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Appendix No. 4.
VANCOUVER ISLAND.
would also bear up the Royal Roads, and a ship entering offers a favourable parallelogram of fire to them. A portion of the Rodd Hill Battery would also enfilade the tongue of land forming the shore of the salt lagoon. It would, however, be advisable to build a blockhouse on Belmont Hill, otherwise a few riflemen would render the Rodd Hill Battery untenable. Belmont Hill takes it in reverse at about 400 yards.
Fisgard Island is too small and rocky to be used advantageously as a heavy gun emplacement. I would not propose any but heavy guns for the defence of Esquimalt, with the exception of a battery of four heavy field-guns (16-pounder rifled muzzle-loading), with harness, &c., complete, to be handed over to the Canadian militia artillery, and horsed by farm-horses, to meet boat attacks either on the several bays south-west of Victoria, from which there are good roads to the town, or to repel a landing to the eastward in Sooke Harbour.
In this direction the rough and densely-wooded character of the country will confine an enemy having to land supplies and ammunition to the road, which could easily be closed against him, and any counter-barricade of such road by felled trees could only be forced by artillery.
The country round Victoria, especially west of it to the sea, is comparatively open and suited for field artillery.
On the principle that it is always advisable to place batteries in advance of what they defend, it was contemplated to recommend the construction of a battery on the high land between Albert Head and Rodd Head to bear on vessels coming up the roads to the entrance of Esquimalt, with 5,000 yards extreme range to Macaulay Point, but I do not consider it advisable for the following reasons:-
1. It would extend the defence beyond the powers of the small body of men that would be available. It is 11 miles from Victoria by land.
2. Such a battery would be liable to be taken in reverse by an enemy from Sooke Harbour, advancing along the road and across Sangster's Plains.
3. The height being 250 feet, extreme depression 7 degrees, gives range of 600 yards, inside which a vessel would be secure from its fire. Supposing the battery were withdrawn 300 yards from the shore, the water is deep enough to allow a vessel running along 300 yards from the shore.
Torpedoes. The presence of the Royal Navy would render the storage at the dockyard of materials for a torpedo system a natural precaution, while the laying them down in time of war would naturally form part of their duty. Their manipulation might be left to the proposed garrison of marine artillery.
A system of telegraphic signals from Albert Head round the coast to south and east of Victoria could easily be established and maintained by the above-mentioned garrison.
With regard to the temporary works constructed by Lieutenant-Colonel Irwin, Inspector of Artillery, taking into account the small sum of money and the inadequate means at his disposal, I am of opinion that they could not have been better devised or executed, with the exception of some trifling details of no great importance. A battery on Holland Point would have commanded more effectually the entrance to Victoria Harbour, but Lieutenant-Colonel Irwin was directed not to occupy that site on account of the sum of money demanded for its purchase. A battery on Holland Point for a couple of 7-inch 6-ton guns is therefore necessary to protect the mouth of Victoria Harbour by a cross fire with Macaulay Point. Victoria Point Battery does not entirely command the entrance to Victoria Harbour, the fire of the right gun is masked by points of land running out and by intervening woods. It would be desirable to render the present works permanent by revetting the interior slopes of the gun portions in stone or brick, while the other slopes could adequately be secured by upright cedar stockade revetment.
It has been previously pointed out that the present batteries at Finlayson and Victoria Point can be taken in reverse by attacks from boats landing in Cordova and other bays to the eastward. A central keep, with a couple of Moncrieff pits on Beacon Hill, would have a considerable sweep to seaward, and would also command the gorges of the above-mentioned batteries, as well as one that might be erected on Holland Point; but the expense of such an undertaking would not perhaps be commen- surate with the results gained, nor with the probable strength of garrison available. Moncrieff pits, if constructed on Beacon and Signal Hills respectively, would require in great measure to be blasted out of the rock, but the cost of revetment would be saved, and the protection of the gun, carriage, and stores from weather or depredation would be complete by covering with a shingle roof. Such tempo- rary shelter would be easily removed for service, and need not interfere with gun-practice. In lieu of erecting a central keep on Beacon Hill, I would recommend closing the gorges of Macaulay, Finlayson, and Victoria Point Batteries with stockades. A portion of the wood which grows thickly up to the gorge of Finlayson Battery would have to be cleared away. Estimates for stockading herewith.
ESTIMATED Cost of closing the gorges of batteries by means of stockades constructed of sawn cedar posts 6 inches by 6 inches; painted at top, coated with coal-tar for 3 feet 6 inches at bottom to prevent decay, and loop-holed or so arranged as to admit of small-arm fire against any land attack :—
MACAULAY POINT BATTERY.
1
V
T
Aj A
a
t
VASHA ́O
F
P
I
I
CO
A SKR
I
aj
=
re
fr
#A
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al
Dol. Dol.
420 feet; 1,278 posts 11 feet long, 6-inch by 6-inch sawn cedar, at 16 dollars per 1,000
(board measure).. Digging 426 feet breach 3 feet deep, tarring and setting posts, including loop-koling
687
100
787
af
FINLAYSON POINT BATTERY.
bi
330 feet; 990 posts 11 feet long, 6-inch by 6-inch sawn cedar, at 16 dollars per 1,000
(board measure) .. Digging 330 feet trench
m
522
re
feet deep, tarring and setting posts, including loop-boling
77
599
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