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Appendix No. 9.

UNITED STATES.

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Engineer Reports," 1880, p. 45.

parallel communications transmit rapid aid to the right and left; while the coast of the gulf, weak in itself, and remote from succour from behind, is almost inaccessible to lateral assistance."

Much of the above still holds good, both on the question of defence and the question of blockade, but on both points in a far less marked degree.

Defence. The population of the south is growing denser, the lateral communication by means of railways has greatly increased; the perpendicular communication is much improved by the progress in the navigation of both major and minor rivers.

Blockade. The assailant who blockades the Gulf of Mexico blockades the water-way of the great Mississippi valley; but the effect lessens daily in severity-on light goods by the extension of railways, on heavy goods by the extension of water-ways. When the three great lines of water communication between the valley and coast are completed (see “Communications," supra) the gigantic undertaking of blockading the whole American coast will be necessary to produce any crushing effect.

The Americans attach enormous value to the Florida Pass and the strategical positions there. "The mouth of the Amazon, the mouth of the Orinoco, and the mouth of Magdalena, are, commercially speaking, almost as much in the Florida Pass as is the mouth of the Mississippi, owing to the course of the currents and the direction of the winds. In a commercial and military sense, the Gulf of Mexico and the Carribean Sea are but an expansion of the Mississippi and Amazon waters. The mouth of the Mississippi is not at Balize, nor that of the Amazon at Paia; they are both at Florida Pass, between Key West and Cuba."

"A naval force designed to control the navigation of the gulf could desire no better position than Key West or the Tortugas, upon the very wayside of the only path through the gulf; it is, at the same time, well situated as to all the great points therein; it overlooks Havana, Pensacola, Mobile, the mouths of the Mississippi, and both the inlet (Yucatan) and the outlet (Florida Pass) of the gulf."

Much of the above is diminished in force by the introduction of steam, as is pointed out by our own naval writers (Jones, p. 9, Washington, p. 13), who do not rate the strategical importance of Key West and Tortugas so high as the Americans still do, in spite of the change; these writers, however, attach great importance to the preservation or destruction of the system of lights on these dangerous reefs. There is also some difference of opinion as to the efficiency of the defence.

The arguments on both sides cannot be quoted at length here, but the present writer thinks the Americans themselves are likely to be the best judges of the value of positions on their own coast; as will be seen from the remarks in recent Engineer Reports, they still speak strongly of their value.

Without venturing ourselves to estimate the absolute value of these positions, it is evident that, being the best harbours on the northern side of the shortest line of communication between the eastern coast and the gulf, and in the event of the canal being completed the best harbours on the shortest alternative line of communication, they cannot be neglected in a detailed study of the strategical

situation.

As, however, these positions are islands, it is also evident that any but thoroughly efficient defences are thrown away, and the depôts offered a useless sacrifice to a victorious naval adversary, for they cannot be succoured by land. They may be compared to imperfect positions, like our own at Nassau; Key West, unless self-sufficient, must fall if the United States lose the naval command of the gulf

de Nassau must fall if we lose the command of the Bahama Channels, unless secured against a coup main from the mainland.

Actual forts-

Defences of Key West :-

Fort Taylor and batteries, comprising main casemated work and earthen batteries, are for the defence of the "important harbour" of Key West. New earthen batteries for heavy guns, incomplete. Bridge connecting fort and island fallen down. Funds asked for.

Defences of Garden Keys, Dry Tortugas :---

Fort Jefferson; this casemated work "perfectly commands

"the "admirable harbour,"

lying in the heart of this group of keys. The modifications required for heavy guns are incomplete. Funds required.

Captain Gore Jones gives a somewhat different account; he says (p. 9), vessels under 13 or 14 feet draught might enter by the northern passage and destroy the storehouses and town, without the guns being able to bear upon them.

The same writer believes, on account of the deadly nature of the climate, that the station will have to be abandoned.

As the western outlet of the proposed ship-canal is not yet decided, the question of its defence cannot be discussed.

Among the fifteen. works proposed for Florida, forts were to be established at all the principal

inlets and river mouths.

The next actual fort in existence is at Pensacola.

In connection with this place the State Papers make many interesting observations, from which we select the following:-

"The upper arms of this considerable bay receive the Yellow Water or Pea River, Middle River, and Escambia River, and while the tributaries of the last, interlocking with branches of the Alabama and the Chattahoochie, seem to mark the courses whereby, at some future day, canals will convey a part of the product of these rivers to Pensacola, the face of the whole region is remarkably adapted to the application of railroads.”

"L

Santa Rosa Sound extends eastward from the lower part of the bay into Santa Rosa Bay. On the west, the lagoons of Pensacola, Perdido, and Mobile Bays, respectively interlock in such a manner as to require but a few miles of cutting to complete a navigable channel from the first to the last named bay, and thence through an existing water communication to the city of New Orleans."

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