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I approve of these suggestions made by the officer commanding Royal Engineers and officer commanding Royal Artillery.

(Signed)

JOHN A. STREET,

Lieutenant-General.

No. 115.

Colonial Office to Admiral Sir A. Milne, Bart., G.C.B.

(Secret and Confidential.) Sir,

Downing Street, May 20, 1878. WITH reference to the letter from this Department of the 14th instant,* I am directed by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to transmit to you, for the information of the Colonial Defence Committee, copies of paraphrases of telegrams which have passed between this Department and the Governor of Newfoundland, since the date of the letter above referred to,† respecting the defence of that Colony and the supply of guns.

I am, &c.,

(Signed) R. H. MEADE.

No. 116.

Admiral Sir A. Milne, Bart., G C.B., to Colonial Office.

War Office, May 20, 1878. THE Committee have had under consideration the letter of the Under-Secretary of State of the 18th instant, in which they are requested to advise as to the disposal of twenty-five Whitehead torpedoes placed by the Admiralty at the disposal of the Colonial Office for the defence of Colonial ports.

The Committee have ascertained that carefully-selected men, suited for the work, may be trained in about three weeks on board the Admiralty training ship to take charge of and use these torpedoes, and are of opinion that not less than two such men should be sent to each station to which these locomotive torpedoes are supplied. These men would be capable of training others, so that the system of working once established in a colony might be retained in it for future emergencies.

The employment of these torpedoes entails also the provision of air-pumps for charging them, the due working of which will require an engine of not less than 13 horse- power. The Committee, therefore, are compelled to limit their recommendation to those ports at which the necessary steam-power and other requisite appliances may be expected to be found.

The appliances comprise one or more boats or steam-launches, which will require to be specially fitted; together with a superintendent or officer in charge, and a crew of 6 to 8 or 10 men, in addition to the trained men above referred to.

The ports, then, to which the Committee recommend that these torpedoes should be

sent are:-

Singapore Hong Kong Esquimalt Cape Town

Total

..

•

6

6

6

7

25

·

If this distribution should meet with the approval of the Secretary of State, the Committee would recommend that application should be made to the Admiralty to allow some special officer, thoroughly conversant with the care and use of these torpedoes, to superintend their packing and preparation and that of the requisite articles and stores for each Colony, also the selection and training of the men to accompany and take charge of them. It would also be necessary that he should prepare full and clear instructions as to the boat and other fitments to be provided in the ports themselves, and as to practice with the torpedoes, such as, with the information posesssed by the trained men, may enable an officer to take the general superintendence and care of these machines and their application.

• No. 96.

† Nos. 104 and 108.

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