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should be made the subject of a separate communication. They also pointed out that it is obvious that no attempt should be made in a scheme of defence to reverse existing decisions, or to raise large questions of policy; and that the whole subject to which the Local Committee should address itself consists in supplying a clear answer to the question "in what way can the whole of the existing resources of the Colony be best applied to its defence if war were now imminent ?"

3. Much of the matter contained in the Scheme already sent in is good, and the Local Committee has correctly appreciated the measure of defence required for Ceylon, which may be briefly summarized as the protection of Colombo and Trincomali against a raid by cruizers, and such extemporised defence of Galle as the General Officer Commanding may consider possible in order to deny its use as a coaling station to an enemy's cruizer. All this is a great step towards the production of a satisfactory defence scheme, and the Colonial Defence Committee feel confident that if the Local Committee, when reconsidering and recasting the Scheme, keep steadily in view the guiding principles recapitulated above in paragraph 2 of these remarks, and carefully exclude all matter of a controversial nature, the defence scheme of Ceylon will soon assume as satisfactory a shape as those of other Colonies.

W. PEACOCKE, Secretary,

Colonial Defence Committee.

(Signed)

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June 10, 1893.

Pag

PRINTED AT THE FOREIGN OFFICE BY T. HARRISON.—13/6/93.

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Page 149 Printed for the use of the Colonial Office. June 1893.

CONFIDENTIAL.

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62-R

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

CAPE.

702

Defence Scheme revised to January 1893.

Remarks by Colonial Defence Committee.

THE Colonial Defence Committee, having considered the Defence Scheme of the Cape of Good Hope, as revised to January 1893, desire to preface their remarks on the matter contained in the Scheme by a few words explanatory of the form in which it has now been printed.

1. It has been found from experience gained in the compilation and revision of Defence Schemes that there is one general form of arrangement which is the most convenient for grouping the various matters dealt with, and in another paper which, when approved by Her Majesty's Government, will be communicated as a Circular Memorandum to all Colonies, fortresses, and coaling stations, the Colonial Defence Committee have explained this general form in which it seems to them desirable that all Defence Schemes should in future be cast,

In the case of the Cape of Good Hope, where the Scheme was well advanced, the rearrangement in the approved form has been as far as possible carried out here, but though the Scheme has been recast no essential matter contained in the Report of the Local Defence Committee has been omitted; the alteration being one of arrangement rather than of matter.

2. It has, however, been found impossible to rearrange Part III, E, according to the approved form, without unduly interfering with the matter contained in the Report of the Local Committee. This should be done at the next annual revision of the Scheme. The action to be taken by the Com- manding Royal Engineer should be solely dealt with under this heading, and the other detailed instructions or information regarding the sections or sub-sections of the defence, such as the area, scope and composition of their commands, &c., with which it is essential that the officer in command of each section or sub-section should be acquainted, should be separated and dealt with in a new Part IV, under the heading of Instructions to Officers Commanding.

The Colonial Defence Committee offer the following remarks on the Scheme.

3. For the benefit of officers who may subsequently join the command it would be well to insert in Part I the strategical considerations which have defined the kind of attack to which the Cape is most liable. These were fully laid down in the Remarks of the Colonial Defence Committee of August 1889, and are here recapitulated for facility of reference:-

The Royal Colonial Defence Commission of 1879 drew attention to the great strategic importance of the Cape, and pointed out that "the total value of British trade with this Colony, or passing it, amounted to 91,352,000l. a-year, the whole, with the exception of about 4,000,000l., being carried on

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