Lord Carnarvon, who founded during his last term of office
the Canadian Dominion, in a despatch to Sir H. Barkly has proposed a Conference of Delegates, who will discuss among other subjects the Confederation of all the Colonies and free States of South Africa. It is necessary that the Governments of that region should now have a common Executive for certain purposes, a common Parliament for general laws, a common military system, a common policy towards the Natives, and we may add, a common method of raising loans. Native immigrants are flocking to British territory in thousands, and unless properly and systemati- cally governed, may atir up serious war. The colonists have hitherto been opposed to the project, but their objections are dying, and if the Dutch States will come in, and the relation between the Provinces and the Dominion can be made sufficiently elastic, and the Imperial Government will help a little towards making a trunk Railway, it may be possible to carry the plan out. The grand difficulties will be taxation and the labour laws. Slavery,-of course, must disappear, but all labour laws involving a denial of the right of anybody to be idle ought to dis- appear also, and there will be fierce struggles over that. We rather distrust Mr. Fronde, the English representative at the
Conference, upon that question, and would point out to its members Lord Grey's suggestion as the most perfect compromise. A poll-tax kills vagrancy and idleness more easily than any repressive law.
