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Enclosure 5.
Sir,
Governor to Commander-in-Chief, China Station
September 3, 1904. IN a letter covering the revision of the Hong Kong Defence Scheme, which I have recently received from the General Officer Commanding the Troops in South China, there occurs the following paragraph :—
"Another point the Committee had before them was, in view of recent events, can His Majesty's fleet prevent either the conveyance of torpedo craft to within striking distance of the harbour or the action of torpedo boat destroyers in these waters? The Committee were unable to come to any decision without the advice of experts, and as the question is so inti- mately connected with harbour defence, I think the opinion of the Naval Commander-in-Chief should be obtained on the subject.”
2. As far as I am aware, the views hitherto held on these matters have been that carried torpedo boats may be expected in an attack on any port liable to be raided by cruisers; that His Majesty's ships will make their own provision against attack_by_these boats; that it is improbable that they would sink unarmed merchant vessels, and that Dock Companies should make their own arrangements against attempts by these boats to destroy dock entrances; and as regards larger torpedo craft, that their action is necessarily confined to within a certain radius of the base from which they can act, and that Hong Kong is not within that radius of any probable naval base in Eastern waters.
3. The recent events which have led the Local Defence Committee to reopen this ques- tion of torpedo boat attack are no doubt the sinking of Japanese merchantmen by Russian ships of war, and the evidence that has been given that the harbours of China might be used for the coaling of hostile ships, even if China herself were not in actual alliance with an enemy of Great Britain.
4. Personally, I am inclined to the belief that the danger of merchant vessels being destroyed by torpedoes in a port such as Hong Kong is not sufficient to justify any special measures being taken to avert it, more especially as such measures could hardly be carried out without imposing restrictions to the free use of the port, which would be to the detriment of its trade.
5. I should be glad, however, if your Excellency would furnish the opinion asked for by Major-General Hatton.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
M. NATHAN.
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