On Friday, April 25th, the non-commissioned officers of the London
Division of the National Reserve held their first Mess dinner and entertained a number of distin- guished military guests. Colonel Hyslop, the secretary of the Joint Committee of the two London Associations which has the organization of the National Reserve in hand, announced that the London Reserve is now over 37,000 men, and that the enrolment of fresh names was pro- ceeding. We have little doubt ourselves that before long the figure of 50,000 men will be reached. Meanwhile the organization is developing on many sides. For example, we heard the other day of a Sunday route march being undertaken by one of the Westminster battalions. An account of this march by one who took part in it, pub- lished in the Observer, showed bow pleasant as well as useful such a mixture of military and physical exercise could be made. Undoubtedly the National Reserve has a great deal of latent vitality. In this context we may note with amuse- ment that on Monday last the Westminster Gazette, striking out wildly for any floating spar in the shipwreck of its Territorial hopes, used the following language : " With a quarter of a million Territorials and the National Reserve we shall be ready for more shiploads than will ever come while we have a Navy to defend us." If the National Reserve is worth all that, as we have no doubt it is, we cannot help remarking that it is not a little curious that the Westminster Gazette did so little for the National Reserve when it was young and struggling and would have been very glad of help.
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