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 B R I T ^ I IST 
 
 AMONG THE NA^r 
 
 A LECTURE, 
 
 BY REV. ROBERT 
 
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 saint;johx, N. H. : 
 
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 of Canada du Canada 
 
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BRIT^II^ 
 
 AMONG THE NATIONS: 
 
 A LECTURE, 
 
 BY REV. ROBEET WILSON. 
 
 
 SAINT JOHN, N. B. : 
 
 PRINTED BY OHO. W. DAY, 46 CHARLOTTE STREET. 
 
 1870. 
 
BRITAIN AMONG THE NATIONS. 
 
 
 I 
 
 While others descant in glowing terms upon the iilstory, Institutions, 
 position, and prospects of the lands to which they owe nlie<xiance, or to 
 which they wish their allegiance to be transferred, be it ours, on this occa- 
 sion, to tell of the greatness and the glory of that nation, of which wo form 
 no inconsiderable part, and to whch we are united by the affinities and 
 sympathies of race, language, literature, religion, interest, and rule. 
 " Britain among the Nations" is a theme upon which anyone mi<'ht 
 grow eloquent, and give utterance to "thoughts that breathe, and° to 
 words that burn," For standing beneath that honoured flag that has 
 braved " for a thousand years the battle and the breeze;" surrounded 
 by the splendid memorials of Britain's glorious past, and still more 
 glorious present, and assured of our exalted, unequalled, and inalienable 
 privileges— social, civil, and religious— we arc justly proud of our 
 nationality, and feel that if to be a citizen of Rome, was once the synonym 
 for honour and dignity, to be a British subject is a much more exalted 
 privilege— an honour of a far higher order. 
 
 But while Britain occupies to day a proudly pro-eminent position 
 among the nations of the earth, and is the greatest, tlie strongest, the 
 freest, the most enlightened, and Christian nation in the wide, wide 
 world ; and while her fleets ride triumphant in every sea, her Colonies 
 girdle the earth, her literature is read by the learned in all lands, and 
 her political institutions are admired by the friends of freedom every- 
 where ; it ought never to be forgotten that there \r^s a time when she 
 was weak, ignorant, and degraded— her princes tyrants, and her people 
 slaves. *^ 
 
 To contrast her present with her past, to compare her position with 
 that of surrounding nations, and to note some few of the many causes 
 that have contributed to her elevation, is our self imposed but delightful 
 task. And whatever may be the defectiveness of our address, the 
 infelicity of our style, the poverty of our ideas, or the weakness of our 
 arguments,- the subject cannot fail to commend itself to the consideration 
 and sympathy of every enlightened and patriotic Briton,— however situ- 
 ated, and wherever found. 
 
BRITAIN AMONG THE NATIONS. 
 
 We Imve called Britain the greatest nation in the world, and as we 
 have no wish to make statements that cannot be sustRined by the 
 strongest evidence, or to take positions that are untenable, we proceed to 
 adduce the necessary proof. By her greatness wo wish to be understood, 
 in this connection, as simply referring to her territory, population, and 
 material rc^^ources. Of tbat territory but a very small portion thereof is 
 comprehended and included within the narrow limits of the British Isles. 
 But what the heart is to the body, the Mother Country is to the rest of 
 the empire— the seat of life and vitality, the great central heart, from 
 whence emanate those mighty influences and pulsations, which mould 
 the opinions and control the conduct of the British race the wide, wide 
 world over. 
 
 In looking over a map of Europe, how diminutive appear those 
 •« isles in the ocean." Placed alongside the Russian, French, or Austrian 
 empires, they dwindle into insignificance, and were they drowned in the 
 depths of the broad Atlantic, they would scarcely be missed. But leaving 
 the lands of the Rose, the Thistle, and the Shamrock, we are astonished 
 to find, that, go where we please in any direction, there the British flag 
 waves proudly in the breeze, and British rule is recognized. In Europe 
 we find Gibraltar, Malta, Gozo, Cumino, and Heligoland, acknowledging 
 the sway of Britain's Queen. Passing down the African coast, the roy»l 
 standard waves us welcome to Sierra Leone, Gold Coast, Lazos, Ascen* 
 sion, St. Helena, and the Cape of Good Hope, Doubling the Cape, and 
 ascending the Mozambique Channel, we see the colonies of Port Natal, 
 CafiFraria, and the Mauritius peacefully reposing beneath the long-waving 
 folds ot the Cross of >5t. George, and giving evidence of future greatness. 
 Crossing the Indian Ocean, leaving upon our left the important Anglo- 
 Arabian town of Aden, we reach Hindostan; a region of vast extent, 
 amazing fertility, and a peculation that is numbered by millions, 
 Rounding Cape Comorin we pass the large and lovely island of Ceylon, so 
 touchingly described in Heber's immortal verse. Then we have the 
 Burmese Provinces, the Straits Settlements, and the important islands of 
 Hong Kong and Labua, where Nature has lavished her gifts unsparingly, 
 and her richest products luxuriate in wild profusion. 
 
