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(c.) One of the gun-boats should be placed in such a state of efficiency as to allow of her visiting each port where there is a naval brigade at least once a-year, so as to give the men of the brigades at least two or three days afloat.

Defence Scheme.

4. The further development of the Defence Scheme, as recommended in the Colonial Defence Committee's Remarks of the 3rd August, 1893, and of the 21st November, 1894, on the last two revisions of the Scheme has not been carried out in the present revision.

The Colonial Defence Committee suggest that a copy of the Defence Scheme for the Cape of Good Hope should be sent to Queensland to indicate more clearly to the military authorities there the manner in which the Committee consider that the details of their Scheme should be elaborated.

5. The present revision differs from its predecessor mainly in the numbers of troops given as available and shown in the Distribution Tables, and in certain additions and alterations which, where they call for remark, will be referred to separately. With regard to the numbers, there is a slight difference between those given in the general peace distribution on p. 6, and the detailed peace distribution in Table (A), (pp. 12 and 13), and a considerable difference between the mobile forces in Table (F), (p. 17), and the combined mobile forces in Table (G), (p. 18). Again, the figures in Table (D), (p. 15), cannot be reconciled with those in Table (F).

Chapter I.-General Strategic Considerations,

6. Page 2. General Strategic Considerations. An addition has been made to the effect that "it is essential that the infantry should be armed with the most modern rifle."

It is inconvenient that the recommendations involving an alteration in the conditions of defence should be inserted in the body of a Scheme which is intended to show how existing means can be best utilized. They should, especially in the case of proposals for important alterations like the present one, be brought forward in a separate communication which might conveniently accompany the Scheme or the Annual Report of the Military Commandant.

Recommendations that their forces should be armed with a magazine small-bore rifle have recently been received from other Australasian Colonies. It is a matter for future consideration whether a small-bore magazine rifle would be more suited to the conditions of Australian service than the Martini-Henry now in use, but at present the financial state of the Australian Colonies puts the general provision of a new rifle out of the question. To increase the number of troops that would be available in war by forming reserves and raising establishments is considered a far more pressing requirement than their rearmament.

7. Page 3. Military Districts.-The Federal Fortress of Thursday Island has now been taken out of the Northern Military District, and made an independent command.

This appears to be a more convenient arrangement.

8. Page 5. Thursday Island.-The remarks on the defences of and personnel for Thursday Island at the top of this page have been dealt with by the Colonial Defence Committee in connection with the special Report of the Military Commandant, dated the 21st October, 1895, on this subject.

Chapter II.-Organization.

9. Page 7. Communications.-In accordance with paragraph 9 of the Remarks of the Colonial Defence Committee, dated the 21st November, 1894, words have been added to the effect that "no alterations will be made in any of the coast lighthouses or beacons."

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