THE DEFENCESS OF THE COLONY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 7224, 13 April 1885, Page 2

THE DEFENCESS OF THE COLONY.

« OUR LOCAL DEFENCES. Ifc is gratifying to know that very rapid progress is being made with our local defence works, and that, in fact, the work is being done almost as quickly as ia possible consistent with its being of a substantial aud useful character. Major Cautley only nrrived in Dunedin last Monday, and since that time 80 picked men have been employed, and have made very satisfactory progress with tho woik. It may now be Bafely affirmed that within a very ehort time before it would b3 possible for a cruiser to reach uei even i£. war weto now declared —we shall have jofence worka of no mean order, and be in the possession of means which it is only reasonable to believe would be effective at least in preventing any damage being done to the city, and in making our harbour a perfectly secure refuge for the ahipping. Regarding the nature of an attack which may be anticipated in the event of hostilities, it may bo well to reprint his Excellency's remarks on ihe subject. Sir William Jervois, in tho course of bis lecture on the defences of the Colony, said: " With respect to the nature of the attack to which these Oolonieß are liable in the event of Great Britain beiug at war with a foreign naval Power, I have pointed out on a previous occasion elsewhere that there is no probability of an expadition on any extensive scale being despatched against Australia. . . . . But whilst the bulk of tho enemy's naval forces would be occupied in the immediate scane of action in Europe or America, he might no doubt despatch ono or more cruisers, and possibly an ironclad, to operate against our maritime commerce, or make a descent upon our Australasian ports, which, if undefended "or msumcieritly~prei;cc«;Ui- wuuia 'uflgr-torupt-ingobjects of attack. Eluding our cruisers, aud appearing suddenly on the coast of New Zealand or Australia, the enemy might capture the vessels in tho harbour, or under threat of bombardment, or after actually firing into one of thd towns, demand and obtain payment of money; or thta obj3ct might be attained by an enemy landing a small force in the vicinity of a town, if steps were not taken to meet such a contingency." Wo vail now give an outline of what has been done towards constructing some of the means of defencer to ba employed in such an emergency.

rOBBOBY. A gang of 20 men has been at work at Fortmry during the last few days excavating the gun-pit, the site for the magazine, and the road approaches. This work is now nearly finished, and to-day the men will begin to put in tho concrete foundation, and to set the pivot for the seven-ton gun. The timber platform for tha gun has already been made, and ia to be laid to morrow, and it is hoped that the concrete wijl ba sufficiently set to allow of the gun being mounted on Thursday. The battery ib on the knoll at Forbury known as Waltham Rise, on the low terrace immediately behind the baths. The gun is to ba sot in a pit 6£t in depth, there will be a mound of earth 25ft thick piled up in front of it, and the muzzle of tho gun will be just above the embankment, so that tho men will be under cover when working the gun, while a parapot will be constructed to shield the mon when passing from the magazine to the gun. The whole slope will be turfed and made to look as much like tho murounding ground aB possible, so that there may be no distinct object for the enemy to aim at, and so that at a distance of threo miles tha presenco of the battery could not be detected. The magazine is 40ft away from the gun; it iB excavated, and is to be covered with a mound of earth. There will be an open roadway from the magazine to the gun, but this will be, as already mentioned, protected by a parapet. The gun is to be mounted by tho Volunteers. It will have an effective range of 5000 yards, and its " trace " will be from Cargill Cliff to Lawyer's Head.

The battery site will bs enclosed by a ditch, with parapet and palisade, to protect it from being carried by assault should a landingparty attack it. The ditch will be occupied by riflemen, whoso duty it will be to prevent the battery being taken by surprise in the rear. lawyer's head. . There will ba a battery at Lawyer's Head, situated just above the position occupied by the Naval Brigade's 32 poundsrs, which will be constructed in precisely the same manner as the battery at I'orbury, and also consist of one seven ton gun. 'fherangeof firefrom this battery will extend from about the lino of Tomahawk Beef to Cargill Cliff, so that the twa guns will cover the whole beach. There are special difficulties ia the way of getting tha gun for this battery to its site, A road has been formed to the battery, and some 30 men are now employed laying a tramway, by means of which materials for the concrete foundation, the timber pjatform, &o. will ba conveyed. The tramway is to be finished on Wednesday, and it is expected that tho gun will be mountnd by the middle of next week. The gun pit and tho site for the magazine are already excavated. At Lawyer's Head advantage will be taken of the hills to construct a rampart right across the head some distance back from the gun, and at tho rear of this there will be a ditch and a palisade similar to that at JTorbury, also, of course, constructed with a viow to protecting tho battury against any landing-party, as a landing could easily bo effected on the Peninsula.

TA-ABOA HEAD. A battery at Taiaroa Head ia esseutial for the protection of the shipping, and one is being provided with all possible expedition. Provision ia being made to mount four guns at Taiaroa Head—one coven-ton gun and three "04 pounders," which weigh 3 tona 4 cwt. each. The seven ton gun will be mounted immediately below the tolograph station. One of the 64poundors will bo placed on Howlott Point, to the north of the telegraph station, and on a lower level than the soven ton gun; and the other two 04 pounders are to bo mounted within 100 ft of each other near the pilot-station. Tho sevsn-ton gun will have what micht be termed an ocean range ; the gun at Howlett'e Point commands tho entrance to the channel, and tho other two command the channel itself, to the utmost limit of their range. Each of the guns will be provided with a magazine and with artillery stores, and will be mounted in tho same way aa the guns at Forbury and Lawyer's Head, and there will be roads leading from one battery to another, so that all the' forco at the Heads may be employed on the guns 'nat oau bo worked effectively. Thirty men aro now employed at tho Heads. Three of the pits will bo excavated within I a few days, and arrangements have been mado to have all the guvs landed at Taiaroa Head by the end of next week. The guno will be mounted as sooa'as the concrete foundations and timber platforms avo ready, and those aro not likely to cauae any serious delay.

TOHPEDOE3. We cxnuot, for obvious reasons, obtain much information aB to what is being done regarding torpedosa, tho effectiveness of defence by moans of torpedoes being dependent to a large extent upon the secrecy with which tho operations are carrn-d, out. Arrangements aro proceeding, howovor, for the training of corps for tha torpedoes, and all neiesoary Btepes are, we understand, being taken for the effective

1 employment of these modern engines of warfare. . • (Pur United Piiesb Association.) Auckland, April 11. • • The authorities are largely increasing tho working parties engaged on harbour dofences. Ohbibtqhoboh, April 11. The Minister for Defence has acoepted the services of a mounted' inf,.ntry corps for Oliristchurch, and of the' Lytteltou Land j Artillery. •