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9. Page 10 (C).-It is not clear whether the only telegraphic communication in Georgetown is that along the railway. If so, this should be stated, and if not, any other lines which might be used for giving information of an enemy's approach should be referred to.

It is not sufficient to lay down in the Scheme that "a system of signalling-stations could be casily arranged." If such arrangements are considered necessary, they should be embodied in Chapter III or Chapter VI under the instructions to the military or civil officer responsible for carrying them out.

10. Page 10 (D).-The method of meeting attacks transferred here from page 5, paragraph 3, might be supplemented by a brief reference to the picquets and patrols which would be furnished to prevent surprise, especially at night. Probably an artillery guard at the fort, and a picquet near Kitty Groin or the signal-station, with a patrol beyond, would suffice; but the advisability of having a picquet to the south of the town to guard against the possibility of surprise by troops that had been landed up the river on a dark night should also be considered.

1 CHAPTER III.

11. Page 13 (4).The Colonial Defence Committee recommend that a copy of Lord Knutsford's Circular despatch, dated the 2nd July, 1891, with regard to the noti- fication that will be made to the Governors of Colonies instructing them to put Defence Schemes partially or wholly into force, should now be sent to British Guiana, and that a specific reference to this despatch should be made under the heading "General Review of Measures to be taken," to insure the simple code laid down in the Circular being understood and acted on immediately on its receipt.

The Defence Scheme should also lay down the action to be taken on receipt of the above notification, to declare the Militia to be on actual military service, so that they may then come under Clause 120 of British Guiana Ordinance No. 19 of 1891, as amended by Ordinance No. 10 of 1892.

The measures to be taken, given as 1, 2, and 3, might be omitted under the heading (A). The orders to Heads of Departments and Commanding Officers which it is proposed to issue on alarm of war are presumably those given under (B) to (F) of Chapter III and in Chapter V. These, with some amplification, should be kept in peace as confidential documents by the officers responsible for carrying them out in war, so that they may know completely what is then expected of them, and will only require to be ordered to take action.

12. Page 13 (B).-It is for consideration whether the measures to be taken for assembling the Militia in the shortest possible time should not be included here with an estimate of the number of hours that will elapsc before they are available for duty.

If the officer told off to perform the duties of A.A.G. (A), who would be better described as "Staff Officer (A)," is to arrange for telegraphic communication being established between the light-house and offices of the Head-Quarters Staff, it is pro- bably intended that he should also see to the establishment of communication between these offices and the other outposts of the defence. If so, the places to which lines are to be taken should be mentioned under his instructions. The actual putting up of the lines will apparently be under the Civil Postal Department, and the paragraph dealing with this should be transferred from page 17 to Chapter VI. It should also give an estimate of the time required to erect the necessary lines.

The words, "and, if possible, with the light-ship," should be omitted from line 5 of paragraph 2, in view of the statement in the final paragraph of (E) on page 17 that the Postal Department have at present no means of providing electrical communication between the light-ship and the shore.

13. Page 15 (C), 2.—As there appears to be no likelihood of British Guiana being cut off from food supplies in war, and there are large local supplies usually available it does not seem necessary to store a reserve in the event of war being anticipated. Rations for the garrison would be purchased when wanted, and the civil population would feed themselves as in peace time. If this view of the matter is concurred in it should be entered in the Defence Scheme in place of the Table on page 15. The usual sources of food supply of the Colony might conveniently be added.

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