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the officer commanding the Imperial troops should invariably have the command of both Imperial and colonial forces.

I have, &c.

Sir,

(Signed)

No. 84.

RALPH THOMPSON.

The Right Hon. the Earl of Kimberley to Governor Sir G. F. Bowen, G.C.N

G.C.M.G.

Downing Street, October 25, 1880.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your despatch No. 405 of the 5th September,* with reference to the defence of Mauritius, and I have to inform

you that a copy has been transmitted to the Royal Commission on the Defence of British Posses- sions and Commerce Abroad, together with copies of your despatches No. 182 of the 21st April and No. 211 of the 1st May,† referred to in the third paragraph of the despatch now acknowledged.

You will have learnt from my despatch marked "General" of the 30th July the decision arrived at with regard to the formation of a rifle volunteer Mauritius.

company

in

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reflect on the peculiar position of Mauritius, with a handful of English residents among an overwhelming population of alien race and creed, including 250,000 Indian coolies, that it would not be prudent, or even practicable, to raise here "local levies" of any kind; and that the only safe and effectual way in which "the garrison can be supplemented " is that recommended by me, viz., by the formation, chiefly from among the Civil servants of the Crown and the British mercantile community, of a company of rifle volunteers, in strict subordination to the military authorities, and on the conditions suggested in my despatches on this subject. The Major-General commanding, and the other Imperial officers whom I have consulted, agree with my views.

Fhave, &c.

(Signed)

No. 87.

G. F. BOWEN.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

ELCO 885/5

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ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

Sir,

I have, &c.

(Signed)

KIMBERLEY.

No. 85.

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

Downing Street, October 25, 1880.

I AM directed by the Earl of Kimberley to transmit to you, to be laid before the Royal Commission on the Defence of British Possessions and Commerce Abroad, a copy of a despatch* from the Governor of Mauritius with reference to the defence of that Colony, together with copies of the further despatches noted in the margin, referred to by Sir G. F. Bowen, and a copy of the reply which has been sent to him.§

No. 86.

I am, &c.

(Signed) R. H. MEADE.

Governor Sir G. F. Bowen, G.C.M.G., to the Right Hon. the Earl of Kimberley.— (Received October 27.)

(No. 427.) My Lord,

Government House, Mauritius, September 16, 1880.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt, on the 11th instant, of your Lordship's despatch marked "General" of the 30th July‡ ultimo, relative to the proposed establishment of a company of rifle volunteers at Mauritius.

2. I shall address your Lordship separately on this subject. But, in the meantime, I would ask permission to observe that I have naturally read with much surprise the statement in the letter from the Secretary of the Royal Commission on the Defence of British Possessions and Commerce Abroad, dated the 18th June ultimo|| (of which a copy is inclosed in the despatch now under acknowledgment), to the effect that "the Royal Commission have received no evidence in respect of Mauritius.' For, as my despatch

No. 405 of the 5th September instant* (sent by the last mail) will have shown, I have forwarded abundant written and printed information and evidence on the naval and military defence of this island; and I was informed by your predecessor, Sir Michael Hicks Beach, so far back as on the 14th of last February, that this information had then been already laid before the Commission,

3. I would add that, if any further evidence is required, it can be fully supplied by the two former Governors of Mauritius now in England, viz., Sir Henry Barkly (himself a member of the Commission) and Sir Arthur Phayre.

4. In further reference to the wording of the last paragraph of the letter from the Secretary of the Commission, it may be remarked that it must be obvious to all who

|| No. 21.

* No. 78.

↑ Not printed.

↑ No. 43. No. 128 of "Miscellaneous No. 39."

§ No. 84.

Governor Sir F. A. Weld, K. C.M.G., to the Right Hon. the Earl of Kimberley.— (Received October 27.)

(General. Secret.) My Lord,

Government House, Singapore, September 22, 1880. IN reference to your Lordship's despatch, Secret, of the 21st August,* 1880, received this day, I have the honour to express my concurrence in the proposed arrange- ments, and to say that I have at once communicated with the General and Admiral com- manding on this station. I am glad that it has been decided to consult naval opinion. I believe that it was a mistake not to have done so in Australia. Defence of naval ports is necessarily a mixed question, in which naval as well as military science has its due part.

2. Having taken very great interest personally in the question of Colonial Defence, as despatches and memoranda in your Lordship's Department will show, devoted much attention to the subject, and been honoured by frequent references from Colonel Scratchley, R.E., I shall telegraph to your Lordship on the subject of my co-operation. Should my proposition meet your views, I shall, having heard and weighed possibly conflicting opinions, be in a much better position to report; and I have personally decided views on the proposed defences of Singapore, which are largely shared by Captain McCallum, who has lately arrived in this Cólony in a civil capacity, as Deputy Colonial Engineer, and who acted as Private Secretary to General Sir W. D. Jervois, when he made his original recommendations regarding the defence of this port, and who has since, in England, been consulted on the question.

3. The civil officers that I propose to put on the Board are: the Colonial Secretary (Mr. C. C. Smith) and the Deputy Colonial Engineer (Captain McCallum, R. E.).

I have, &c. (Signed) FRED. A. WELD.

P.S.-I have not mentioned the Colonial Engineer (Major McNair) as a member of the Committee, beause he will be absent from the Colony on vacation leave taken on the ground of ill-health.

Sir,

No. 88.

Colonial Office to War Office.

F. A. W.

Downing Street, October 29, 1880.

I AM directed by the Earl of Kimberley to transmit to you,, to be laid before Mr. Secretary Childers, a copy of a lettert from the Royal Commission on the Defence of British Possessions and Commerce Abroad, on the subject of the proposed construction of a line of telegraph to Mauritius. I am also to inclose a copy of a lettert from Mr. Broome, the Lieutenant-Governor and Colonial Secretary, on the subject, which was written by Mr. Broome while he was in this country, and after communication with the Royal Defence Commission, and with Mr. Pender, the Chairman of the Eastern Telegraph Company.

Lord Kimberley concurs in the view of the Royal Commissioners, that any funds which Her Majesty's Government may contribute towards the cost of constructing lines of telegraph for defensive purposes would be better applied to a line of greater importance, such as that recently proposed for connecting Bermuda with Halifax and the West Indies, and his Lordship proposes, with the concurrence of Mr. Childers, to inform the Governor

No. 201 of "Miscellaneous No. 39."

• No. 60.

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+ No. 80.