that anything
has been done to give practical effect to his recommendations:--

"I spoke to you concerning Borneo and the necessity for coaling
stations in the Eastern seas. Taking Mauritius with its large
French population, the Cape with its conflicting elements, and
Hongkong, Singapore, and Penang with their vast Chinese
populations, who may be with or against us, but who are at any
time a nuisance, I would select such places where no temptation
would induce colonists to come, and I would use them as maritime
fortresses. For instance, the only good coaling place between
Suez and Adelaide would be in the Chagos group, which contain a
beautiful harbour at San Diego. My object is to secure this for
the strengthening of our maritime power. These islands are of
great strategical importance _vis a vis_ with India, Suez, and
Singapore. Remember Aden has no harbour to speak of, and has the
need of a garrison, while Chagos could be kept by a company of
soldiers. It is wonderful our people do not take the views of our
forefathers. They took up their positions at all the salient
points of the routes. We can certainly hold these places, but
from the colonial feelings they have almost ceased to be our own.
By establishing these coaling stations no diplomatic
complications could arise, while by their means we could unite
all our colonies with us, for we could give them effective
support. The spirit of no colony would bear up for long against
the cutting off of its trade, which would happen if we kept
watching the Mediterranean and neglected the great ocean routes.
The cost would not be more than these places cost now, if the
principle of heavily-armed, light-draught, swift gunboats with
suitable arsenals, properly (not over) defended, were followed."

Chagos as well as Seychelles forms part of the administrative group of
the Mauritius. The former with, as Gordon states, an admirable port in
San Diego, lies in the direct route to Australia from the Red Sea, and
the latter contains an equally good harbour in Port Victoria Mahe. The
Seychelles are remarkably healthy islands--thirty in number--and
Gordon recommended them as a good place for "a man with a little money
to settle in." He also advanced the speculative and somewhat
imaginative theory that in them was to be found the true site of the
Garden