The Royal Commission on the Defence of the United Kingdom was a committee formed in 1859 to enquire into the ability of the United Kingdom to defend itself against an attempted invasion by a foreign power, and to advise the British Government on the remedial action required. The appointment of the Commission had been prompted by public concern about the growing military and naval power of the French Empire and was instigated by the Prime Minister, Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, who came to be closely associated with the project. In the following year, the Commission's report recommended a huge programme of fortification to defend the country's arsenals and naval bases. Many of the recommendations were acted upon; however, the great expense, the length of time taken to complete the various works and their perceived usefulness were all subjects of critical political, press and public debate. Background In the late 1850s, there were serious concerns that France might attempt to invade the United Kingdom. The recent period had seen great improvements in gunnery (with Rifled Muzzle Loader (RML) and Rifled Breech Loader (RBL) designs) and the widespread introduction of steam propulsion in ships. In 1858, France began a programme to increase their fleet to have 150 steamships, four of which would be ironclads, the first of which, La Gloire, superior to anything in the British inventory, was launched in 1859. Belatedly, the British response was the iron-hulled , but several obsolete wooden ships of the line were building at the same time. When Palmerston returned to power in 1859, public concern over this naval arms race, combined with Napoleon III's aggressive intervention in the Second Italian War of Independence, allowed him to act on his conviction that Britain's coastal defences were inadequate to prevent invasion if the Royal Navy was lured elsewhere. The Royal Commission The Commissioners The Commission consisted of six eminent naval and military officers, plus a civilian architect: Major-General Sir Henry David Jones CB (Chairman) Major-General Duncan Alexander Cameron Rear Admiral George Augustus Eliot Major-General Sir Frederick Abbott, Indian Army Captain Astley Cooper Key, Royal Navy Lieutenant-Colonel John Henry Lefroy, Royal Artillery James Fergusson Esquire The Secretary of the Commission was Major William Jervois of the Royal Engineers, a progressive military engineer who held the post of Assistant Inspector-General of Fortifications. Although not appointed as a Commissioner, Jervois seems to have had considerable influence on the conduct