A COLONIAL NAVAL VOLUNTEER FORCE.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1380, 18 July 1878, Page 3

A COLONIAL NAVAL VOLUNTEER FORCE.

On May 17th, at the Royal United Service Institution, Mr Thomas Brassey, M.P., leetured to a large company upon suggestions for the formation of colonial naval volunteer forces. Admiral Ryder presided, and among those present were Lord A. Churchill, Admiral Nolloth, Admiral Derriman, Admiral Sir L. M'Clintock, Admiral Brooker, Admiral Ommanney, General Sir W. Codrington, Colonel Sir Lumley Gniham, Captain Colomb, R N., and Captain Hull, R N., Captain Gillmore, R.N., and Captain Bridge, R.N. Mr Brassey held that it was not surprising the question of forming a naval volunteer force had not been made until late, seeing that up to 1845 our colonial possessions had not given promise of the great expansion of power and wealth they had since shown. Up to that date the total of the English population in our foreign possessions did not exceed 2,000,000, but the numbers of the population since had in some parts been increased tenfold. Having spoken of the advance made by some of the Australian colonies in productive power, as exhibited in the Paris Exhibition, he said he thought the time had arrived when the colonies ought to be reminded of their duty to prepare for self defence, and to bear some of the cost of those preparations which should be borne in proportion by the whole ompire. He dwelt upon the defenceless state of some ports of wealth and position in our colonies, whero local forces of naval volunteers might have been organised, and there ought to be no difficulty, he urged, in raising forces such as our own Royal naval volunteers for coast defence. He dwelt upon the principle advocated by some of promoting a federal union of all the members of the British Empire, giving them seats in the great council of the nation, and, in consideration of their having the protection of the fleet, that they should pay contributions towards the cost. He shared this view, and his conviction that this was the right principle had been strengthened hj late events. He contrasted the unsatisfactory character of our relations with foreign Powers, and the jealousies of other nations towards this country, with the love always shown towards the mother country by the colonies, and he hoped that when once the Eastern question had been disposed of our statesmen would proceed to draw closer the bonds of union between the colonies and ourselves. Foreign nations were steadily resolved to keep out British industrial produce as much as possible, and the value of colonial trade was increasing. But at the same time he contended that the colonies should prepare for their own defence. He quoted the tonnage

of shipping sent from the various ports, showni£ Ithat the tonnage of colonial shipping was lit le short of the total tonnage of Germany and France together, and contending that the owners of such tonnage should surely be able to defend (heir harbours. In reference to the proposal to close the Pembroke shipbuilding yard, and transfer the work done there to Sydney, he considered *hafc the growth of the Russian fleet in the Pacific made it necessary for us to have such facilities as a shipbuilding yard afforded in that part of the world. He mentioned the steps that were being taken in some of the colonies for local defence, and, holding that it might therefore be fairly assumed that the colonial Governments would be fully prepared to bear their share of any complete scheme for their defence by naval means, he passed on to the consideration of the kind of force which would be most useful for colonial service. He advocated seagoing ships in place of mere harbour ships, urging that the harbour defences could be left to torpedo boats, which could be manned by bodies like the Royal naval volunteers, respecting whose efficiency for the service of estuary defence he quoted the opinions of Admiral Phillimore, who had given a very high estimate of the value of this force both in peace and war. Mr Brassey next sketched a plan by which training could be given to bodies of seafaring men in Canada, of whom there are 87,000, and contended that a Royal Commission, composed not only of naval and military men, but of representatives of colonial Governments, should be formed to prepare a scheme for the self-defence of the dependencies of the Empire. The lecture, which occupied an hour in delivery, was much applauded. Lord A. Churchill, Captain Bridge, Captain Colomb and others spoke, and the formation of a Royal Commission representative of the colonies and of the mother country was earnestly advocated.