CAB11-57-1 — Page 150

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APPENDIX 1.

Sir,

Letter of the General Officer Commanding, Hong Kong.

I HAVE the honour to request the favour of as speedy a decision as is practicable, being

Hong Kong, March 29, 1901. given as to the strength of the permanent garrison to be maintained in this Colony.

I have, in my letter of the 16th January last,* already expressed my views on the minimum of strength which I consider necessary, and I trust my recommendations may be conceded. But apart from this, I find myself in the awkward position of ignorance of the exact garrison upon which I can rely to meet the exigencies of the Colony's defence at all times.

I am fully alive to the fact that there are many pressing needs under the consideration of the War Office, but I feel, in making my representation now, opportunity is being afforded of deciding it in conjunction with others, and that it will form but one item in the great national problem which is at present occupying the attention of Government. I would beg, therefore, that to enable me to put as speedily as possible the distribution of the troops for the defence of the Colony into shape, in a permanent and stable form, intimation may, if possible, be sent me by telegraph, of the strength of the garrison it has been decided to permanently maintain in Hong Kong, and more especially of the infantry portion thereof.

I have, &c.

(Signed) W. J. GASCOIGNE, Major-General,

Commanding the Troops in China and Hong Kong.

APPENDIX II.

(M/0992.) Sir,

Letter from Admiralty to War Office.

Admiralty, October 10, 1900. MY Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, having had before them your letter of the 18th ultimo, Hong Kong 5/398, desire me to state that they note with some concern that it is not expected the whole of the guns allotted to Hong Kong under the scheme for improving the rearmament for the defence of that Colony will be in position before the end of 1903.

The condition of affairs in the Far East is likely in the near future to considerably increase the importance of Hong Kong as a commercial centre and strategic base, and at the same time it must be remembered that the temporary loss to Great Britain of the command of the China; Seas, owing to possible combinations of other Powers, or the possible concentration in those seas of a much larger proportion of the naval forces of some Powers, than the strategic situation of this country would allow us to send to any one point of danger so far off as China, is a contingency which might have to be faced.

The importance, therefore, of ensuring that Hong Kong should be at such a juncture in a complete state of defence cannot be overrated, and my Lords would urge on the Secretary of State for War the extreme desirability—or rather the necessity-of taking into his immediate consideration, the question whether arrangements could not be made to complete the mounting of the new guns at a date considerably earlier than that anticipated, even if the armament of some other position had in consequence to be postponed.

The Under-Secretary of State,

War Office.

I am, &c. (Signed)

EVAN MACGREGOR.

Hong Kong

* Extract from letter of G.0.C., Hong Kong, dated 16th January, 1901 (57527/763) : is the Gibraltar of the East. Whatever the result of the present crisis may be, Hong Kong must ever remain of the first importance as a military and above all a naval base. The enormous works now in progress in connection. with the new arsenal and dockyards prove this, and I for one intend to press most earnestly that never again will. the garrison be decreased from its present strength, viz., four battalions of infantry and a large force of artillery and engineers. The composition of that infantry, whether principally native, as at present, is for but I most earnestly press that the strength be not reduced.

you to decide, In this I am only repeating the conviction I arrived at long before Peking difficulty arose. I think my contention must be patent and reasonable now in the light of recent events."

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