DEFENCE PRECAUTIONS.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1249, 6 February 1896, Page 37

DEFENCE PRECAUTIONS.

The unsettled aspect of European affairs for some time past has not been unheeded by the Government. There is no occasion as yet for alarm, but it is wise to be prepared for any eventuality, and the Defence Department is taking precautionary steps accordingly. At the end of last year the Minister of Defence decided to carry out the recommendation made by the Military Adviser in his last report to form a fort on the reserve in the Botanical Gardens, and to mount a gun there. Arrangements are now being made to mount in the place indicated one of the large eight-inch guns at present in the Colony. The carrying out of the work has been entrusted to Mr J. A. Wilson, resident engineer. It was originally proposed that it should be done by prison labour. This, however, would take too long, and the Hon Mr Seddon therefore gave instructions to have it done by free labour, which will be more expeditious and will cost far less. It is the custom at the beginning of each year to add a fresh batch of men to the Permanent Artillery. This year'3 draft is now being made. DISCUSSION AT THE CITY COUNCIL. At the meeting of the City Council last week the Town Clerk mentioned that the Government Resident Engineer had set men to work in preparing the observatory reserve in the Botanical Gardens for the mounting of a gun. The Resident Engineer had called upon the City Engineer and asked in a formal way if he could make roads to the reserve, and was referred to the Council. By virtue of tho Wellington Botanical Gardens Vesting Act these gardens were vested in the Council, and clause 11 of that Statute was as follows : " It shall be lawful for the Governor by

proclamation at any time to resume possession of a part of the'land by this Act vested in the Corporation not exceeding an area of six acres situated in the south-eastern por-. tion thereof. And upon a being; so made and gazetted the land therein described shall, on and after a date to be fixed for that purpose in and by such proclamation., be and become absolutely vested in Her Majesty the Queen, to be held and used as a site for an observatory, and the buildings and premises to be occupied thereby, or in connection therewith. No compensation shall bo payable to the Corporation for or by roason of the exercise of the right of resumption hereby conferred." So far no proclamation appeared to have been made as provided by this clause.

Councillor Anderson moved that the Government should be asked to refund tho cost incurred by the Council in having the observatory reserve cleared of gorse. The Mayor said he would second this motion, although it only touched the very outermost fringe of the question at issue. How long the Corporation intended to stand this intolerable insolence he could not say. He would not speak further on the matter. It would have to bo discussed in a more serious form by the Council on some other occasion.

Cotmcillor Myers moved that the matter should be referred to tho Corporation solicitor for his opinion and that in the meantime the Town Clerk should request the Government not to proceed any further with their earth works on the reserve.

Councillor Fraser suggested that the Government might possibly reply that in mounting a gun upon the reserve they were really applying it to its intended use as an observatory in the sense that they were going to observe any hostile warships that might enter the harbour, and to pepper them if they could. The Hospital Trustees had considerable property in that neighbourhood, and the erection of a fort there would teiid to depreciate its value for residential purposes. Councillor Smith thought if hostile warships entered the harbour they might observe the residences between the terrace and the gardens and make it pretty hot for them. Besides, the firing of the gun from, the proposed fort might fracture a good deal of the glass in the neighbouring houses. The City Engineer mentioned that he had advised the Resident Engineer to make formal application to the Council, and to send in along with it a plan showing what was proposed. This ho had promised to do. It was ultimately agreed to obtain a legal! opinion from the Corporation Solicitor with reference to the action of the Government. VOLUNTEERS IN CAMP. THE OPERATIONS INTERFERED WITH" BT WET WEATHER. The City Rifles, the Guards, Heretaunga. Mounted Rifles and the D Battery assembled at the Drillshed on Saturday afternoon for tho purpose of going into camp until Monday, in accordance with orders issued to that effect.. The time for starting is put down at 2 o'clock,, but it is more than half an hour beyond that time when the force makes a move. The destination has not been officially stated, but it is generally believed to be somewhere near Fort Ballance. The Heretaungas are sent on in front for the purpose of holding the coast line from the Cable Station at Lyell Bay to the road overlooking the Pilot Station, and s, detachment of this corps is also pushed forward up the valley beyond Crawforda' station, taking up points of observation covering the march of the infantry and guns under the cliffs overlooking the road leadingto Shelly Bay, while the other portion of the foice is supposed to represent an army on tho march. The Guards go first as the advance guard, with the Garrison Band in their rear playing a lively tune ; then come the D Battery with, four guns, representing the main body of tho army, while the City Rifles form the rearguard. Soon after starting we hear that our destination is Mount Crawford, at the easternmost point of Evans Bay, a wind-swept height overlooking the city and the entrance to the harbour, Mahanga Bay, where the Wellington Navals are encamped, being almost immediately below it on one side 8

