, now General Richardson, which gives a succinct narrative of the military history of New South Wales before the year 1870, and also an account of its condition, numbers, organisation, and regulations in March 1881, up to which time the report was prepared.

The report is as follows :-

MEMORANDUM Submitted for the INFORMATION of the ROYAL Commission on Defences, with reference to the MAINTENANCE from time to time of the MILITARY FORCES of the COLONY, and more especially to certain POINTS bearing on the ORGANISATION, DISCIPLINE, TRAINING, PAY, &c. of the EXISTING FORCES.

The first volunteer force was enrolled in Sydney in 1854, under an Act of Council, 18th Victoria, No. 8, and consisted of one battery of artillery, one troop of cavalry, and six companies of rifles, numbering on the 30th June 1855, 316 of all ranks. This force was under the command of Colonel Bloomfield, of Her Majesty's 11th Regiment, and practically ceased to exist in 1856, having cost about 2,6037.

In 1860 a second volunteer force was enrolled under the Act above quoted, supplemented by regulations and corps rules, and consisted, in the first instance, of two batteries of artillery in Sydney and one battery in Newcastle, one troop of mounted rifles and fourteen companies of rifles in Sydney and suburbs, and six companies of rifles in the country districts, numbering, on the 1st January 1861, 1,696 of all ranks. The whole was under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Kempt, of Her Majesty's 12th Regiment. In 1862 Lieutenant-Colonel Hamilton, of that regiment, took command as senior officer in the Colony, and was again succeeded by Lieutenant-Colonel Kempt in 1863, on the occasion of the head-quarters of the regiment proceeding to New Zealand. The present commandant (Colonel Richardson) was appointed to the command in February 1865.

To the end of 1867 the establishment and strength of the force varied to some extent. The mounted rifles had ceased to exist in 1862, and four additional batteries of artillery were raised in Sydney in 1867, and the companies of rifles at head-quarters were organised as two regiments.

No standard of efficiency appears to have existed up to this point.

Here ended, in 1867, the purely volunteer system, or that in which State-aid was confined to the provision of instruction, armis, clothing, equipment, rifle ranges, ammunition, &c., and for this reason, as also for the purpose of comparison, I shall here show the cost of the force from 1860 to 1867, inclusive. The average annual strength for this period appears to have been 1,787 of all ranks, and was maintained at a total cost of 55,181, or at the rate of 47. 88. 27. per head per annum,

At this juncture the force was in danger of extinction, but was resuscitated by the introduction of an Act of Parliament, entitled "The Volunteer Regulation Act of 1867," and regulations thereunder, which held out inducement in the shape of grants of land, to be issued as payment to such Volunteers as might serve continuously and efficiently for five years. The standard of efficiency consisted of an annual attendance at sixteen drills and shot practice by artillery, and fourteen drills with musketry (every second year) by infantry, which exercises were, for the most part, performed at night.

be here remarked that the Imperial troops were withdrawn from New South Wales in 1870, and in the following year Colonial regulars were raised, consisting of one battery of artillery and two companies of infantry. The latter were disbanded in 1872. In 1876 the artillery was increased by a second, and in 1877 by a third, battery, at which establishment it now remains.

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The volunteer force, resuscitated under the land order system, attained its maximum establishment and strength in 1874, consisting in Sydney of ten batteries of artillery, one corps of engineers, two rific regiments of seven and eight companies respectively. In the western, northern, and southern districts were one battery of artillery, and three rifle regiments of eight, four, and five companies respectively.

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