192 STATES OF THE RIVER PLATE- 



. companies with sufficient capital to put a minimum number 

 of families with flocks, herds, and horses on the same. 

 Several ' projects of law,' that is, ' measures,' are prepared 

 for introduction into the Chambers, and will probably have 

 been published before this work reaches the public, the 

 tenor of which is the granting in fee-simple of frontier 

 lands. It would perhaps not be correct to criticise em- 

 bryo projects which have come to my knowledge by the 

 favour of the projectors, but I may say that their practical 

 working, supposing any of them to become law, depends 

 mainly on the exemption from trammel of detail. Grant- 

 ing land on more or less exposed frontiers, would be in- 

 effectual unless the proposed grants were of sufficient 

 extent to admit of a strong and comparatively concen- 

 trated settlement, and made to parties or companies with 

 means sufficient to settle and stock them on the principle 

 of colonies ; the settlers acquiring a right in fee-simple to 

 a portion, say half the land occupied by them, and to 

 have half the increase of stock under agreement with the 

 ' grantees ;' the settlers, if foreigners, to retain their 

 rights as such, and be subject to no other service than 

 that of mutual protection under direction of the resident 

 representative of the grantees ; and if natives, to be 

 exempt from all military service other than that of the 

 protection of the colony for a term of years. These 

 settlements once fairly established and stocked, the sur- 

 rounding lands would assume a value, however small at 

 first, which it would be the interest of the country to sell 

 at any price that a public market might establish. 



Frontier grants, and subsequently the adjoining lands, 

 would be advantageous investments for enterprising capi- 

 talists, and would afford good opportunities to hardy and 

 adventurous settlers, who would acquire say half a league 



