AustLit

'My Dear Jack

'We are threatened with a blockade, and as the "Cuzco," which is lying in the bay ready for sea, will probably be the last steamer that will get away for some time,—unless our own gunboats and the Cerberus can succeed in driving away the French squadron which the other day attempted to force its way into Port Jackson—we are likely to be in a very bad way indeed. You know what an amount of trouble we unfortunates have had with the Government of this most erratic colony ever since we were beguiled into coming here to take up the work of organising something like a respectable defensive force. You know our predecessors, after persevering for years in a hopeless task, at last gave it up in despair, and it was supposed that where they failed, Staff Corps men might succeed, and a message was sent to Calcutta asking that a number of officers might be selected to complete what had been begun. Colonel Shrapnel, Lieutenant-Colonel Bridoon, Major York, Warder, and myself offered our little services, and here we are with a tough fight in prospect, and very little chance of coming out of it successfully, unless by good fortune. Monsieur Crapaud is a great deal more ignorant of war, and more rash and foolish than he has usually shown himself. You will scarcely think it credible, but it is a fact that this colony has some hundreds of miles of coast line with a great many small seaports scattered along it, and only three or four of them are protected by even a pretence of fortifications. The works that exist, except those at the entrance of Port Phillip, are merely/ small detached batteries with a battery of militia garrison artillery to each, and York is the only regularly educated artillery officer in the service. There is, indeed, one old hone-artilleryman in Melbourne who writes for the papers, and pitilessly exposes all the empirical follies of the parliamentary people. Bridoon knows him, and says he has been on the staff; but the politicians, though they sometimes take his advice, positively refuse to recognise him, and will not listen to our requests that he should be employed.' (Introduction)