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d'Aguilar would be that owing to its isolated position it could not be supported by the fire of other batteries of the defences, and would therefore be liable to be crushed in detail by the concentrated fire of ships lying in the open water to the south of the island, which in that position would not be exposed to the fire of the other batteries of the defences.

Further, as Cape d'Aguilar lies outside the main line of the defences of the fortress, unless it were provided with a considerable infantry garrison the battery would be liable to capture by a small force landed from a hostile vessel by night.

Taking all these circumstances into consideration, the Committee are of opinion that this battery would not strengthen the defences in proportion to the great cost of its construction and armament, and of the provision of the personnel required to man and protect it.

VII.-Medium Armament.

28. In paragraph 4 of their Memorandum No. 388 M, dated the 7th March, 1907, on the revision of the fixed defences, Hong Kong, the Colonial Defence Committee pointed out that :----

"As regards attack by night by vessels of small fighting value, at the eastern entrance, owing to the narrow channel of access and the distance and relative invisibility of the target, the chances of such an attack being attempted are remote; and to deter it a limited measure of defence will suffice.

"At the western entrance, on the other hand, the chanuels of approach are more easy, and the shipping lying in the western harbour would afford a large and vulnerable target, so that the inducements to undertake an attack by night are considerably greater. The main channel of access to the western harbour between Belcher's Point and Stonecutter's Island is 3,500 yards wide, and, owing to the limited range of electric lights, it cannot be adequately defended by fixed defences on shore."

They recommended that the fixed defences should be supplemented by the provision of some local floating defence to guard the main Western Channel at night. In this connection attention is drawn to section XII of this Memorandum.

The Colonial Defence Committee are of opinion that the medium armament now approved for the eastern entrance fulfils requirements, and that, in so far as the defence of the western entrance can be provided by guns mounted on shore, the medium armament as at present approved is adequate.

VIII.-Garrison of Hong Kong.

29. The present garrison of Hong Kong is calculated at a strength adequate to resist a raid by a maximum landing force of 4,000 men. It would therefore clearly not be equal to opposing attack by a powerful expeditionary force supported by a squadron of armoured ships, to which Hong Kong may become liable in a war with Japan.

Fixed defences, however formidable, will not render a fortress secure against attack by an expeditionary force. This form of attack can only be dealt with by mobile troops and guns capable of being moved to any threatened point.

A substantial increase of the existing garrison will therefore be necessary if Hong Kong is to rely on purely land defences for its protection from the danger of attack by a large expeditionary force.

30. The defended area of the fortress of Hong Kong has a perimeter of about 22 miles, of which about 19 miles are land front. Of the total land front to be defended, 9 miles are on the island of Hong Kong, the remaining 10 miles are included in a defended position on the mainland, formed by a chain of hills running across the Kau-lun Peninsula, from Lai-chi-kok, on the west to Lyemun Pass on the south-

east.

31. The waters lying off the southern coast of the island of Hong Kong are well suited to the operations of submarines, which in time of need would be able to with- draw to the inner waters of the harbour. The Admiralty are of opinion that the presence of submarines and torpedo craft will serve to deter transports from approach- ing sufficiently near the southern coast of the island to enable a landing to be effected by any considerable force. No substantial addition to the force required for the defence of the island front against a military force landed on the southern coast, will therefore be required under the new conditions.

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