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appears to be coming over the whole spirit of the nation, who are already working lines of steamers in Appendix No. 4- the Indian seas so economically as to drive off some of the European lines, and are collecting a fleet of the finest gun-vessels in the Pacific. There are now more than a quarter of a million of the race in the country to the west of the Rocky Mountains, a source of great uneasiness to the States in which they live.

After full consideration of all the information I could collect, it appears to me that Esquimalt is not now free from the risk of being attacked by iron-clads, or by a land force, or by both combined, and that this risk will increase rather than diminish. Therefore its efficient defence could only be insured by the construction of works and the maintenance of a garrison adequate to resist such an attack.

The very limited amount of money, and the small number and light nature of the ordnance men- tioned in the Report of the Colonial Defence Committee of the 1st April, 1878, lead to the inference that a defence of this character is not contemplated, but rather that the works should be calculated to repel an attack of a small squadron, or of a single ship, unarmoured and of moderate power.

VANCOUVER ISLAND.

As will be seen hereafter, the distances to be covered by the guns for the defence are very con- Plate III.* siderable. Consequently batteries armed with light guns would be of little service against iron-clads, while wooden vessels would not hesitate to attack them; whereas, if heavier guns were mounted they would not only be effective against iron-clads, but would probably deter wooden vessels from making or continuing an attack. An armament of light guns would necessitate the construction of more batteries and a corresponding greater outlay than would be required with heavier guns.

For these reasons, I urge the employment of more powerful guns than those detailed in the Report of the Colonial Defence Committee, and I am the more induced to press this point from my experience of the works at Halifax, Nova Scotia, some of which were constructed for, and armed with, light guns, which it was found expedient soon afterwards to replace with others of greater power. In carrying out the service, not only was great expense incurred in altering the works and changing the guns, ammunition, &c., but during the time the alterations were being estimated for and carried into effect the batteries were useless. The expense and inconvenience of a similar change at Esquimalt would be much more serious than at Halifax.

It is not true economy to fortify only to the present date, the certainty of improvements in the power of attack should be anticipated and provided against.

While advocating the employment of heavy ordnance, I must be understood to mean guns of great power, and if, as seems probable, lighter guns are to be introduced into the service that have equal power with the heavy guns of the present pattern, Esquimalt would be a fit place for their employment, on account of the smaller gun detachments required for their service, a matter not to be overlooked at this station, where, for some years, there will be difficulty in supplementing from local sources the small garrison that will probably be allowed for its defence.

The south-east corner of Vancouver Island, in which are situated the harbours of Esquimalt and Plate III.* Victoria, consists of slightly undulating plains of cultivable land, through which protrude masses of bare, rugged rock, in some places in the form of ridges, in others of mounds and hills, with steep, craggy slopes, &c., rising in some places to the height of 300 to 400 feet. To the north and east of Victoria the plains have no great elevation above the sea; to the south and west of Esquimalt they, as well as the hills, are more elevated, and the latter, which are thickly wooded, would appear to be covered with a greater depth of soil.

The action of the sea on this formation has resulted on the coast eastward of Race Rocks in the production of a number of projecting rocky heads with intervening bays, where there are level beaches of shingle or sand, affording good landing-places from boats, and backed by steep banks of earth and gravel, to the top of which, in most places, there would be little difficulty in constructing a road practicable for light guns.

A hostile expedition would find every facility for disembarking in Sooke Inlet, west of Race Islands, in Pedder Inlet, at the south of Parry Bay, in any of the small bays to the west of Victoria, and on the coast of the Saanich Peninsula, and from all these points good roads lead to the towns of Esquimalt and Victoria.

Between Albert Head and Esquimalt Harbour the beach is level, but the bank behind rises rapidly from the lagoon at the north of Albert Head to a height of about 120 to 150 feet, falling rapidly again as it approaches the Coburg Lagoon.

From the entrance of Esquimalt Harbour to that of Victoria, the shore, generally rocky, and of no great elevation, does not offer any facilities for landing a large body of troops, although at intervals there are small coves where one or two boats might land.

Esquimalt Harbour is easy of ingress and egress at all times of tide, although there are strong currents and eddies at the entrance, due to the tide, which rises and falls from 5 to 10 feet; the holding-ground is good and the anchorage safe, particularly in Constance Cove, where the men-of-war usually lie.

With a strong wind from the south-east a heavy sea sets into the harbour and affects the anchorage on the western shore, and makes very rough water in the northern part of the harbour; the waves also surge round Grant's Knoll, at the extremity of Duntze Head, with sufficient violence to prevent vessels lying alongside the dockyard wharf, which is just inside this knoll, and which, on account of this sea, it is not considered advisable to extend beyond the 2-fathom line.

The peninsula of Duntze Head, on the inner shore of which are the dockyard, the site for the new graving-dock, and the town of Esquimalt, consists of a series of ridges and masses of rock with inter- vening depressions or small valleys, which, from their prolongation being directed upon the outer roads, are exposed to enfilade fire from hostile vessels advancing towards the harbour.

In the depressions nearest the end of the head are the dockyard buildings and stores; in the cove Plate V.* at the end of the next, the graving-dock is proposed to be built; in a small valley further to the east

* Not printed.

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