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19

Report.

HELIGOLAND.

THE Committee have had under their consideration the question of the defence of Heligoland, together with the correspondence referred to them by the Colonial Office letter of the 11th April.

The island of Heligoland is in the open sea, about 30 miles from the German coast, and is about 1 mile in length by mile broad. The chief part of the island is 160 feet above the sea, surrounded by perpendicular cliffs; and the only approach to the small town on the upper plateau is by a flight of steps. Below this cliff at the south end of the island is a beach, only a few feet above the level of the sea, upon which the lower town is built.

It is evident that with the aid of slight works, and a drawbridge on the steps leading to the upper town, a very few men would suffice to defend the upper plateau of the island against attack, and would even render a landing on the beach below a work of much danger. Still no amount of works and no guns will afford protection for the town and its inhabitants against a bombardment from the open sea.

The question of the construction of works for the defence of Heligoland was under the consideration of the Secretary of State for War so lately as 1875, and again in 1876, when it was decided, after full consideration of the subject, not to erect any permanent works for its defence. The Committee find that subsequently to this decision, three 40-pr. and two 12-pr. breech-loading rifled guns, with 25 Snider rifles, were sent on loan to the island in October, 1876, when the guns were slung up to the upper town. No batteries or emplacements whatever have, so far as is known, been constructed for these guns, nor any works to protect the stairs leading to the upper town. The Committee, however, do not recommend the construction of works for mounting these guns, but think it would be well to make a cut in the steps leading to the upper town, with a moveable bridge, so that access from the lower town may be interrupted; when with the assistance of some trenches at the top, and the addition of 45 men to the garrison in case of war, as proposed by the Governor, the upper plateau, and with it the island, will be secured against a coup de main.

In making these recommendations, the Committee desire to point out that these measures will not secure the town against bombardment.

ST. HELENA.

St. Helena possesses no harbour, but has only an open roadstead. Although ships can coal in the open anchorage in fine weather, it cannot be considered as a port of refuge or as a coaling station, there being no protection for ships at anchor in the road- stead, nor any possibility of protecting them effectively from the shore. Its principal use, therefore, in war, will be as a port of call, and as such it should be protected against hostile occupation.

The defences are of considerable extent, having been constructed before the intro- duction of rifled artillery, and only partly modified to meet the requirements of modern warfare. The island, however, is very difficult of access, and is not an object which an enemy would incur much risk, or expend any great energy, in attacking.

The defences consist of the following works:-

1. Ladder Hill Battery, 609 feet above the sea, with an armament of—

3 7-in, breech-loading rifled guns.

2 68-pounder smooth bore guns.

6 13-in. mortars.

11 18-pounder smooth bore guns, for saluting.

2. Lemon Valley, 127 feet-

Armament, 2 7-in. breech-loading rifled guns.

3. Munden's Point, 104 feet-

Armament, 3 7-in. muzzle-loading rifled guns.

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