Page:Problems of Empire.djvu/216

PROBLEMS OF EMPIRE. to say a word on Messrs. Huddart's Canadian-Australian line. The service is maintained by two excellent boats of about 3500 tons, which are well found in every respect, and are exceedingly comfortable from the passenger's point of view. They are capable of a sea-speed of about fifteen knots. A third boat is shortly to be added to the service.

To return from this digression, while in Australia I visited the forts at Port Phillip Heads, Victoria, at Sydney Heads, New South Wales, and at Largs Bay, South Australia, the naval establishments in the three Colonies, and the ships belonging to the different Colonial navies.

The naval forces maintained by the Colony of Victoria include the turret-ship Cerberus, which is still armed with her old 10-inch muzzle-loaders. The similar ships, Magdala and Abyssinia, which are stationed at Bombay, have been rearmed with 8-inch breech-loaders. Besides the Cerberus there are two first-class torpedo boats, the Childers and Countess of Hopetoun, and two small second-class boats. The gunboats Albert and Victoria are for sale, or have been sold. The wooden line-of-battle ship Nelson is still kept in commission, and is used as a barrack ship. The dinner given on board the Nelson on the anniversary of the battle of Trafalgar, was attended by Commander Pascoe, the son of the flag-lieutenant of the Victory who hoisted the famous signal.

The personnel of the Victorian Navy now consists of 177 men in the permanent force (reduced from 232), and of 152 men in the Naval Brigade or Naval Reserve (reduced from 342) a total of 329 men. The complements required for the Cerberus and the  198