20
CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO
Her Majesty's Ministers consider the course originally pursued as not only irregular in point of form, but open to grave objection; as interfering with the proper responsibility of the various departments of the State, and rendering it impossible to present to Parliament a simultaneous view of the real expenditure incurred on account of the war with China.
They are of opinion, that no military operation, undertaken on behalf of the Crown, and the charge for which is to be ultimately defrayed from the revenues of this country, ought to be undertaken, except under the authority of the Secretary of State, or under an authority expressly delegated for that purpose, by the signification of the Royal Commands, through the Secretary of State. They are of opinion, also, that all directions which it may be necessary to give to the Board of Admiralty, the Commander-in-Chief, the Board of Ordnance, or any other public department in the service of the Crown, ought to be signified exclusively by the Secretary of State.
They are aware that, from his greater proximity to the scene of warfare, the Governor-general can superintend the course of operations, and carry on communications with the officers in the military and naval command of the expedition, with far greater facility than could the Secretary of State; and for the same and other reasons, it is desirable that a large portion of the military force, of the provisions and munitions of war, should be supplied, in the first instance, from the resources of India; while it is at the same time due to the interests of India, that no demand be made upon those resources, military or financial, for the service of the Crown elsewhere; a compliance with which might place in jeopardy the security, or trench upon the revenue of that great empire, the welfare of which is confided, as his first charge, to the care of the Governor-general.
On these principles, then, I have it in command from Her Majesty to desire that your Lordship will, through the usual channels, inform the Governor-general that Her Majesty has been pleased to authorize him to exercise a general superintendence over the operations of the military and naval authorities on the coast of China; to communicate directly with them, and to issue, without waiting for instructions from me, such orders, from time to time, as the exigencies of the service may seem to require. Her Majesty's Government feel confident that the Governor-general's zeal for the public service will lead him to make every exertion for supplying such an amount of troops, transports, stores and munitions of war, as may from time to time be required for the purposes of the expedition: it may rather be desirable to impress upon him that he should not, under any circumstances, take upon himself to detach from India a larger portion of British troops than may have been previously authorized by instructions from the Home Government, nor, except in case of emergency (in judging which he will exercise a discretionary power), furnish from the resources of India other supplies than such as may have been previously authorized by me; and that, in the event of such emergency, he should forthwith communicate to me the steps which he has deemed it necessary to take, in order that they may be sanctioned by a covering order. That there may be no undue or inconvenient pressure upon the resources of India, it will be my duty to communicate to your Lordship the requirements of Her Majesty's service, in order that the necessary instructions may be conveyed to the Governor-general, through the accustomed channel of the Secret Committee.
The Governor-general will continue to carry on his correspondence in the usual way; but your Lordship will have the goodness to communicate to me, in every case, without delay, the information and suggestions which you may receive from India, in order that Her Majesty's pleasure thereupon may be signified, in the regular way, through my office, to the several departments. Those departments will be directed to receive their instructions upon all matters connected with the war in China, through the department of war alone.
I have also to request that your Lordship will, at your earliest convenience, transmit to me information as to all requisitions, of whatever description, which may have been made upon any of the departments at home, in consequence of representations from the Governor-general of India; or otherwise, so far as may be within the cognizance of your department, and so far as may be practicable, of the amount of charge incurred thereby, whether in India or in England, with a view to having a record of all of them in the proper office, and of having them retrospectively sanctioned by a covering order from this department.
Instructions will also be sent to the Major-general commanding upon the expedition, to communicate directly with the War department; but he will at the same time send copies of his despatches to the Governor-general of India, whose orders, in reference to the combined operations, he, and the Admiral upon the station, will be authorized and enjoined to obey.
-No. 13.-
I have, &c. (signed). Stanley.
EXTRACT of a LETTER from Lord Stanley to the President of the Board of Control, dated Downing-street, 3 November 1841.
Having referred to the letter addressed to the Governor-general of India in Council by the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors, on the 4th ultimo, the President of which your Lordship has now communicated to me, I am of opinion, upon further consideration and inquiry, that some changes should be made in the nature and amount of military stores which the Governor-general of India in Council was thereby informed would be furnished for service in China in 1842, by the Board of Ordnance.
The following will be the munitions of war provided by that Board:
Six 24 lb. guns, iron, with wooden carriages and wooden traversing platforms, front pivot; two 18 lb. guns, iron, with travelling carriages and limbers; 300 rounds per gun for the six 24 and two 18-pounders; two 18-pounder waggons; 200 shot-rockets for the 24-pounders; 100 shell ditto; 200 shot-rockets, twelve-pounders; 100 shell ditto; 200 shot-rockets, six-pounders; 100 ditto, three-pounders; 100 ditto, one-pounders; four tubes for firing the rockets.
