Britain and Her Colonies.

Hastings Standard, Volume V, Issue 1424, 15 January 1901, Page 3

Britain and Her Colonies.

M. do Blowitz, the Paris correspou

dent of The Times, relates an interesting conversation which he had thirty years ago with the late M. Thiers, then one of the foremost French Statemen. In a lettor to The Times M. de Blowitz says :—Only to-day I met a friend, a member of the National Assembly, who wa3 present, and who also recollects his almost prrphetic words. The conversation took p ace in January, 1871, in the small first-floor room then occupied by Thiers at the Hotel de France at Bordeaux. The two other persons present are, I believe, no longer living. What

Thiers said was this :—" 1 am always amazed at the levity and ignorance with which many of my countrymen

under-rate the strength of England. They do not consider that with her maritime strength, England, in case of war, could close the highways of the world to her adversary. She has incalcuable wealth, and her enormous possessions give her military resources which it is rash to ignore." One of us here remarked : " Dub there is a reservation to be made. England has no army." " That," sharply replied Thiers, "is one of those persistent mistakes by which men deceive themselves and others. Englaud has in India as many men as she like 3, sober, impetuous soldiers, capable of much endurance provided they are well officered. When she has increased her troops and well drilled them she will have an excellent Indian army. She can draw hundreds of thousands of men who, when well drilled, will equal the best soldiers o£ European armies. Whenever, too, England is iu conflict with a foreign Power, Europe will see her colonies rally round and co-operate with her. Without the slightest expense to her they will equip their soldiers, their only ambition being to show their close union with her, and to demonstrate that their strength and energy are at her disposal just as her enormous resources are at theirs. I predict this in spite of your smile of incredulity, and although, perhaps, none of us will live to witness i it." 1 should not have ventured to I quote this if 1 had not by chance met ! my friend, who can vouch for its ! accuracy-