CO885-9 — Page 133

2516.

36

No. 67.

NATAL.

GOVERNOR SIR H. E. McCALLUM TO MR. LYTTELTON.

(Paraphrase.)

(January 25.)

(Received 8:40 P.M., January 25, 1905.)

TELEGRAM.

[Answered by No. 70.]

KINDLY reply to my telegram of 22nd January as soon as possible. Master of the "Tapton" is uneasy and restive. He has applied for permission to leave harbour, and go to Delagoa Pay. Both steamers have supercargoes who are German, and both are on a time charter.

2448.

37

Enclosure in No. 69.

(No. 45.)

St. Petersburg, January 18, 1905. MY LORD,

THE "Novoe Vremya" continues its campaign of fabrication of obviously false news with a view to attacking His Majesty's Government, and a very few days ago it was stated in that journal that the island of Labuan was serving as a base for Japanese war-ships, and that the telegraph cable had been cut in order to prevent the publication of news of movements of the Japanese Fleet.

I have the honour to enclose herewith translation of an article from the "Novoe Vremya" of to-day in which the statement is reasserted, and in which it is urged that His Majesty's Government should be requested to take steps to refuse transmission of all telegrams relating to the movements of the Russian squadron, alleging that action of a similar nature was taken by His Majesty's Government with the West India and Panama Telegraph Company during the Spanish-American war.

I have, &c.

The Marquess of Lansdowne, K.G.,

&o..

&c.,

&c.

CHARLES HARDINGE.

י

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :--

C.O. 885

9 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

No. 68.

FOREIGN OFFICE TO COLONIAL OFFICE.

(Received January 26, 1905.)

[Answered by No. 75.]

Foreign Office, January 25, 1905. SIR,

I AM directed by the Marquess of Lansdowne to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 24th instantt forwarding a telegraphic enquiry from the Governor of Natal as to the propriety of furnishing bunker coal at Durban to two British steam- ships proceeding to Falmouth, whose masters admit having supplied cargoes of coal to the Russian fleet.

His Lordship suggests, for Mr. Secretary Lyttelton's consideration, that the Governor should be informed by telegraph that if there are no reasonable grounds for supposing that the vessels are going elsewhere than to Falmouth, and if he is satisfied that they have not sufficient coal on board already to take them to Falmouth, then they may have coal enough to suffice, when added to that already on board, to take them to that port.

Sir H. McCallum's telegram would, however, appear to show some misconception on his part as to the attitude of His Majesty's Government on the question of coal. Having in the first place made the statement, in itself incorrect, that coal is absolute contraband of war (and equipment of war) he proceeds apparently to draw the conclusion, which would be erroneous even if his original statement were accurate, that it is a breach of neutrality on the part of private individuals to supply a belligerent with anything that is absolutely contra band.

I am to suggest that Sir H. McCallum's attention should be called to this point, and that he should further be informed that His Majesty's Government have protested against the Russian rule making coal absolute contraband of war.

I am, &c.

2449.

No. 69.

F. A. CAMPBELL.

FOREIGN OFFICE TO COLONIAL OFFICE. (Received January 26, 1905.) [Answered by No. 90.]

THE Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs presents his compliments to the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies, and, by direction of the Secretary of State, transmits herewith copy of a despatch from Sir C. Hardinge, enclosing an article from the "Novoe Vremya" relative to the transmission of telegrams respecting the movements of belligerent fleets.

Foreign Office,

January 25, 1905.

• No. G4.

↑ No. 66.

LEADING ARTICLE IN " NOVOE VREMYA," JANUARY 18, 1905.

ACCORDING to a telegram from our correspondent at Welten wreden (Java) which we published the other day, the island of Labuan is serving as a base for Japanese war-ships. Telegraphic communication with this island was interrupted for twelve days, but has now been restored, according to a semi-official communication of the "Standard."

We do not believe that the British Government will fail to take the most energetic measures, as soon as it shall have been informed of the details of this strange occurrence, with a view to the laws of neutrality, as issued recently for the Colonies, being observed as stringently in respect of the Japanese at Labuan as they would be in respect of the Russians, for instance, at Malta. The responsibility towards other nations for the acts of the Governor of Labuan lies, as is well known, on the metropolis.

Our interest is therefore awakened with regard to another question, which may be described as concomitant to the former, which has latterly assumed a particularly critical character in view of the evident intention on the part of the Japanese to go out to meet our Second Pacific Squadron. It consists in the general problem of telegraphic communication by means of submarine cables.

It was but the other day that an American officer, discussing the importance of sub- marine cables during the Spanish-American war, expressed the conviction that each cable was of more service to the Americans than an individual battleship. "Naval warfare," he declared, "will in the future necessarily be reduced to a war of steam coal and cables." (G. O. Squier, "The Influence of Submarine Cables upon Naval Supremacy," page 600.) The former part of this prophecy, that relating to coal, has already been fulfilled in the case of the cruise of Admiral Rojdestvensky's squadron round Africa. The latter part, relating to cables, seems likely to be justified in the near future.

If the Japanese actually start to encounter the Second Squadron, their fundamental strategical problem consists in knowing accurately the whereabouts of that squadron at any given time. In order to appreciate the importance of the assistance rendered to the Japanese by the slightest hint given as to the course pursued by the Russian Squadron, it were suflicient to imagine for a moment how greatly Admiral Rojdestvensky's task would be simplified if the Japanese happened to miss his track and leave the road clear to Vladivostok.

For the last eighty days we have been systematically deprived of the possibility of coaling from the shore on the ground that the coal assists us in going to encounter the enemy. We think that the most rudimentary idea of fair play would demand that neutral Powers should also refrain from helping, the Japanese to locate or bear on our squadron. The one form of assistance in no way differs from the other.

In view of the above we consider that our diplomatic authorities might at once request that all telegrams relating to the whereabouts of the Russian squadron should be refused transmission. We think that the British Government would accede to such a petition all the more readily as it has established a most valuable precedent in this