Page:The empire and the century.djvu/340

 zone, justice varied according to the length of the local Governor's foot, and loyalty to the monarch, or a sense of citizenship, must have been of a shadowy character. Any interference with, or unnecessary restriction of, the means of communication, is foolish and dangerous. We all see this in the case of the colossal Slav Empire. But we do not so readily admit that we long blundered as seriously in maintaining heavy postal rates to the Colonies as we still blunder in levying high cable rates.

The Imperial ensign flies on some 561 ships of war (not one of obsolete type), manned by 129,000 brave and skilful sailors. We may add forty-six steam clippers, specially built for use in war-time as cruisers and transports, and meanwhile employed in our colonial and American traffic.

A passenger to Greenwich by one of the London County Council river steamers regards with awe the long lines of huge vessels that fringe the city's stately wharves. He feels a strange, sudden thrill of fellowship with unseen, swarthy millions, a sense of vast, responsible power, a consciousness of dignity, such as he could never gather from cold statistics. If he travelled round the globe he would witness a similar display of maritime activity in a score of spacious British ports; while on the voyage he would constantly see, by day the ensign, and at night the lights, of some passing British steamship. The aggregate of the mercantile marine protected by the navy is nearly 15,000,000 tons.

If we would understand the need of unrestricted Imperial communications, we find it vividly displayed in the returns of exports and imports. Here are some annual totals: