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Appendix No. 4.
NEWFOUNDLAND.
Sir,
386
Inclosure 9 in No. 116.
Sir J. Glover to Sir M. Hicks Beach.
Government House, Newfoundland, October 29, 1879. WITH reference to the suggestions put forward in the Fishery Report of Captain Sullivan, R.N., dated 15th August, 1878, and referred to in your despatch of the 6th January, 1879, that a training ship might, with equal advantage to the mother-country and to the Colony, be placed in the harbour of St. John's, I have the honour to inclose copy of a Minute of my Executive Council, requesting that information may be furnished them as to the necessary measures which should be adopted to carry such proposal into effect.
2. Considering that this subject, together with that of dock accommodation for Her Majesty's cruizers in this northern portion of the Atlantic, would form a fitting matter of consideration for the Committee now sitting on colonial defence, I have obtained copies of the plan and site of the dock, which it is contemplated shall be built in the harbour of St. John's, and my Government would respectfully suggest that the plans forwarded herewith, together with Captain Sullivan's suggestions in regard to the training ship, shall be placed in the hands of the Commissioners for colonial defence.
I have, &c.
JOHN H. GLOVER.
(Signed)
Inclosure 10 in No. 116.
Minute of Executive Council.
ON the subject of the presence in St. John's of a training ship for the formation of a Naval Reserve force, suggested by Captain Sullivan, of Her Majesty's ship "Sirius," in his Report of the 15th August, 1878, the consideration of which was hitherto postponed, the Council would respectfully request his Excellency the Governor to communicate with the Right Honourable the Colonial Minister, in order to obtain particular information as to the steps necessary to be adopted on the part of this Colony for carrying such proposal into effect.
E. D. SHEA, Clerk, Executive Council.
(Signed)
Colonial Secretary's Office, St. John's, Newfoundland,
October 10, 1879.
(Extract.)
Inclosure 11 in No. 116.
Sir J. Glover to Sir M. Hicks Beach.
Newfoundland, November 13, 1879. AT the request of my Government, I have the honour to transmit, for the consideration of Her Majesty's Government, the inclosed Minute of Council soliciting pecuniary aid for the construction of a graving dock at St. John's.
Inclosure 12 in No. 116.
Extract from a Minute of Executive Council of Newfoundland, dated November 10, 1879.
THE Council would respectfully pray his Excellency the Governor to urge on the consideration of Her Majesty's Government two matters of considerable importance to this Colony, one of which involves also considerations of Imperial interest.
The construction of a graving dock at St. John's would obviously be a valuable boon, not only to this island, but to Her Majesty's ships and to the whole mercantile marine navigating the North
Atlantic Ocean.
With the exception of the dock at Bermuda, there is not one on the American Continent of sufficient capacity to accommodate the larger class of ships, and the want must be always attended with much hazard, and frequently with serious inconvenience and loss to shipping interests. The geographical position of the port of St. John's, and its facilities of access, give it special advantages as a place of resort for vessels needing repairs; and in the event of war its superiority in these respects would be peculiarly appreciable. The estimated cost of a suitable dock would be somewhat over 100,000%, and the Council beg to represent the claims of Newfoundland to pecuniary aid from Her Majesty's Government towards this necessary and most beneficial undertaking.
The Council have seen that the Honourable Mr. Whiteway has already indicated to Her Majesty's Government the grounds on which the Colony solicits its co-operation in this case, and desire to express their entire concurrence in his views.
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