2 68 The West Indian Bundle of Sticks. 



our islanders : to increase their usefulness, it is neces- 

 sary that those in the Civil Service shall be shifted from 

 one colony to another as opportunity offers, to 

 rid them of some of their native insularity, to free 

 them from local influence, and to widen their 

 view of men and things.* Not only to the officers them- 

 selves, and to the Civil Administration, will such trans- 

 fers be beneficial, but they will be the means of fostering 

 Union among the colonies by creating new ties amongst 

 the colonists. In like manner, every opportunity should 

 be seized for bringing together the public men of the 

 several islands, whether by conferences or otherwise, and 

 care should be taken to select unofficial in equal num- 

 ber with officials, as representatives. 



As the question of Defence is at the present time en- 

 gaging the attention of the authorities, but little need b e 

 said here upon that subje6l. To those, however, who 

 are not mere Cockney Colonists, here to day and off 

 to-morrow, but who are rooted in the islands, it is cer- 

 tain that all obstacles to the growth of a bold peasantry, 

 and of a yeomanry as well, ought to be cleared away. 

 The greater the number of those who become holders of 

 land, the more numerous will be the " native swords and 

 native ranks" of the citizen soldiers of the islands. 



That there should be some uniformity in the frame- 



* The tendency to narrow the outside world down to one's own 

 standard, which is characteristic of untravelled persons, cannot better 

 be illustrated than in the case of two gentlemen of Barbados who 

 visited England for the first time. Landing at Southampton, they put 

 up at an hotel. On going to bed one of them called a waiter and gave 

 him the following order: — "Waiter, call me at five o'clock in the 

 morning. My brother and I will take a ride round the island before 

 breakfast I" 