As it is understood that the smallest calibre of horse artillery gun at Fort St. George is a six-pounder, 1,000 rounds of spherical case shot for six-pounders will be sent with ammunition.
It appears to the Master-General of the Ordnance that it would be preferable to send one whole company of Artillery, rather than a portion of the Rocket Troop, and half a company of Artillery. All the Artillery were being exercised in the firing of rockets. There will, therefore, be sent one company of Royal Artillery, consisting of four officers, ten non-commissioned officers, and ninety gunners and drivers.
The whole of these stores and the company of Artillery will be embarked at Spithead about the 1st of December, and proceed direct to Singapore.
With reference to the 18th paragraph of a letter dated the 11th of August 1841, addressed by the Governor-general to the late President of the India Board for his information, and that of Her Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, I have to acquaint your Lordship that the troop ships "Belleisle" and "Apollo," will leave Spithead about the 1st of December, and proceed direct to Singapore, to be employed as troop-ships with the expedition to China. These ships will convey the recruits for Her Majesty's regiments, now serving in China, and the artillery and military stores above-mentioned.
With reference to the 16th paragraph of the letter above mentioned, of the 4th ultimo, from the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors to the Governor-general, I have now to inform your Lordship that it is thought that all Her Majesty's ships employed upon the expedition, and all the war-steamers belonging to the Indian Navy which may be employed in the same service, must possess ample means in anchors, booms and chains, of protecting themselves against fire-rafts, without the making of such special provision for that purpose as the Secret Committee before directed to be made.
Each transport ship (to the number of thirty) arriving at Singapore will, if furnished in India with a spar on each side (of not less than eight inches in diameter, or as much larger as they can conveniently carry, and of buoyant wood) be furnished from Her Majesty's ships or stores, with a concave iron plate, having two large iron eyes worked on each plate, to be secured by large spike-nails on each end of each spar, also three feet of chain with a double hook at each end of the chain, for connecting the spars together by one of the eyes on each; also a small anchor of fifteen fathoms of chain, for each end of each spar, the chain cables to be fastened also by double hooks to the other iron eye on each plate.
21
MILITARY OPERATIONS IN CHINA.
255
03
the Board of Control,
3 November 1841.
20
CORRESPONDENCE RELATIVE TO
Her Majesty's Ministers consider the course originally pursued as not ouly irregular in point of form, but open to grave objection; as interfering with the proper responsibility of the various departments of the State, and rendering it impossible to present to Parliament a simultaneous view of the real expenditure incurred on account of the war with China.
They are of opinion, that no military operation, undertaken on behalf of the Crown, and the charge for which is to be ultimately defrayed from the revenues of this country, ought to be undertaken, except under the authority pur- of the Secretary of State, or under an authority expressly delegated for that pose, by the signification of the Royal Commands, through the Secretary of State. They are of opinion, also, that all directions which it may be necessary to give to the Board of Admiralty, the Commander-in-Chief, the Board of Ordnance, or any other public department in the service of the Crown, ought to be signified exclusively by the Secretary of State.
They are aware that, from his greater proximity to the scene of warfare, the Governor-general can superintend the course of operations, and carry on commu- nications with the officers in the military and naval command of the expedition, with far greater facility than could the Secretary of State; and for the same and other reasons, it is desirable that a large portion of the military force, of the provisions and munitions of war, should be supplied, in the first instance, from the resources of India; while it is at the same time due to the interests of India, that no demand be made upon those resources, military or financial, for the service of the Crown elsewhere; a compliance with which might place in jeopardy the security, or trench upon the revenue of that great empire, the welfare of which is confided, as his first charge, to the care of the Governor-general.
On these principles, then, I have it in command from Her Majesty to desire that your Lordship will, through the usual channels, inform the Governor-general that Her Majesty has been pleased to authorize him to exercise a general superin- tendence over the operations of the military and naval authorities on the coast of China; to communicate directly with them, and to issue, without waiting for instructions from me, such orders, from time to time, as the exigencies of the service may seem to require. Her Majesty's Government feel confident that the Governor-general's zeal for the public service will lead him to make every exertion for supplying such an amount of troops, transports, stores and munitions of war, as may from time to time be required for the purposes of the expedition: it may rather be desirable to impress upon him that he should not, under any circumstances, take himself to detach from India a larger portion of British troops than may have been previously authorized by instructions from the Home Government, nor, except in case of emergency (in judging which he will exercise a discretionary power), furnish from the resources of India other supplies than such as may have been previously authorized by me; and that, in the event of such emergency, he should forthwith communicate to me the steps which he has deemed it necessary to take, in order that they may be sanctioned by a covering order. That there may be no undue or inconvenient pressure upon the resources of India, it will be my duty to communicate to your Lordship the requirements of Her Majesty's service, in order that the necessary instructions may be con- veyed to the Governor-general, through the accustomed channel of the Secret Committee.
upon
in
every
The Governor-general will continue to carry on his correspondence in the usual way; but your Lordship will have the goodness to communicate to me, case, without delay, the information and suggestions which you may receive from India, in order that Her Majesty's pleasure thereupon may be signified, in the regular way, through my office, to the several departments. Those departments will be directed to receive their instructions upon all matters connected with the war in China, through the department of war alone.
