The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-01-19
THE BRITISH EMPIRE.
Covers Quarter CT the Globe.
a Third of the People.
GREATEST CoLONIzING NATION.
How a Little Island Has Become Mis-
treSs of the sea. Planting Her
flag on Every shore.
Proyidenoe Journal.

StAS ana anu ttiAcA Act AeAA ~ A*AN'S
have made greater physical changes with
IN the same period Of time than have the
British, but those savage hordes pulled
down and destroyed. while the British
have built up and developed The 5arear-
ians raVaged countries more civilized than
their own. while the British have carried
civilization to savage countries. And, be-
( sides. migration Is not colonization. The
savage invaders OF Europe were not colo
MES from Asiatic nations but the nations
themselves. migrating 10 other chimes.
This great nation. whose home domin-
ions are smaller in area than the territory
OF New Mexico, rules over about l9.0e0 90
square miles OF the earth's surface and
over nearly 100000 Of It's inhabitants.
II possesses nearly q fourth part OF the
eaFth's land and about a third part Of its
inhabitants.
Modern colonization may be said 20 date
from the discovery of America. Spain and
Portugal were the first in the field But
they went about it in the wrong way.
They sent their great mobiles over 20 the
! New World, accompanied by a military
retinue, and they expected the colonists to
follow. With England the colonists were
the pioneers. The Spanish established
military despotisms. England little democ-
racies. Spain was more powerful nation
at the beginning OF the colonial period
than was England. and she effected lodg-
ment upon the American continent 100
years ahead OF the latter. but now, at the
end Of nearly four centuries, the aboriginal
races largely outnumber the Spanish in all
or the SpanfSh-American countries except
in the islands of Cuba and Porto Rico.
Although England refuses TO grant home
rule TO ireland. yet that other island CT the
Irish seattle Isle OF Man-has always en-
Joyed local autonomy. This island, which
has an area of go square miles and a pop
ulation OF 81. sos. has it's own parliament
and lis Laws law OfFirprS nd
of law. BY an act of its parliament. or
house of keys" in 1850, suffrage was con-
ferred on woman.
The Channel islands-Jersey, Guernsey.
Attorney, SaTk. etc.-although not cons,d-
cred colonies. Yet have a measure Of local
autonomy. These islands, which have a
population of q. 600 and ansarea Of seventy
five square miles, lie nearer 10 France than
to England. Attorney being but seven miles
distant from the coast Of Normandy, but
they have been in the continual possession
Of the English for more than 200 years.
Gibraltar is the only foothold Great Brit
am has upon the continent of Europe. 1t IS
a rocky promontory en- the coast of Spain.
three miles long and three-qUarters OF q
mile in average breadth. 1t has heretofore
been considered the strongest fortress in
Europe and is probably SO still, in spite Of
the advent of heavy rifled ordnance. 1t
was captured from the SpaniardS in ll04 by
a combined English and Dutch feet.
Malta and Coco, two islands, with an area
Of III square miles and a population Of lG0,-
$40, situated fifty-four miles south of Sicily,
are Of far more importance TO Britain than
Gibraltar. their capital. Nalet,1, affords
an admirable rendezvous to Brush fleets,
and enables the mistress OF the seas to COM
mand the Mediterranean.
Aden a volcano peninsula, on the Arabian
coast; Perrin. small island at the entrance
Of the Red Sea; the Behr.en islands, in the
Persian gulf. portion OF the Somah CAf-
rIcan) coast and the island of Socotra, in
the Indian ocean, near the Gulf of Adea.
are British possessions. which guard the op-
proaches to the Suez canal.
India is a great empire. Including the
feudatory states, the British control nearly
800, 900 of fits population.
Ceylon, a large island south OF India. has
about ECO, 600 Inhabitants. Its native races
have some representation in the governors
council The island passed from the PoT-
tuguese 10 the Dutch I'm 1888. and the latter
were supplanted by the British in 1896. The
Straits Settlements. consisting of the prov
ince Of Wellesley on the Malay peninsula,
and islands in the Strait of Malacca, have
population of about half million.
The British colony OF North Borneo has
an area of 81. JOG square miles and popu-
lation Of about 1850 Sewarak, also on
the island of Boreno, has some 81, 800 square
miles and 100000 people Hongkong was
coded TO Great Britain by China in 1871
In the headlong dash to gobble up Africa
the British have probably made the biggest
haul. Among the more recent of the Brit
ish African acquisitions are the Niger and
OIL Rivers territories in the Guinea region
OF West Africa. Be<huanaland. Berbera.
Matabeieland Mashonaand. Zambesi and
Nyasaiand In South Africa; Zanzibar, Ibea,
the Northern Somali coast. and land In the
Nile region south of Egyptian territory in
East Africa.
ST. Helena, Ascension and Tristan
dAcunha are three solitary islands held
by England. St Helena and Ascension
are each about 200 miles from the African
coast, and more than 500 from each other.
Trinstan d'Acunha lies about midway be-
tween South America and Cape Colony and
1890 miles south of ST Helena. Sierra
Leone, In the Senegambia section Of West
Africa, owes its accession 10 the British
empire TO body or London phlanthropsts
who. In 1873. removed a lot Of destitute re-
groes there from the metropolis Other
bands OF blacks-many OF them rescued
from slave traders-have been taken there
from time 10 time. With the late additions
the colony now extends over about 100
square miles and "a supposed 10 contain
some 811.Oto inhabitants
Gambia which Joins Sierra Leone, is a
small colony Of about L. 00 inhabitants The
Gold Coast. east Of Liberia, contains about
81 go square miles and l. so 90 inhabitants
Lagos, an island about the size Of the state
% Rhode Island. lies east Of the Gold Coast
II has about 5000 inhabitants The king
dom of Ashautee, which lies north OF the
Gold Coast. is practically British territory
and viii doubtless soon be brought directly
under British authority.
Cape Colony proper. which contains about
22l, 90 square miles. was acquired from the
Dutch IN 1906 II contained in 1891, 527. 90
Inhabitants. Of whom 57f NJ were of Euro
pean descent. The Dutch formerly outuum-
berea the British bat the diamond mines
and gold fields Of South Africa are now at
tracing a good many immigrants from
Europe, a large majority Of whom are En-
gish
Australia is a world in itself II ls near
ly as large as Europe, and. unlike this
country. IL is settled almost entirely ~
people ~ the British races. with the En-
glish largely prcfominating II IS scarce A
century since the first settlement was made
az Botany Bay vet It's colonies have made
greater progress than was made during the
same length % time ny the American colo
nies. The area, population IN 1891 and the
date 81 settlement Of the several colonies
is shown ia the following table.
square Popu- Settle
Miles. laH0n. ment
New South Wales $40 7e1 1882 "a 1-ss
Queensland .. 49,. eGs go S34 1ls IRa5
South Australia a0g go szHI1 ISE
Victoria ...... ...... s. b,4 11s1.tn5 IAs5
western Australia 1915 saI.Z 80