§ VISCOUNT SIDMOUTHMy Lords, I beg to move for any recent correspondence that may have passed between the Colonial Office or the Admiralty and the representative of the Natal Government in reference to Port Durban. In 1280 moving for this Return, I take the opportunity of correcting some of the statements I made on a former occasion, having received fuller information on the subject, and I trust my noble Friend [the Earl of Hopetoun] will not be displeased if I correct some of his statements, which were, to a certain extent, confirmatory of my own. I stated formerly that the bar at the mouth of the harbour was such as to interfere with the entrance of Her Majesty's ships, and with its being used as a coaling port. I think my noble Friend, on behalf of the Admiralty, confirmed my remarks to that extent, stating that the bar was in itself so dangerous as to render the harbour practically useless to the Royal Navy. Since then I have ascertained that this bar has practically disappeared, owing to the great exertions which have been made by the Natal Government to remove the obstruction. Two powerful dredging machines are being used, and the result of the work for the past six months has been to reduce the dangers on the bar to such an extent that vessels of very large tonnage can generally enter with perfect safety. Vessels of the Donald Currie Line, drawing 22 feet of water, pass over the bar with the greatest case at high water, with a depth of water of 24 feet 2 inches, and at low water there is a depth of 19 feet 2 inches, so that vessels of a moderate tonnage can get in at any time. A large vessel of 9,000 tons went in the other day when not at high water, but at between high and low water, with four feet of water under her. My Lords, when you get inside the port of Natal, it is one of the finest harbours in the world, and one which offers considerable advantages to us, as will be seen when we consider what our interests are on that coast, and when we consider that along the whole line of coast from Simon's Bay, which is now used by the Royal Navy at a very inconvenient anchorage, to Delagoa Bay, from which we have been precluded by the action of arbitration, we have no harbour whatever except Port Elizabeth. Since I last troubled your Lordships on the subject I find that a railway has been constructed from Port Durban, which probably many of your Lordships may be aware is a place where there is now a wharfage for very large ships, but which is somewhat inconvenient owing 1281 to the distance it is from the mouth of the harbour; and this railway goes right round the head of the harbour to the point where the water is deep, close inside the bar. The Colonial Government propose to lay out large sums for the purpose of constructing wharves there for the more speedy coaling of ships. This railway is in direct communication with the town of Durban and with the coalfields, which are practically inexhaustible in our time. They have been surveyed by experienced mining engineers from Liverpool, who say that the coalfields are 50 miles in breadth, and that the supply of coal is such that it will last for 40 years at the highest rate of consumption. I hope, in view of our increasing interests on that coast, of the fact that we have no harbour whatever on that coast, and of the additional fact that the coal is not only inexhaustible in quantity, but excellent in quality, having been examined, and found to be only about 10 per cent, inferior to the best Welsh coal, that the Government realises the advantages which this harbour offers, and the uses to which it can be put by Her Majesty's ships. The Donald Currie and other lines invariably supply their steamers with coal there, and it is not unreasonable to hope that when the wharves of which I speak are completed the Government may have a wharf set apart for the coaling of Her Majesty's ships. My Lords, I have no doubt whatever, from what I have heard, that the statistics which I am laying before you are perfectly correct, and that the danger at the mouth of the harbour on the bar is practically removed. Her Majesty's ship Doris, the flagship there, is a vessel of between 5,000 and 6,000 tons, and is very much inferior in draught and bulk to many of the merchant vessels which use the harbour without any hesitation at all. I can hardly believe that the Admiralty will shut their eyes to these undoubted facts, which are not mere hearsay, which are not based upon false ground, but which are vouched for by eminent engineers who have examined the spot, and whose reports I have in my hand. If the Admiralty turn their attention to this subject and carefully consider it, I feel sure that they will decide to avail themselves of 1282 this magnificent harbour, which has long been spoken of as capable of being made one of the finest harbours in the world. I am not holding a brief for the Colonial Government in any way. I did not even know, when I last spoke on the subject, that it was under consideration. I brought the matter forward on my own initiative, knowing the capabilities of the harbour, and feeling that what we wanted was a coaling station for our ships on that coast. I venture to think that the subject is deserving of the attention of the Government, and I beg to move the Motion which stands in my name.
VISCOUNT CLIFDENMy Lords, I was very glad to hear what the noble Viscount who has just spoken said about the capabilities of Port Durban, and I hope the noble Viscount is quite sure of his facts. The information I received was not quite so satisfactory, and, even if my noble Friend is correct, that depth of water will not do for our big ironclads. What the noble Viscount is thinking about, and what we must all think of, is a coaling station on that coast for our ironclads in case of war; but I want to ask the noble Earl who represents the Admiralty whether there is any case of a bar of shifting sand being satisfactorily dealt with, so as to make passage practicable at all times. I have heard that an easterly gale would, at once set up the bar at Durban, and how long it would take to do away with the effect of that easterly gale I do not know. What we want on that coast is a man-o'-war harbour; but, even putting it at the best, I do not think Port Durban will do for our heavy ironclads.
* THE EARL OF HOPETOUNMy Lords, with regard to the question of my noble Friend on the Cross Benches [Viscount Clifden], I am not aware of any case in which a shifting bar has been dealt with in a satisfactory way, but if my noble Friend cares to repeat his question and give me notice, I shall be happy to make further inquiries, and to answer him at a future date. I am glad my noble Friend behind me [Viscount Sidmouth] has brought 1283 up this question again, because it would seem that persons interested in Natal have taken the reply which I made on the 16th of May on this subject as unappreciative of the efforts made by the Colonial Government to improve the entrance into Durban Harbour, and as understating the results. I am moat anxious to remove any such impression if it exists, for the Admiralty have watched with the greatest interest the gradual improvement of the passage over the bar to a port whose position on a coast so notoriously devoid of harbours makes it especially valuable. During the last two or three years the possession of new machinery has added much to the power of dealing with the bar, and the period necessary to re-deepen, after temporary heaving up of sand, has been shortened. Since my noble Friend asked his first Question on this subject some fresh reports have been received from the harbour authorities, which show a greater average depth on the bar for the year 1897 than for any previous year; and even more recent information, coming through the Agent General for the Colony, points to the fact that the average will be better for this year than for last year. But it must be borne in mind that when heavy seas set in these depths have always been diminished by a very considerable amount. In attempting to fix an average draught which can be considered as capable of passing the bar, a considerable reduction must be made from the maximum which has passed over it. It is difficult to fix an exact figure, but there is every reason to hope that each year it may be put higher. I trust this reply will be satisfactory to my noble Friend, and that he will not press his Motion, as it is not considered desirable by Her Majesty's Government to lay the correspondence referred to, which is of an inter-Departmental character, upon the Table of your Lordships' House.
§ VISCOUNT SIDMOUTHMay I ask the noble Earl the date of the last communication with the Colonial Office?
* THE EARL OF HOPETOUNI cannot give you the dates just now. There have been communications between the Colonial Office and the Admiralty since I made my reply to the last Question before the Adjournment.
§ VISCOUNT SIDMOUTHIn answer to the noble Viscount [Viscount Clifden], I should like to say that there is no large ship, of the class to which he alludes, on that station. All the vessels on the Cape station are of moderate bulk. The Doris is the flagship, and is, presumably, the largest ship out there. She is between 5,000 and 6,000 tons only, and the Donald Currie vessels, which go in there constantly, draw much more water, and are of larger tonnage.
VISCOUNT CLIFDENWill the noble Viscount say that there will never be a hot war in that part of the world, and that our large ironclads will not go there?
§ Motion, by leave, withdrawn.