DEFENCE OF PORT CHALMERS.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2657, 23 August 1871, Page 3

DEFENCE OF PORT CHALMERS.

The vi-it of Captain Hutton, F.R.G.S., to Otago a month since for the purpose of reporting on the means of defending the harbor of Fort Chalmers against the attack of small cruisers or privateers. Captain Hutton is of opinion that Dunedin is the most expensive town in the C( lony to defend from the attack of an enemy, for it c uld he attacked either by way tit Port Chalmers, orit could be shelltd from the open sea, at a distance of only three or four miles. The passage up the harbor, he says, culd behest olxrtructcd on the half way islands, hut islands are too far up to protect Port Chalmers, which by reason of its possession of a dock and being the railway tei minus, needs protection (piite as much as Dunedin, lie would therefore place one gun on the N.W. point of Koputia hay and the other on the“N. W. point of Poitohello hay. In those positions the guns could see on* another and both command the channel, as far as their range extended. lie prefers the N.W. p..int of Portohello hay to Observation spot, as the position for the second gun, as he consider- the latter too high for a gun placed there to effect'.’ally support another place so close to it as’,the one at Koputia bay w on Id he and also because is Would he quite possible, without a gun on the N.W. point of PoitobeTo bay, for an enemy’s ship to tun

past Port Chalmers and effect a landing behind the town. Capt. Hutton answers the objection that might be made to Portobello being too far from the Port to be quickly supported by pointing out that the channel a ship would have to take is a circuitous one, and pastes close to the other gun, and that Portobello itself is a populous district, and could easily support sufficient Volunteer Artillerymen to man the gun. As to attack from the Ocean Beach, Captain Hutton does not think any landing is ever likely to be attempted there ; but as Dunedin could be bombarded from the sea, he suggests, as precautionary measures, that two heavy rifled guns should be placed on the high land between Anderson’s Bay and Lawyer’s Head, near the Hon. M. Holmes’s house, and that these guns should be placed in separate batteries, at not less than 100 yards distance from one another, so as to disperse an enemy’s fire and render it less likely that either would be dismounted. All the recommendations are made ou the understanding that the guns are to be mounted on MoncriefTs gun-car-riags, and placed in sunken batteries. Captain Hutton further recommends that four 7-inch muzzle-loading rifled guns should be mounted at Dunedin. . Lieut. Colonel Cargill, in an excellently written memo, suggests the employment of torpedoes, and remarks Two 7-iuch Palliser’s guns in this harbor would give a good account of any force likely to escape the attention of the Imperial authorises j the c-'st would be small, and well balanced by the sense of security against the risk of insult and loss of property which at present exists. A sufficient force to fight the guns could be got from the Artillery and Is’aval Volunteers, and also to cover them against surprise until aid can be sent from Dunedin. Torpedoes might be placed in charge of the pilot osta! * lishment at the heads. . . . The covering fo ce must be armed w.th b ecch-!oadirs. Men armed with muzzle-loading rifles in the -precent clay are simply nowhere for the purposes of war. I believe that practically the Snider is the best weapon extant. . . . Captain Hutton’s suggestion as to a small detachment of marine arlilleiy from the naval force of the station being put in charge of the harbor defence batteries, is worthy of consideration. If, however,' no help in this direction is to be depended upon, the constitution of the Defence Force for this purpose must be looked to. The standard of efficiency of the Foliiutrers must bo raised, and a stricter discipline maintained. This would cause a falling off in the numbe. now on the rolls, which should be made up by acal on the Militia Mr Cardwell’s Bill, recently before Parliament', provided for the country being divided into districts, which are each rated at so many men on a percentage of the population—t he number of efficient Volunteers i§ deducted from the rate, and the balance short, if any, made up by cabling out that number of Militia, This will act as a stimulant to the Volunteers, and also tp tlip to epepurage the Volunteer moveiiuht. Employees of labor,-for. instance, would give time ♦to their employes necessary for day drills and occasional encampments, which pt present are up,t The fact of a call of the Militia t° make up the quota would give the public a direct interest in the efficiency of the Volunteers, Limiting the number of Volunteers to the quota determined up n would also be grea ]y beneficial In maintaining a higher standard of efficiency.