I have also to request that your Lordship will, at your earliest convenience, transmit to me information as to all requisitions, of whatever description, which' may have been made upon any of the departments at home, in consequence of representations from the Governor-general of India; or otherwise, so far as may be within the cognizance of your department, and so far as may be practicable, of the amount of charge incurred thereby, whether in India or in England, with a view to having a record of all of them in the proper office, and of having them retrospectively sanctioned by a covering order from this department.
Instructious will also be sent to the Major-general commanding upon expe- dition,
the
MILITARY OPERATIONS IN CHINA.
255
21
dition, to communicate directly with the War department; but he will at the same time send copies of his despatches to the Governor-general of India, whose orders, in reference to the combined operations, he, and the Admiral upon the station, will be authorized and enjoined to obey.
-No. 13.-
I have, &c. (signed). Stanley.
EXTRACT of a LETTER from Lord Stanley to the President of the Board
of Control, dated Downing-street, 3 November 1841. HAVING referred to the letter addressed to the Governor-general of India in Lord Stanley to
No. 13. Council by the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors, on the 4th ultimo, the President of which your Lordship has now communicated to me, I am of opinion, upon further consideration and inquiry, that some changes should be made in the nature and amount of military stores which the Governor-general of India in Council was thereby informed would be furnished for service in China in 1842, by the Board of Ordnance.
The following will be the munitions of war provided by that Board :-----
Six 24 lb. guns, iron, with wooden carriages and wooden traversing platforms, front pivot; two 18 lb. guns, iron, with travelling carriages and limbers; 300 rounds per gun for the six 24 and two 18-pounders; two 18-pounder waggons; 200 shot-rockets for the 24-pounders; 100 shell ditto; 200 shot- rockets, twelve-pounders; 100 shell ditto; 200 shot-rockets, six-pounders; 100 ditto, three-pounders; 100 ditto, one-pounders; four tubes for firing the
rockets.
As it is understood that the smallest calibre of horse artillery gun at Fort St. George is a six-pounder, 1,000 rounds of spherical case shot for six-pounders will be sent with ammunition.
It appears to the Master-General of the Ordnance that it would be preferable to send one whole company of Artillery, rather than a portion of the Rocket Troop, and half a company of Artillery. All the Artillery were being exercised in the firing of rockets. There will, therefore, be sent one company of Royal Artillery, consisting of four officers, ten non-commissioned officers, and ninety
gunners and drivers.
The whole of these stores and the company of Artillery will be embarked at Spithead about the 1st of December, and proceed direct to Singapore.
With reference to the 18th paragraph of a letter dated the 11th of August 1841, addressed by the Governor-general to the late President of the India Board for his information, and that of Her Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, I have to acquaint your Lordship that the troop ships "Belleisle" and "Apollo," will leave Spithead about the 1st of December, and proceed direct to Singapore, to be employed as troop-ships with the expedition to China. These ships will convey the recruits for Her Majesty's regiments, now serving in China, and the artillery and military stores above-mentioned.
With reference to the 16th paragraph of the letter above mentioned, of the 4th ultimo, from the Secret Committee of the Court of Directors to the Governor- general, I have now to inform your Lordship that it is thought that all Her Majesty's ships employed upon the expedition, and all the war-steamers belonging to the Indian Navy which may be employed in the same service, must possess ample means in ancliors, booms and chains, of protecting themselves against fire- rafts, without the making of such special provision for that purpose as the Secret Committee before directed to be made.
*
*
Each transport ship (to the number of thirty) arriving at Singapore will, if furnished in India with a spar on each side (of not less than eight inches in diameter, or as much larger as they can conveniently carry, and of buoyant wood) be furnished from Her Majesty's ships or stores, with a concave iron plate, having two large iron eyes worked on each plate, to be secured by large spike-nails on each end of each spar, also three feet of chain with a double hook at each end of the chain, for connecting the spars together by one of the eyes on each; also a small anchor of fifteen fathoms of chain, for each end of each spar, the chain cables to be fastened also by double books to the other iron eye on each plate.
596.
Each
03
the Board of Control,
3 November 1841.
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