and Shelly Bay on the other. The journey thither is uneventful, although some little difficulty is experienced in getting the guns down the hill into Kilbirnie, while the capacity of the horses is severely taxed in hauling the guns up the long and steep ascent leading from Shelly Bay to Mount Crawford. However, the march is accomplished without mishap, although several halts are found to be necessary, and the locale of the camp is reached in good order at about 5.30 p.m. The camping ground selected is within the lines of Crawford's redoabt, and immediately on arrival outposts are thrown forward in a southerly direction, and the guns are placed ri position, commanding the whole of the peninsula from Evans Bay to Worser Bay southward.

The pitching of tents is then commenced and carried out'with laudable despatch, while arrangements are also made for cooking, foraging, &c. The water for cooking and drinkiiig purposes it is found has to be earned up a steep gully from a small reservoir, and the hard work thus involved makes it apparent that in view of the possibility of the redoubt being used in actual warfare, arrangements should be made for storing water at some spot more closely contiguous thereto. The place selected for watering the horses is some distance down the hill leading to Shelly Bay, and the supply i 3 by no means equal to the demand, nor is the quality so good as it should be. It would be well it these matters were seen to as soon a 3 possible. These arrangements having been made, the men are told off to the lines, the Artillery horses occuping a position near the TJattery tents, while the Heretaunga Rifles' horses are picketed in the same alignment on the sheltered side of the parapet. Rations, which are plain but plentiful, are served out by Camp-Quartermaster Captain Anderson, and a good supply of forage is provided for the horses. After the long march the evening meal is highly appreciated, and it is long after dark before it has been fully discussed. The Heretaungas, who have had an arduous duty to perform in their character of scouts, do not reach the camp until late. Their baggage has been sent on from town in an express, but at the foot of the hill loading from Shelly Bay the horse refuses to move a step further, and the question of how to get the baggage to the camp forces itself on the expressman's attention. The difficulty is solved by a number of the Wellington Navals, who take pity on him in his predicament, and haul the vehicle up the steep ascent to the camp, to a merry chorus of cheers and songs. Meanwhile a means of communication, in the absence of a telephone, is established between Mount Crawford and the officer commanding the guns at Fort Ballance, and a portion of the infantry is detailed to bo at the disposal of the officer commn/nding the guns for the purpose of defending the reverse position. The Guards are detached for outpost duty south of the guns, and the Mounted Rifles patrol the beach and act as a moans of communication with the redoubt. The camp guard is formed by the City Rifles and the D Battery, and the remainder of the mounted men. are detailed as stable guards. The City Rifles also man the redoubt and are told off to their respective positions in case of attack. Things then begin to settle down for tho night, and the Garrison Band enliven the proceedings by playing several selections. Colonel Fox is present on the arrival of tho troops, and revisits the camp later on in the evening, subsequently proceeding to Shelly Bay. Tattoo is sounded at 10 o'clock, and lights out half an hour later, and shortly afterwards all is still, the silence being occasionally broken by a snatch of song from some sleepless Volunteer, the challenge of the sentries, and other sounds incidental to camp life. The reveille is sounded at 5 a.m. on Sunday, and the City Rifles, under Lieutenant Muir, relieve the Guards on outpost duty, while the Guards form the camp guard and orderlies. The horses are watered and fed, the food is cooked, and at 7 a.m. we have breakfast, for which two hours of fresh air have made us something more than ready. Colonel Fox, accompanied by Major Messcn ger, pays a visit to the camp, and, accompanied by Major Collins, who is in command of the camp, visits the sentries and pickets and the camp lines. Immediately after breakfast a staid; is made with the serious business of the day, and first the number of men in camp, who have been augmented by several fresh arrivals, is ascertained. The results show that the strength of the various companies is as follows :—Heretaunga Mounted Rifles, 39, under Lieutenants Hyde and Isherwood ; D Battery, 43, under Captain Warren, Lieutenants Rolleston and Hume; City Rifles, 52, under Captain W. G. Duthie and Lieutenant Muir ; Guards, 45, under Captain Paterson and Lieutenants J. Duthie and Harcourt; Garrison Band, 14, under Bandmaster Herd. Staff —Colonel Fox ; Lieu-tenant-Colonel No wall, in command ; Major Collins, in command of tho camp ; Captain Coleman, commanding the infantry ; Lieu-tenant-Commander Hislop ; Captain Ander- | son, camp quartermaster ; and SergeantMajor Finn. Surgeon-Captain Collins, of the D Battery, was present in camp on Saturday, and Surgeon-Captain Cahill, of tha Guards, on Sunday. Among tho now arrivals in camp are six of the Heretaunga Mounted Rifles, who left Petone at 3 o'clock that morning for the purpose of joining the encampment. On arriving at Kilbirnie they enquired of a passing civilian where the camp was situated, and were informed that it was at Island Bay. Thither they accordingly rode, only to be informed that there was no camp there, and that they would have to retrace their stcp3 very considerably before they found the place they sought. The six troopers accordingly turned about and reached Shelly Bay at halfpast 8, in by no means the best of humours with the individual responsible for their prolonged journey. After breakfast a parade of tho troops in camp is held, and their various tasks allotted by Major Collins. A detachment of the City Rifles under Captain "Duthie is sent to Fort Ballance and report themselves on arrival there to Major Messenger. '1 hree cossack posts are furnished by tho Heretaungas, under Lieutenant Hyde, and the same corps also furnish a patrol connecting the left flank along the front to Kilbirnie where the sup- ' posed loft flank of tho next section of the defence on the right is supposed to exist. The D Battery are set to making gun pits and placing their guns in position, the remainder of the infantry being employed in outpost duty, laying shelter trenches, and in general camp duties. Then the troubles of the campaign begin. Up to this the weather has been in the main favourable, the worst feature being a high wind, which had blown incessantly since the forces left Wellington. About 9.30 a.m., however, the rain begins to fall, and soon the men are wet through and in a state of genera

