ish Empire, with its recent extensions in the form of protectorates and spheres of influence, has an area of nearly four Europes, public revenues of 260 mil-(without counting the vast tral and sums raised in the United Kingdom for local rates), a population of 400 millions, and half the sea-borne trade of the world. It stands at the top of almost every scale by which Powers are estimated, except indeed as regards its military strength in land forces; the total war strength of the British Empire, apart from armed police, being almost exactly the same as the peace footing of the Russian Empire, namely 950,000 men. The British Empire produces almost every requirement of men, and stands first among the Powers in wheat, wool, timber, tea (as far as value goes,—having displaced China), coal and iron (in both of which the United States runs us close), and, perhaps, now, gold. 'The doubt as to gold may' come as a surprise to som Our gold fields in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, India, and even British Guiana, the Gold Coast, and some of our smaller colonies, are so well advertised tha! little startling to find that the United States, who do nut talk much about their gold in present times, still produce almost as much as we do in our whole Empire, and that Russia produces half as much. Not only is there a close race as regards iron between ourselves and the United States, but in steel they have now beaten us out of the field. Insilver we are nowhere as com with the United States. In precious stones, and most of the minerals ides those which I have named, we stand first. In tobacco we stand second to Spain, and in coffee, sugar, and other articles very high. With regard to sugar, the wails of the West Indian planters have made many think that our sugar industry has been destroyed by the bounties of the Protectionist Powers; hi whilst. West Indian sugar has been pining, British sugar raised in Fiji, in Queensland, and in some other colonies, has been increasing fast in bulk, and there is not that falling off in total production which might be expected to judge from the complaints, The colonizing mania which has seized on Germany and France, and had seized on the Italians who have recovered after a bad fit, cannot confer on France and Germany an empire similar to our own, because the best places were already in British hands. German colonisation has up to the present time been singularly unsuccessful; French colonisation has at great cost added an enormous African territory to the dominions of the French Republic, but one which is unlikely to yield a fair return upon the efforts which it has involved. The only country which possesses a domain which can be compared with our own is Russia, who not only has an enormous amount' of agricultural and mineral resource in her Asiatic territory, but has the immense advantage over us of possessing that territory in contiguous form, and being practically impregnable and almost unassailable by her enemies. The position which we should hold, had we, as we ought to have, a fleet absolutely supreme against every possible combination, belongs to Russia without the expenditure of money upon ships. She could not be vitally damaged even if her army were for smaller than it is, and matters stand she could hardly be hurt at all.
The immense wealth of the United States and the energy of her people make her a more formidable rival than mere extent of territory would imply, for in extent of territory the United States is but equal to Canada or to Australia. Of Canada a large extent is subject to a heavy winter or is actually barren. On the other hand she possesses not only the vast cultural resources which ore known, but mineral resources which we know as yet but little, and which may possibly be found to rival those of the United States. The American union may in time come to exert a leadership over the whole of Cen-South America, and in this way
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.