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The Colonial military establishment comprises both permanent and volunteer, partially paid, and reserve, forces. According to the latest returns, the strength of the permanent is general staff, 27; artillerymen, 525; total, 552. That of the partially paid volunteers, 5,222; reserve forces, 4,270; total of all ranks, 9,192.

In addition to these forces there is a naval brigade, a volunteer body, stationed partly at Sydney, partly at Newcastle, and numbering 40 officers, including 4 medical officers, 1 accountant, 20 midshipmen and cadets, 3 gunnery and torpedo instructors, and 600* men; total, 640.

The estimated cost for 1885 is: military forces, 109,3617.; naval forces, 11,5002. The forces, which are exclusive of those belonging to the Imperial Government represented by the war ships on the Australian Station, are under the nominal control of the Governor of New South Wales as Commander-in-Chief.

(Signed). P. A. JENNINGS.

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The following further Statement was received on 28th June 1887 through the Governor of Tasmania,

1. PERSONNEL. Commandant, from 1878 to 31st December 1841 Staff officer, from 1975 to 31st December 1986

2. MISCELLANEOUS MILITARY STORES -

Batteries, Hobart

3. FORTIED ATIONS.

Da Launceston Construction of and alteration of latterie, Completion of and alteration of Imiteries

batteries, Hobart

Do. DI

Tamar battery and purelt ose of lanel

Headquarters Office, Hobart, 15th February 1887.

2 K. t.

3,376 0 0

SUBMARINE MINE APPARATUS.

3,117 0 0

Torpedo stores and defensed Electric light

S87 13 1

1,4150

Torpedoes, cetrie light, and subacine unes stores

Armstron

7. ARMAMENT.

2,007 13 D

1397 9 10

Gun turriages, plaifor.us, &c.

100000

Q

Shet nut shell.

나

Artillery carbines

5.509 10 1

Pattern carbine ammunition

102 10 8

Ordnance and warlike ston

Armament for batteries and the defence

Kines

132 0

Armament excesses on Voleg

19 10 6

ment and ammonitism.

10 1

Arument for batteries

5. FLOATING DEFENCE, EXCLUSIVE OF ARMAMENT. Floating defence

4,021 I +

4. MILITARY BUILDINGS.

Drill yard, Holart

Volunteer buildings, Launceston

Shed for Whitehead torpedoes, jetty, and tramway

Armament for batteries, field defence, mrluding equip

2005 17 1

200 O D

923 G N

Loki

1

2.241

+

565 14

נו

085 12 R

17 TO 245 1

15,000 0 U 1001 211

5,778 +

$

7.970 7

66SS 0 0

93.75 11

W. V. LEGGE, Leut-Col. R.A.,

Colonel Comumalant.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 885

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

5 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

SIR.

No. 79.

DEFENCES OF TASMANIA.

Office of the Agent-General for Tasmania, 3, Westiniuster Chambers, Victoria Street, London, S.W.,

May 31, 1887.

I HAVE the honour to forward the following in reference to the defences of Tasmania, which has mostly been taken from the report of the Commandant of the Tasmanian Forces.

The annual expenditure is about 14,000/

The cost incurred in batteries and torpedo boat is about 80,0007.

The battery defences are chiefly confined to Hobart and its immediate vicinity, where also the torpedo boat is retained.

The northern side of the island has no battery defences, although arrangements have been made for the defence of Launceston, on the banks of the River Tamar, at a locality known as the Brown Bluff, about 10 miles below Launceston.

The batteries around Hobart are three: Queen's Battery, Kangaroo Bluff, and Alexandra. These are all on the banks of the River Derwent.

The Queen's Battery is situate in the domain on the western bank of the Derwent, and close to Hobart. This fort is defended by guns, recently converted, and the Commandant reports that-

"A powerful shell fire can be maintained from this battery as a much needed flank

"defence to Kangaroo Bluff, and as a protection to this part of the Derwent." Kangaroo Bluff. This battery is on the castern bank of the Derwent and immediately opposite Hobart, and has mounted machine guns and some smaller guns.

