The next major local local defensive effort was to create a marine militia under Sir William Burnaby's enthusiastic leadership. It started with forty-seven adolescent boys, coloured except for two, who all had an intensive course in the boats which the naval establishment had collected. The idea was for the forces to assemble as the signal stations directed, and then, in mosquito fashion, from behind the headlands, converge as an offensive force on any enemy who had passed through the reefs into the channel for the purpose of landing troops. the marine militia would make use of small boats as it needed them. The force had three divisional commanders, Daniel R. Tucker for Hamilton Harbour, John Barr for St. George's combined with Tucker's Town, and T.S.J. Trott, an extensive landowner in Smith's, for the north shore. Each of these had junior officers, and over them all, as supervisors, were the two doyens of the Council and the shipping, the Hon. H.G. Hunt and his freind Francis Albouy. This service was strictly local and for three years; it appeared superficially to be quite different from the first effort, but the emphasis was still on artillery and target practice.*( Footnote: T.S.J. Trott was the enthusiastic proprietor of the Devil's Hole. Admission thereto 1s. for adults, 6d. for children. The Clockmaker had an essay on it, but Haliburton was probably never in Bermuda. Daniel R. Tucker's eldest daughter, sarah Ewing, became the wife of Geo. somers Tucker, 18 Mar., 1841. The southern coast of Bermuda was not forgotten. It shelves more gradually to deep and safe water, but there is no satisfactory inlet for a ship between Ireland Island and Castle Island.)
Lord John Russell submitted this plan to Lord Hill who admitted that he had never had to 'defend fifty islands'. The Admiralty, in turn, was hardly more definite, saying it was a matter for the Governor, but, at the same time, constructed an adequate boat which in due course was gratefully accepted. This little force, under Sir William Burnaby, continued to exist, though in diminishing numbers, until 1848 when, the danger for which it was formed having practically disappeared, it was allowed to lapse. Nevertheless these various efforts which had brought the young coloured men into proximity with the troops had, beyond all question, been most useful.