MARITIME DEFENCE OF THE COLONIES.

Press, Volume VII, Issue 805, 30 May 1865, Page 3

MARITIME DEFENCE OF THE COLONIES.

Mr. Cardwell, in moving for leave to introduce a bill to enable her Majesty's colonies to make better provision for maratime defence, said that no subject had of late years attracted more attention than the development of the qualities of self-reliance in oar colonies, and the means of enabling them to make provision for their own defence, and so relieve this country from a part of a great burden which had pressed upon it in former times. Formerly chief attention had been paid to land defence, but it was evident that defence by sea was of far greater importance, and that subject had attracted considerable attention, both at home and in the colonies. The first Parliamentary record of the wishes of the coloijy on this subject was to be found in the correspondence laid on the table when Sir W. Deniaon was Governor of Sydney. The colony of Victoria had shown a great desire to make provision for its own defence in case of a sudden attack. The question of raising a colonial navy was not a simple one. If at was to be purely a colonial navy, it was obvious that it would not have the rights and privileges of an international navy, and would not be acknwledgejd by foreign nations in time of war; and if there was to be a divided command, questions might arise between a colonial officer and the senior Queen s officer of the station, which might lead to serious practical difficulties. The question. had been considered by successive Governments, in 1857 and 1858, and the conclusion they had come to was that for local defence against a sudden incursion by sea a local force was the most natural; but that for general defence in a great foreign war, the defence of an Imperial navy would be most effectual. From these conclusions he did not differ ; but up to tip time-nothing had been done on the subject. Since .that time a considerable step had been, token in t&e maritime "defence of this country. In consequence of the difficulty experienced in getting seamen in the Russian war, and again in 1858/ when there was a great extension of our navy, a commission was appointed to consider the subject of manning the and the result was the establishment of the Kojal Naval Beserve. That experiment was most' successful. The force numbered now 18,000 men, and three years ago, when there was a sudden alarm, the men nocked in not merely for the - service for whibh they were engaged, but volunteered for service whibh their engagement never contemplated. In examining the conditions -on which the force was to be cokstituted, it was found that even the limitation of 100 leagues from the shore, to which the eervicee of the Naval Coast Volunteers was confined, was a serious practical obstacle to its efficiency, and accordingly jiui arrangement was made by which, while the menjin time of peace belonged to the merchant nary, in time of war they were to become to all intents and purposes sailors of'her Majesty's Navy; and to be jas available as the seamen of the Royal Navy.'lt appeared to the Government that there was no reason wny tfie same principle should not be extended to our colonies possessing a maritime population, so that oolonies like those of Australia and British North America might be able in time of peace to train their maritime population to the use of guns, subject to conditions like those of the Royal Naval Beserve, and that in time'of war those trained seamen should be' available, under the control of the Government of the colony, for all the purposes of maritime defence. In preparing this meaeure, he had had the advantage of the assistance of his noble friend the Secretary of the Admiralty and of the Civil Lord of the Admiralty, whjo, having been connected with the colonies, was well aware of the measures which were likely to be acceptable to them. Accordingly the object of tbe boll which the sought to introduce was to extend the principle of the Boyal Naval Beserve to all?the maritime colonies of the empire. One maritime colony had been desirous of having a ship of its own. It had a ship of its own; but that ship being merely i under colonial authority, possessed none of the rights, and, in presence of foreign nations, I could '. have none of the privileges, of ' a ship of war. Those rights and privileges ~ could only be secured by putting the ship under the control of the Admiralty. The second purpose of the bill was, therefore, to enable a colony either in time of peace or in time of war, to place its ships under the control of the Admiralty. The object of the bill was not only to enable a maritime colony, if it should, so think fit, to take effective measures for its own protection at sea, but to enable several colonies to combine for mutual protection under the Admiralty—to enable all the colonies under the British Crown to be united in one body, and to combine (heir ships so as to form, with the Navy of this country, a naval defence fyt the whole of the British, empire. [Hear, hear.] The right hon. gentleman concluded by moving for leave to bring in the bQL Sir W. Miles inquired whether the payment for a colonial ship was to be from the colony. * Mr. Cardwell replied that the bill contemplated nothing which was not to be at the expense of the colony. Leave was then given, and the i>3l was subsequently brought in and read a .first time.