discomfort. After some time of this, it is deenied advisable to call in the outposts and knock off all outside work, and by 2 o'clock a rumour spreads through the camp that it is intended to pack up and be off. About half I an hour later the rumour is confirmed; and we hear the 'Welcome news that a start ; will be made for Wellington at 4.30. InI stantly all is bustle and excitement, swags are packed, preparations are made for I resisting the weather on tho march, and before nightfall the citizen soldiers have returned to their homes, fairly cheerful despite the very unfavourable weather, but disappointed that a better chance has not been afforded them of getting some further insight into duties which would stand them in good stead in time of need. THE NAVALS. The Wellington and Petone Navals went into camp at Mahanga Bay and Shelly Bay respectively on Saturday. The Wellington Navals, who arrived there early, were put through big gun practice, at which, despito the heavy sea that was running, some good marksmanship was shown. On Sunday morning and afternoon Fort Halswell, K"au Point Fort, Fort Gordon and Fort Ballance were fully manned, but the operations were considerably interfered with by the wet weather. The company was under the command of Major Messenger, the other officers present in camp being Captain Duncan, Commander Davy, Lieutenant - Commander Campbell, and Lieutenants BeU and Hume. There w*as a really excellent muster, 89 of all ranks being present. Colonel Fox visited the camp on Saturday and Sunday. The men returned to town in the evening. The Petone Navals went to Shelly Bay in their own cutters on Saturday evening, the first boat load getting very wet during the trip owing to the heavy sea that was running. The company numbered 45 of all ranks, Lieutenant-Commander Kirk being in command. The same night a party was detailed to assist the Torpedo Corps, under Captain Falconer, in running the electric light at Mahanga Bay. A brilliant exhibition of the flash light was made, and about 10 p.m. it was inspected by Colonel Fox, who shortly afterwards gave '

permission for the men to be dismissed. The company paraded at 8 o'clock yesterday morning, and arrangements were made for a long day's instructive work. The wind and rain, however, prevented anything being done outside, and the time was passed in lectures in the various departments connected with the Torpedo Station and in preliminary instructions. Among the Navals was an ambulance squad under P.O. Jenkins, all qualified men, and fully equipped with the necessary appliances, which, however, were fortunately not required. The men returned to Wellington by the Ellen Ballance in the evening, and proceeded to Petone by train. A few of the Petone Navals were also stationed at Fort Kelburno on Saturday in conjunction with the Permanent Force.

Several men were reported from various corps as being absent from camp without leave, and, unless sufficient reasons can be shown for their absence, fines will be inflicted.

In addressing the Volunteers previous to their departure from the camp at Mount Crawford on Sunday, Colonel Fox said tho very creditable manner in which the men had responded to the call of duty was very gratifying indeed, and worthy of the highest commendation. They had shown their fellowcitizens and tho whole Colony that the Wellington Volunteers were made of the right material. Despite the interference of the weather with their work, some capital work had been put in, and ho felt certain that all ranks had acquired a better knowledge of their duties as defenders. The muster proved that they might be relied upon should their services be required.