The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-05-21

| recognized.
The opinion of the statesmen Of the
United Kingdom, however, constituted
only one part of the whole body Of opinions
necessary for the untcltion of the Empire
Did the coonists themselves appreciate in
their distant outpostS the novel issues OF
the time? Did they realize the vital neces-
sily Tor themselves Of uniting IN scheme
Of cooperative defense? An answer was
soon forthcoming, As early as. 1870 an
authoritative voice from the Cape Colony
| had declared that a consoida lion Of the
| empire was necessity.
From the year Is79-the date when Ger
many began to march definitely along
the road to colonial eXpansion-it became
manifest that she would not fail to seize
any opportunity that might open In South
Africa. Already German authority had
strenuously urged his Government to occupy
| Delagoa Bay o. ST. Lucia, on the east coast,
and to pour a stream Of emigrants into the
Transvaal. If Germany should elect to
stand aloof, France might undertake
similar enterprise. On either eide OF the
| Dark Continent she could cut the conneo-
ton Of an independent South Africa with
the outer world. 1t is not surprising that
in these circumstances the Cape Parlia-
ment should have appointed local COM
mttee to deal with the subject OF defenses
to be undertaken In common with the home
Government. About the same time. but
little earlier, another great department
Of the British Empire. Canada, received
what Lord Dufferin, the Governor-General.
termed the afflatus Of more imperial
| lnspration.' MIR. Peel is undoubtedly right
In ascribing this impulse primarily to the
vast and threatening expansion OF the
United States across the border. Sir
George Lews's contemporary comment on
Canada's decision, made with the cordial
approval of England, to adopt the fedora
ton Of her provinces into one Dominion
"a federation embodied In the British
North America act Of ls67-ran as follows:
"The neighborhood Of the great American
Republic was powerful lever to the fedora
ton of British North America; the forma-
ton Of the Dominion was really the alter
native to the piecemeal absorption OF the
Provinces by the United States; here, as
elsewhere, the instinct Of sef-preservation
led to union and strength" In q third
great division OF Brtains transmarine
dependencies, In Australasia, similar
movement for the Indignation OF the
Empire was witnessed at nearly the same
time. This movement was due to the
awakening sense Of the far reaching nature
Of modern ornaments. Till now Aus
tralasia had been almost isolated, but as
time had gone on the current OF tnterna-
tional forces was brushing her shores as
well.
| Such was the profound change that
during the seventh and eighth decades
| Of the nineteenth century stirred the re-
hottest sections of The British Empire with
| an impulse toward closer and more ef-
! ficient cooperation. The same ominous
change in the affairs OF men which had
warned English speaking peoples to be
up and doing in South Africa, Canada and
| Australasia, operated with an even more
Irresistible compulsion upon the Anglo
| Indian peninsula. The prepotent cause
| here was the singular progress achieved
BY Russia since her reverses in the Crimea n
War. As long ago AZ 1888 Sir John MNeill,
then British Minister in Persia had pointed
out in a pamphlet that, since the latter
part of the eighteenth century, Russia
| had advanced a Thousand miles toward
| India. That progress was resumed after
! Russia had shaken of the comparative
! puiescence which marked the close Of the
| Crimean struggle, The alarm regarding
, Russia's designs upon India had become
so intensified in the eighth decade OF the
nineteenth century that a British Ministry
felt constrained to secure in Afghanstan
what Lord Beaconsfeld described as a
-scentifo frontier move which in
volved the Calcutta Government In the
! Afghan War Of 1878. That war, as was
! said at the time, was "a war with Russia
rather than with the Afghans,' and was
| waged, according to Lord Beaoonsfeld,
! xith no other object than to make arrange
menta ~ which all anxiety respecting the
northwesNexl frontier of India would be
removed
The purpose Of the se--nIL end eighth
chapters of the work before us Is va showi
a. we have seen, how clear a connection
can be traced, from about 1870 up n the
present time, between the growth OF Eu-
ropean ambitions and the consolidation Of
the British Empire. 1t was on account
| of the new ornaments and the new aspira-
| lions OF Russia, Germany and France that
the ties already evistng between Britons and
their colonists were drawn materially closer.
Nor was this the sole effect OF pressure
from without. During these years the
| empire not only acquired more conference,
| but IL was also vastly extended owing to
| tho same cause. II the old parts were
| impelled into union, new parts were added
with precautionary objects, These addi-
tons to Englaud's imperial dominions were
made for the Same reason that prompted
unifcation; that Is to say, in order to an
ticipate danger from without. Mr.. Peel
would distribute the extensive annsxa-
tions made by Great Britain during the
last thirty years Of the nineteenth century
into three parts. Some territories were
acquired at the instance Of British depends
encias, eager to protect themselves against
European designs. Among these our
author would place England's extensions
in the Pacific. The next class consists
Of annexations Effected by England her.
self in order to avert foreseeable dangers
from some threatened part Of her globe
eucrcNng domain, To this category
would belong the annexation OF Burmah h.
The thtsd GLASS comprises annexations OF
territories alreedy being opened by the
energies OF British men OF business, but
which some European Power was eager
to possess. and whence she .vunld exclude
British commerce more or less completely,
unless the British Government sterrsd
in and ioreetalled that project by definite
act Of annexation. OF such would be the
oass OF Eagt AfSioA In fine aooording