The geographical position of the Cape of Good Hope points out the importance of this colony in a commercial and military point of view; situate half-way between England and India, in a wholesome climate, and producing refreshments of every description, it is capable of becoming a particularly valuable post. In the event of a war, the power which holds the Cape may be said to possess the key of India. It is capable of becoming a valuable station for naval and military establishments to give effectual security to the Indian trade and settlements. It might, also, be rendered particularly advantageous to the interests of the British empire as an emporium of Eastern produce, and as furnishing articles of export for consumption in Europe and the West Indies. The advantage of its position, considered in connection with the intercourse of Europe with the vast regions situate around the Indian Ocean, and its convenient situation as a place of refreshment for vessels navigating to and from the East Indies, are quite obvious.
1841
The Cape Mounted Riflemen are intimately connected with the several interesting and important points in which the Cape of Good Hope may be viewed, in relation to the advantages accruing to Great Britain from the possession of this colony. During the whole of the services of the corps from 1806 to 1841 it has enjoyed, and frequently received, the expressed approbation of the several Commanders-in-Chief of the colony, for its conduct, discipline, and arduous exertions for the service of the Crown. Among the officers who have signalized themselves, the names of Colonels John Graham and Henry Somerset; Lieut.-Colonels Thomas Lyster and G. Sackville Fraser; Major Robert S. Aitchison, and Captain William W. Harding, deserve to be particularly mentioned; also, Lieutenant and Adjutant Robert Hart, who served from 1808 to 1817, when he was appointed to a responsible situation under the Colonial Government; and Lieutenant and Adjutant John Blakeway, who served from 1819 to 1827. Many of the present members of the corps have shared in all its arduous duties for several years.
In testimony of the high sense entertained by Her Majesty Queen Victoria of the efficient services of the Cape Mounted Riflemen, Her Majesty has recently directed that a pair of Standards, or Guidons, shall be presented to that Corps. The First, or Royal Standard, is of crimson silk; in the centre of which are conjoined the rose, shamrock, and thistle; in a scroll beneath is the Royal motto, “Dieu et mon droit;” the whole surmounted by the imperial crown; the White Horse on a red ground in a compartment in the first and fourth corners, and the words “Cape Mounted Riflemen,” on a green ground in the second and third corners. In the middle of the Second, or Regimental Standard, is the title of the Corps encircled by the national emblems of the United Kingdom; above is the imperial crown; and in a scroll beneath the words “Cape of Good Hope” in the first and fourth corners the White Horse on a red ground, and in the second and third corners the rose, shamrock, and thistle; the field of this Standard is green; the ground of the four badges is crimson.
So gratifying a mark of the Sovereign’s approval cannot fail to prove acceptable both to the officers and men of this useful and efficient corps, and to afford an encouragement to their future exertions and good conduct.
1841