CO885-5 — Page 53

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

LEEL.

Reference—

BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

C.O. 885/5 AULIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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For these reasons the Commission desire to suggest, for the Earl of Kimberley's con- sideration, whether, for the present at least, it may not be desirable to withhold the paper

I have, &c. (Signed)

No. 76.

HERBERT JEKYLL.

Colonial Office to Agent-General for New Zealand.

Downing Street, September 23, 1880.

Sir,

WITH reference to your letter of the 23rd July last,* respecting the supply of a gun- brig or a gun-boat for the naval volunteer corps at Wellington, I am directed by the Earl of Kimberley to transmit to you, for your information, a copy of a further letter from the Admiralty, inclosing, for consideration, a design of a small steam gun-boat, and containing

an estimate of its cost.

I (Signed)

am, &c.

EDWARD WINGFIELD.

No. 77.

Colonial Office to Admiralty.

Sir,

Downing Street, September 27, 1880. IN reply to your letter of the 9th ultimo,* inclosing a copy of a despatch from the Commodore on the Australian Station respecting a Memorandum furnished by him to the Marquis of Normanby on the marine defence of Victoria, I am directed by the Earl of Kimberley to transmit to you, to be laid before the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, a copy of a lettert on the subject from the Royal Commission on the Defence of British Possessious and Commerce Abroad.

Lord Kimberley concurs in the opinion expressed by the Royal Commission, that it would not be advisable, for the present at least, to communicate Commodore Wilson's Report to the Colonial Government.

The inclosures to your letter are returned herewith.

EDWARD WINGFIELD.

I am, &c.

(Signed)

No. 78.

Governor Sir G. F. Bowen, G.C.M.G., to the Right Hon. the Earl of Kimberley-(Received

(No. 405.) My Lord,

October 7.)

Government House, Mauritius, September 5, 1880.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's Circular despatch of the 23rd June ultimo,§ in which you acquaint me that the Royal Commission on the Defence of British Possessions and Commerce Abroad wish to be informed of the views entertained by the Governments of the Colonies upon the following among other points:-

(1.) The defence of ports, and their armaments.

(2.) The raising and maintaining of local forces.

(3.) Naval defence.

2. In my despatches noted below] (and of which I would solicit perusal by your Lordship) I stated the views held by myself and by the Executive Council upon the naval and military defence of Mauritius. In his despatch marked " General of the 14th February¶ ultimo your predecessor, Sir Michael Hicks Beach, informed me that these despatches have already been communicated to the Royal Commission.

3. I would remark that my recommendations with regard to the naval defence of Mauritius and of British commerce in this quarter of the globe has since received strong confirmation from the circumstances reported in my subsequent despatches No. 182 of the 21st April ultimo and No. 211 of the 1st May ultimo. Perhaps these despatches also will be laid before the Royal Commission.

• Not printed.

+ No. 74.

Il Inclosures 2, 4, and 5 in No. 126 of " Miscellaneous No. 39."

‡ No. 75.

§ No. 23.

No. 128 of " Miscellaneous No. 39."

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4. I would take this opportunity of soliciting your Lordship's attention to my despatch No. 157 of the 31st March* ultimo, addressed to your predecessor, but to which I have not as yet received any reply, I therein recommended the acceptance of the offer of service by a corps of rifle volunteers in this Colony.

5. I believe that the information supplied in my despatches referred to above, and in the valuable "Précis of Information concerning Mauritius prepared for the Intelligence Branch of the Quartermaster-General's Department at the War Office," of which twenty copies were forwarded to the Colonial Office by my predecessor, Sir Arthur Phayre, in 1877,† together with the full military Reports on the fortifications of Mauritius in the possession of the War Office in London, will probably enable the Royal Commission to come to a decision respecting the naval and military defence of this island.

I may mention that, as I shall be in London on leave of absence next year, I can then tender personally any further evidence that may be required.

6. I would take this occasion of repeating that Mauritius is, as M. Thiers has said in his "History of the Consulate and Empire" (Book 54)," the Malta of the Indian Ocean," that is, a naval and military station as important for the strength and influence of the British Empire, and for the protection of British commerce in the eastern scas, as is Malta in the Mediterranean Sea. The present state of naval affairs and the future conditions of naval warfare render more important than ever the secure possession of a first class fortress, harbour, graving dock, and coaling-station in this part of the world. The vast loss inflicted on British commerce at the beginning of the present century by the French men-of-war and privateers from Port Louis supplies a pregnant warning for the future.

7. It will be recollected that while Mauritius ranks as an Imperial naval and military station with Malta, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, and Bermuda, it is far more important as a Colony than any of these Imperial places of arms, inasmuch as it possesses a public revenue exceeding 700,000l. annually, and a trade (including exports and imports) valued at about 6 millions sterling annually.

I have, &c. (Signed)

G. F. BOWEN.

[Copy sent to the Royal Defence Commission, October 25, 1880.]

No. 79.

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

Sir,

13, Delahay Street, October 15, 1880.

WITH reference to your letter of the 31st July last, inclosing copies of a letter from the War Office of the 19th July.§ and of your reply of the 31st July,|| 1 am directed by the Royal Commission on the Defence of British Possessions and Commerce Abroad to inform you that, having taken evidence on the subject, they entirely concur in the opinion of Lord Kimberley and of the Secretary of State for War as to the great importance of all colonial armaments being of such a description as would enable them to be used with the service stores and ammunition in time of war; and that measures should be taken to insure all possible uniformity in this respect.

The importance of this view is impressed upon them, not only by the reasons given in the correspondence referred to, but also by the advantages which would be gained by securing that, when practicable, the stores, and especially ammunition for heavy guns and musketry, should be of such a nature that Her Majesty's ships may render and receive assistance at distant stations in the Colonies; and that Her Majesty's troops, and forces levied in the Colonies, may not be embarrassed by complications of arms and stores when co-operating for any given purpose.

The evidence which the Commission have obtained indicates conclusively that the power of heavy guns will be greatly increased by changes which are taking place in the construction of ordnance and the manufacture of gunpowder; and that these changes, though not yet completely accomplished or officially announced, are virtually accepted.

They therefore think it desirable that an intimation of the impending changes should, without delay, be given to the larger Colonies, who are now engaged in providing them- selves with powerful armaments, in order that they may take measures to secure supplies of ordnance of the new type, and avoid the expenditure of large sums upon guns which, although good of the type now in general use, will very shortly be surpassed in power, and

* No. 6.

+ I forward herewith, under separate cover, two copies of this l'récis for the use of the Royal Commission. -G. F. B.

‡ No. 45.

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§ No. 40.

|| No. 44.

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