ARBITRATION WITH THE TRANSVAAL.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] Sra,—Has it struck you that the Supreme Court of Amer: might be a fair Court of Arbitration between the Boers and Mr. Chamberlain ? It goes without saying that trained Judges should be the best Judges in so complicated a matter, and the Boers might, perhaps, fairly object to Imperial Judges, as the putting themselves in such hands might seem to be practically giving up the independence for which they have struggled so sturdily. As I understand things, they hold that the London Convention left them a free people subject to a single proviso as to foreign affairs. But all these questions of franchise have clearly nothing to do with foreign affairs, and so it seems reasonable that as to them they should be dealt with as a perfectly free people. No doubt you can crush them, but would the game be worth the candle ? One of the clearest facts in history is that from the day the Athenians killed all the male population of a Grecian island that had turned against their Empire, they slowly but surely lost their own magnificent position. After all, God rules.--I am, Sir, &c.,
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