CORRESPONDENCE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 3263, 12 March 1885, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

COLONIAL DEFENCES. TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMAHU HKHALD. Sih, — As the matter of the defence of our Lares and Penates concerns one and all very nearly, I avail myself, with your permission, of your columns to ventilate the question a little. I believe I . am right in asserting that there are now lying at Lyt--1 telton, unused and unallotted, a considerable • number of 7-inch 7- ton guna,— fine powerful and effective weapons. (The Espiegle's. largest was 4J tons.) Now, Sir, what in the name of goodness is the use of them as they now lie. Our gallant Volunteers, who have vainly pleaded for a supply of some arms of precision, are still plugging away with that wonderful cast iron weapon that requires a ■ very considerable amount of courage and i faith to fire, and yet fine steel rifled guns are lying rotting at Lyttelton. Ye little fishes, f what language can do justice to apathy like i this in the Defence Department of the i Government ? . That the situation is very critical ; that r wa r may be declared at any moment nobody 0 can deny, and if it should come, then I supt pose down will come a telegram, "Distribute 1 guns at once, plan and erect forts at ITimaru at any cost, without delay," and then por- • haps our volunteers will be called on to den. fend us with a style of gun they have never a used, and behind half-built entrenchments. I speak as a civilian, and may not know mucli Y about the matter, but it seems to me that if i the Government were to send down some e guns here and some one to peg out earthe works at Fatiti Point and Dashing Rocks, our a volunteers would gain a very useful experis ence in throwing up earthworks, and our i- town would not be at the mercy of everv tine pot privateer that an enemy would equip. The protection of Timaru His Excellency S saya must be provided for by local naval >, forces acting as auxiliaries to S.M. cruisers. ;- Mr Editor, I really don't know what this means, and should feel greatly relieved if any > correspondent could enlighten me. What is t an auxiliary to H.JI. cruisers? Our only I. choice at present lies between a surf-boat and d the Titan, and I'd rather not be aboard either if they fired anything more deadly than a t, pocket-pistol. Our Artillery, Cavalry, and •f Naval Brigades are composed of men. of truest grit, who would fight to the bitter end if they d had any weapon to fight with, but what g good are they_ without guns? lam a Briton e and glory in it, and have every faith in our a defenders — never mind the odds, ds long as h both sides are equally armed. No privateer n will risk being disabled, and a bold front, n with a little power behind, would save ue J« many a hard knock and a light purse. What

we did at Tamntavo we can do here, and if you've forgotten what we did there, I'll refresh your memory. The Eat of the "Dryad." It was off Tamatave On Madagascar shore, Wo offered to whip with our single ship The lubborly Frenchman's four. Tho French had just bombarded, The helpless native town And tried with bluff, blnster and stuff, To do British sailors brown. Refrain. — But all said and done, Were he ten to one We'd make Mounseor sing small, If he thinks that Jack Will show him hia back, Why, he doosn't know Jack, that's all. Then up and spoke our Captain Hia honest eyes aflame Whatever may come they shall know at Home Of thia here cowardly gatao. Up spoke their Admiral Potor With several loud Mong Dows I well forsoe they'll bo down on mo If oldßosbif sends tho news. It was the Taymouth Castle That stoamed into the bay, And our signal flow " My lad heave to And take my despatch away." Shrieked Frenohy to the Ga9tle, With a naughty, naughty word, " My Friend John Bull, I'll riddle your hull If you take that despatch on board." Our Captain,_ nothing daunted, Put on his fighting togs, And guns wero run out With a British shout, For we weron't afraid of frogs. Wo cleared the dock for action, And to show it weron't mere brag, At each masthead Flow tho cross of rod On the grand old British flag. Then how wo laughed and shouted, As away the Castle boro, And weron't wo proud, For our ship had cowed The lubberly Frenchman's four. Hurrah for the good ship Dryad ! And here's to the Captain bold, Leave Britons alone To hold their own As they did in the days of old. When all's said and done, Were we ten to one, We'd mako Mounseer sing small. If ho thinks that Jack Will show him his back, Why, ho doesn't know Jack, that's all. I am, etc., Dry Ash. I