Alexandra Battery is on the west bank of the Derwent, lower down than Hobart and the Kangaroo Battery. This battery has new breech-loading guns, with hydro- pneumatic carriages and platforms. The Commandant states that---

66

These guns are the first of their kind yet mounted in fortifications, either at home or in the Colonies, and the most powerful of their size yet constructed." (See Report No. 65, 1885, Defences of Tasmania.)

It is in contemplation to erect another battery on the eastern bank of the Derwent. The defences of Hobart are further strengthened by a torpedo boat and mines, and a second torpedo boat has been recommended by the Commandant.

In the year 1885 a Defence Act was passed of a very comprehensive character, by which the Government has ample powers to call on the male inhabitants between the ages of 18 and 55 years to form a defence force.

At the present time there is a defence force consisting of a permanent force, an engineer corps artillery, and foot volunteers, besides rifle clubs and associations.

The Right Hon.

Sir H. T. Holland, Bart., G.C.M.G.,

&c. Colonial Office,

&c.

&c.

Downing Street, S.W.

I have, &c., (Signed) ADYE DOUGLAS,

Agent-General.

No. 80.

DEFENCE OF THE CAPE COLONY.

MEMORANDUM By Mr. Upington, Cape DelegaTE.

In any consideration of the question of the defence of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope three special points should be borne in mind:

(a.) The imperative necessity for the retention by Her Majesty's Imperial Govern-

ment of the Cape Peninsula as a military and naval station.

(b.) The exceptional position of the Colony in regard to its internal defence.

(c.) The large expenditure for military purposes which has already been and still is

being borne by the Colony out of its own resources.

2. The retention of the Cape Peninsula as a naval and military station being beyond

all doubt, and the importance of that station being, from an Imperial point of view, supreme, it might fairly be contended that the complete fortification of the Peninsula, as well as the manning of its garrisons, should be undertaken at Imperial cost. contention might be supported by urging that the existence of an Imperial garrison That and of large quantities of Imperial stores, including coals, would in time of war render the Cape a special object of attack. circumstances, the protection of Colonial harbour works and the safety of seaport towns It must, however, be admitted that, under any from bombardment impose a duty upon the Colony in addition to that of purely internal

defence.

3. The frontier of the Cape Colony, stretching roughly from the mouth of the Orange River falling into the Atlantic Ocean, to the mouth of the St. John's Rixer falling into the Indian Ocean, is many hundred miles in length, necessitating the maintenance for purposes of protection of considerable bodies of arined and disciplined men on the northern and north-eastern borders, in Griqualand West, and in the Transkeian territories, which are mainly peopled by a numerous native population. The magnitude of the frontier responsibilities of the Colonial Government may be seen by reference to the annual reports of the chief magistrates laid before the Colonial Parliament during last session, which show that in the Transkeian territories alone-covering an area of about 14,000 square miles there was an approximate native population, including Bantu races, Hottentots, and half-breeds, of about 326,000, while the European population numbered only about 12,000. The coloured population of the Cape Colony generally is upwards of 1,000,000, as against about 350,000 or 400,000 whites, the native races being separated in many cases only by a nominal frontier-line from vast hordes of African natives with whom the Colonial natives are connected by many ties. Under such circumstances the purely internal defence of the Cape Colony is a heavier burthen than that borne by many richer Colonies.

4. The drilled and armed forces of the Colony are as follows:-

(1.) The Cape Mounted Riflemen (with whom are now incorporated the Cape Infantry), consisting of mounted and dismounted men, and trained artillerymen. (2.) The armed Cape Police (not including the ordinary municipal and divisional

police).

(3.) Volunteers, consisting of cavalry, engineers, artillery, and riflemen, including the

cadet corps

of several educational establishments.

5. The forces referred to above are so admirably drilled as to have elicited, from more than one of the distinguished general officers who have commanded at the Cape, the

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