CAB9-1_PT1 — Page 242

Printed for the use of the Colonial Office. July 25, 1894.

CONFIDENTIAL.

89-R

HONG KONG.

28

Page 242

HONG KONG.

No. 5.

Report of Local Joint Naval and Military Committee of April 1894.

Remarks by the Colonial Defence Committee.

THE Colonial Defence Committee offer the following remarks on this Report:

1. The nature of attack to which Hong Kong is liable is correctly stated.

2. Paragraph (A) and Appendix. -The examination anchorages are suitable, but it should have been stated whether the examining launches and staff are available at the station for the duties of the two anchorages.

With regard to the proposal that all vessels coming in from the west must approach by the Sulphur Channel, it is to be remembered that the Sailing Directory recommends all sailing-ships to enter by the north of Kellett Bank; care must therefore be taken to stop them in time, as, if arriving from a long voyage, they might not be aware of the restriction.

In the first paragraph of the Appendix the wording "acting under the approval of" would be preferable to "acting under the directions of" the Senior Naval Officer. The rules are put in operation at the discretion of the Senior Naval and Military Officers, who are also responsible that they are properly enforced, but once this initiative has been taken, the executive duties would be carried out under the direction of the Harbour-master.

In the 2nd paragraph of the Appendix, Aldrich Bay is presumably a clerical error for Saiwan Bay, as, according to the Admiralty Chart, Aldrich Bay is inside the Lyemun Defences.

It should be borne in mind that our shipping trade must be interfered with as little as possible, and that where non-interference with our trade and a perfect system of defence are incompatible, the former must be held to be the all-important consideration.

3. Paragraph 3. Mine-fields.-The recommendation to withdraw the Quarry Bay Mine-field is concurred in.

At the western entrance the gap which, owing to defective survey, has been found to exist between Nos. 2 and 3 Mine-fields should be closed, and the Friendly Channel shifted somewhat further out from the Hong Kong shore, so as to coincide better with the ordinary fairway, as proposed in letter Hong Kong No. 5/4704. The depth of all mines can remain unaltered. As regards these mine-fields, the fact should not be lost sight of that there may be difficulty in keeping effective in time of war mine-fields which are laid in foreign waters. China presumably has some claim either of exclusive or concurrent jurisdiction over a portion of the waters of both the east and west entrances. It is suggested that in the case of the western entrance interference with territorial waters would be avoided if No. 1 Mine-field were shifted to the east end of Stonecutter's Island, say, to the line between the points marked "Magazine" and " Cosmopolitan Dock," where it would abut on British Kowloon, and that in the case of the east entrance it is a matter for consideration whether the completion of the Brennan installation will not render the Lyemun Mine-field unnecessary.

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