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Sir,
33
Defences of Victoria and Esquimault.
"Shah," at Esquimault, June 27, 1878. In compliance with your Memorandum I have placed myself in communication with Lieutenant-Colonel Irwin, Inspector of Artillery, and in company with him, and the officers ordered to assist me in drawing up this Report, have visited the various points selected by him as sites for the proposed batteries.
We have also examined other situations, and have carefully considered the subject, and keeping in view the means at present at command for defending this port, I have the honour to report as follows:-
1. The guns available are:-one 8-inch muzzle-loading rifled, 9 tons, with carriage and slide complete; three 7-inch muzzle-loading rifled, 6 tons, with carriages and slides complete; four 64-pounder wrought iron, 64 cwt.; four 64-pounder, 71 cwt., converted.
For mounting the 64-pounders there are two carriages and slides complete for 71-cwt. guns, one carriage and slide for a 64-cwt. gun, and five truck-carriages for each description of gun.
There is also a 9-inch muzzle-loading rifled 12-ton gun, with carriage and slide complete, which is at present appropriated for Her Majesty's ship "Shah."
2. The present condition of the defensive works is this-
At Finlayon Point, near Beacon Hill, a two-gun barbette battery has been erected, and will shortly be armed with two 64-pounders, 71 cwt., mounted on slide carriages A.
At Macaulay Point a three-gun barbette battery is under construction, and the earth- work is well advanced.
It is intended to mount the three 6-ton guns there, C.
A tracing of the plan of this work is attached.
3. The other works proposed at present are:-
A two-gun battery, 64-pounder, at Holland Point, near Beacon Hill, B.
A two-gun battery, 64-pounders, at Saxe Point D, and one 64-pounder to be placed on a mound near Rodd Point E.
4. Colonel Irwin informs me that he proposes taking the work in the following
manner;-----
(1.) On the completion of the earthwork at Macaulay Point, to finish and arm the battery at Finlayson Point.
(2.) Complete and arm Macaulay Point battery.
(3.) Construct the two-gun battery at Saxe Point. (4.) Construct the one-gun battery at Rodd Point.
5. In considering these works Colonel Irwin has taken 2,000 yards as the effective range against wooden ships of war in motion, and on the tracing attached, using this estimate as a basis, I have shown by a light shade of pink the area covered by the proposed batteries.
6. It will at once be remarked how incomplete this arrangement is as regards the defence of the dockyard and harbour at Esquimault, which are practically only defended by one 64-pounder from a vessel approaching from Albert Head, and keeping near the west shore, which would probably be the position selected for shelling the dockyard.
The proposed battery on Saxe Point being over 3,000 yards from the 5-fathom line at its nearest point, may be considered as out of range.
7. To remedy this defect, I propose that a battery should be erected on the largest of the Brothers' Islands, marked F, which we visited with Colonel Irwin. It is a most com- manding position, and the additional area protected is indicated by a light blue shade.
It is true that it is nearer the dockyard than is desirable; but with an enemy in the position above-mentioned the island would be quite out of line with it, and even if fired at when aligned there is a considerable eminence on the mainland immediately behind it, and a distance of 700 yards from it to the principal stores.
It has, besides the great advantage of being so much advanced, the additional one of not being liable to be enfiladed from its formation.
Colonel Irwin concurred in the desirability of arming this island, and there are no serious difficulties in the way of doing so.
Building a battery would necessitate the removal of some of the graves.
8. It now remains to suggest the best way of disposing of the available guns for the defence of Esquimault; and presuming that four 64-pounders are appropriated for Beacon Hill, and one for Rodd Point, and the three 7-inch guns for Macaulay Point, there remain one 9-inch (?), one 8-inch, and two 64-pounders, and I offer the three following suggestions:-
(a.) Supposing the 9-inch gun is available ?
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