A RESERVIST COLONY.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—Some weeks ago an admirable article appeared in your paper headed "A Reservist Colony," suggesting that after the war for supremacy in South Africa was over, and the two Republics now fighting us annexed to Great Britain, grants of land should be given on certain terms to Reservists of an agricultural turn, and thus create a colony of soldiers in the Transvaal and the Orange Free State ready, able, and willing to fight for their Queen and country at a moment's notice,—an excellent idea; but could it not be carried out still further? Hundreds of young men from India and our Colonies have gone out to South Africa to give their lives if necessary in restoring peace and order. Many of these would gladly settle down there if given farms on.moderate terms, and, retaining their Army rank, would form a magnificent fighting Militia. This if done freely would relieve the Trea- sury of the expense of at least ten thousand regular troops. Millions of acres in the Transvaal and Orange Free State are now uncultivated, for besides the unoccupied land the Boer farms are seldom smaller than six thousandacres, of which about one-sixth is used for grazing and cultivation, the remainder kept for game. If all this spare land were occupied by British and Colonial settlers, and cultivated as it would then be, the wealth and prosperity of the great South African State about to be formed under the Governor-Generalship of Sir A. Milner would be unbounded.—Hoping you agree with
P.S.—Although the Boer farmers have forfeited all right to their farms, I would allow each man to keep his homestead and a thousand acres; all he would lose would be his game preserve, a light punishment for slaying so many of our brave soldiers.—F. A. V.
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