PROBABLE CONSEQUENCES IN CASE OF WAR

Patea Mail, Volume IV, Issue 320, 11 May 1878, Page 4

PROBABLE CONSEQUENCES IN CASE OF WAR

The following is from a recent paper in the Nineteenth Century, by Sir Garnet Wolesley— “* To illustrate our present unfortunate position.” says the distinguished soldier, “ I hare only to tell the following story ; —When the Cast’s army crossed the Prnth last year, his ironclad squadron, which happened to be in European waters, was despatched to America, evidently, in the first instance, to get it away from our fleet in the event ot England’s having declared war. Lot us consider what that insignificant squadron might have done against us. .Being kept ready coaled and prepared for sea, as soon as the telegraph announced the declaration of war it would most probably have started fur St. Helena, picking up some of onr finest West India and South American steamers en route. Upon arrival at St. Helena, it would most likely have found there one of the small English wooden war vessels belonging to our West Coast of Africa squadron. Such a vessel would of course have fallen an easy prey to the Russians, who, filling up with coal, burning all they could not carry away, and having taken away from Jamestown as much money as it could pay to save it from destruction, would steam for Simon’s Bay, where the same performance would be gone through. There wo have a small dock-yard establishment, and almost always one or two wooden war vessels. All would be destroyed, as well as every coal store in Gape Town ; every merchantman in Table Bay—ami there is always a large quantity of shipping there—would be e.ipiured and most probably burnt. 'Hus game would then be repealed at tii l Mauritius, Aden, Bombay, Point do G iik, Singapore, and Hong Kong, w.umcv the Russian squadron .would make its way to Potropaulovski, where it would be comparatively safe from onr fleet. Now this is no fanciful chimera ; it is a practical and feasible scheme, and 1 have no doubt in my own mind that had we declared Avar it would Im-e been attempted. Not only should avo have thus lost millions of pounds’ Avorth of property and several small ships flying Her Majesty’s pennant, but the destruction of the coal stores at those several ports would have completely paralysed the action of our Avar A'ossels in those seas, and would therefore have secured the Russians against all danger of pursuit. It would have brought our trade almost to a standstill,*for merchantmen depend now nearly ns much upon coal as our miA’y does.” The Hawke’s Bay Herald in reprinting the above, says, “ Sir Garnet Wolseloy might have probably added to this list of calamities that the Colonial Empire of Great Britain Avould have flown to pieces. Loyal to the Crown as AA r e are, it Avould have been impossible for ns to maintain the imperial connections such circumstances.”