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CHAPTER I.

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12. From this broken and rugged surface arises the difficulty for the defence, that there is no point on the island which commands an extended view of the southern shore and the approaches therefrom; in fact, the mountain glens are concealed from view by the neighbouring ridges, and there are few spots in the island from which the eye can detect at one time movements in two neighbouring glens. This consideration, the smallness of the garrison in proportion to the extent of coast-line, and the numerous possible landing-places, lead to the conclusion that it is better to hold the garrison in as central a position as possible rather than to break it up into small weak parties watching every possible landing-place.

13. Fogs shroud the higher peaks for more than fifty days in the year, and the eleva- tions about 1,000 feet for about thirty days in the year. The lower one descends the less the frequency of fog; but sometimes a fog so dense exists down to the level of the water that the local pilots run their craft ashore in the daytime. This is, however, a very rare occurrence It is not thought, however, that its influence would be wholly against the defence-in fogs as at night, men who know the ground will be less hampered by the dim light than strangers; and in no case can the fog be put forward as a reason for frittering the defence into patches and groups, but rather serves as an argument for keeping companies as intact as possible. If fogs envelop the positions of defence, its formed bodies and outposts must descend below their normal positions. As for an enemy's ships approaching without being observed from the high ground on account of fog, there is no spot on the island whence an observer commands all the sea approaches; and when the usual points of observation are in the mist, the approach of ships would be telegraphed from D'Aguilar, and made known by scouts thrown out to Wong-ma- Kok from the Stanley Telephone Office. Our scouts on Mount Davis would telephone ships coming from the west.

14. The power of the garrison to concentrate on the threatened point and to act on interior lines will be greatly increased by the 12-feet road, which is at present in course of construction from Wanchai Gap to Wong-nei-Cheong Gap. This road will run on the north side of Mount Cameron as far as the Middle Gap, thence on the south side of Mount Nicholson to the Wong-nei-Cheong Gap. A road trace has already been made, which is quite passable for infantry troops.

Roads are also under construction from Victoria Gap to High West, and from the landing place at foot of the hill to Devil's Peak, and are approaching completion.

The necessity of guarding the dam at the Tytam Reservoir compels the garrison to throw a strong detachment in advance of the main position, for which Violet Hill affords an excellent position.

15. Briefly described, that portion of the mainland which enters more closely into- the Scheme of Defence, known as the Kowloon Peninsula, is a tangled network of disin- tegrated granite hillocks, scored by crevasses and gullies. It is bounded on the north by a chain of hills studded with peaks, which spring from the main ridge to heights varying from 900 to 1,980 feet. This chain of hills runs for two-thirds of the way due west and east, and then sharply recurves for the remaining distance to the south. The western and eastern flanks rest on the sea, and it thus forms a barrier wall affording many facilities for defence, and represents to Kowloon in miniature degree much what the Himalayan range does to India.

16. The harbour entrances are protected by batteries and submarine mines: that on the east by the batteries of Lyemun and Sywan Redoubt, by submarine mines, and last and not least, by the Brennan torpedo, with the batteries of North Point and Eastern Kowloon in second line. The wider western entrance is protected by the Belcher group of batteries, by those on Stonecutters Island, and by three mine-fields, and in second line by West Kowloon and Victoria Batteries. These are mentioned in detail hereafter.

17. At Hong Kong, as elsewhere, the civil population is a factor affecting the defence. The present non-military population amounts to 283,418, mostly Chinese, and former reports have assumed that half of the population would leave on the outbreak of hostilities. The question of their food is discussed hereafter.

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