GERMAN EXPANSION.
[To TUX EDITOR OP TIM "SPECTATOR."] Sin,—From the comments on my letter of December 30th, including your own article, I am to take it that we must regard the present geographical area of the Empire as irre- vocably fixed, to be maintained as an affair of honour. What I have ventured to suggest is that national honour is also con- cerned with international equity; that it is possible that our Empire may contain more territory than we can use; that in view of the needs of other nations and the limited amount of available land there may really be injustice done by retention of lands which we cannot employ, or are not in near prospect of employing ; and that in the past transfers and readjustments, for value received, have been effected in times of peace; e.g., when France transferred Louisiana. and Russia transferred Alaska, to the United States, without any compulsion being in question. I should like now to add that I hold as strongly as any one that it is only in times of peace that such grave matters can be considered ; the moment a hand is laid on a sword-hilt the opportunity has gone ; and, further, that I have written in no "Little England" spirit ; e.g., I strongly supported the Chamberlain policy in South Africa as both equitable and expedient. But I confess to feeling uneasy in mind on the points I have indicated ; and I cannot but think that this uneasiness is more widely prevalent than is supposed. "It is the weakest folly to count these great new lands ours in perpetuity," writes an Australian in the Journal of the Royal Colonial Institute for last November. If we can employ them they are ours, of course ; it is the places where we are not in real occupation of which I wrote, and those only ; these seem to me to need the serious consideration of the British people when settling Imperial policy.—I am, Sir, &c., University of London, !ring's College. A. CALDECOTT.
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