We note an interesting item of news in Thursday's Times,
—namely, that the Governor of Gibraltar has received an offer from three thousand Spaniards with military train. lug who are willing to enter our service. If these men like to come to Gibraltar to enlist on British soil and to be natural- ised, there is no reason why those who are likely to prove good soldiers should not be engaged and made to form the nucleus of a Foreign Legion. We could raise another three thousand in Malta and Cyprus, and without much difficulty the Legion could be quickly increased to ten thousand. Under British officers such a force, though not of course equal to Home or Colonial regiments, might prove a very useful force for many purposes. We made use of Foreign Legions in the past, and we do not see why we should not do so now, provided that we do not raise them because our own people are shirking the burden of defending the Empire. But they are not shirking, and therefore we need not fear the cry that we are depending on mercenaries.
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