 Turning to the South we meet with the rapidly rising colonias of 
 .Sf>uth Australia, Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, 
 Queensland, and Tasmania, destined, at no very distant day, to become 
 the Britain of the Southern world, and to be •♦ the powerful and fortunate 
 agent of liberating the splendid chain of the Indian isles from the super- 
 stitions, miseries, and tyrannies, that have for so many ages defeated tbs 
 
 
 I, 
 
and as we 
 ed by tlie 
 proceed to 
 inderstood, 
 lation, and 
 thereof is 
 itish Isles, 
 ihe rest of 
 lenrt, from 
 ich mould 
 iride, wide 
 
 )ear those 
 r Austrian 
 ted in the 
 ut leaving 
 istonisbed 
 ritish flag 
 in JSurope 
 swledging 
 I the royal 
 )s, Asceno 
 Uape, and 
 >rt Natal, 
 ig-waving 
 greatness, 
 it Anglo> 
 it extent, 
 millions, 
 'eylon, so 
 have the 
 islands of 
 paringly, 
 
 denies of 
 Wales, 
 > become 
 [ortunate 
 le super- 
 
 BRITAIN AMONG THE NATIONS. 6 
 
 unparalleled bounty of nature." Next wc have the New Zealand and 
 other groups ot islands, which ** possess ell the advantages of a rich soil 
 nnd a genial atmosphere, displaying at once the full beauty of Spring 
 rombincd with the luxuriance of autumn. Tulted groves mingle their 
 foliage with the brilliant enamel of the meadows, while a perfume of 
 exquisite sweetness embalms the air. The spontaneous productions of 
 the earth exempt the inhabitants from all painful labour," and comfort 
 and competency are within the reach of all. What the future of tho<*e 
 lovely regions may be, time alono will tell, but as far as we can determine 
 the future by the present, we feel warranted in .saying, that unless some 
 unforeseen and calamitous events transpire, there is before them a career 
 of unprecedented greatness and unimaginable renown. 
 
 Ascending the eastern shores of America, we come to Guiana, not 
 like its French sister, Cayenne,— a penal settlement— but a thriving 
 colony, and the home of the industrious emigrant Entering the Carib- 
 bean Sea, our eyes rest on those lovely islands — once our disgrace, but 
 now our glory— where every sable son of ILvra we meet i.-" a monumental 
 evidence of England's largo-hearted liberality and love of right. Of their 
 fertility, productions, and commercial importance, we caa scarcely speak 
 in exaggerated terms. Such has been the estimate placed upon them, 
 that nearly every European power has, or had, one or more of them ; that 
 Spain is so unwilling to surrender Cuba, and that the United States is so 
 anxious to secure a foothold theVe. Cros.sing the Isihmua of Panama, 
 leaving upon our right the colony of Honduras, and the protected regions 
 of the Musquito Coast, and continuing our course along the western 
 shores of America, we meet England again at British CoJumbia and 
 Vancouver's Lsland— those lands of rich and "olden promise. And last, 
 but not leasl, we reach our own rapidly risi;:. ^ Dominion, with its varied 
 productions of river, forest, field, and mine, and embracing about one- 
 sixteenth of tho whole world. With the magnificent North- West coming 
 into our possession ; with a grand Inter-Colonial Railway connecting the 
 Atlant c with the Pacific; with enlightened legislation upon the various 
 industrial interests of the country ; and with the moral and intellectual 
 elevation of our people; the "Dominion of Canada" must speedily 
 become ricli, strong, and respectable, the rival of Republican America, 
 and the most favoured child of " The Mother of Nations." 
 
 What an Empire? What vast and extensive regions have become 
 the heritage of the British race? The mighty empires of antiquity— 
 Egypt, Babylon, and Assyria — were mere gjirden spots compared with 
 this one. Greece nor Rome, in their palmiest periods, never swayed their 
 
6 
 
 BRITAIN AMONG THE NATIONS. 
 
 sceptres over region,s hall as oxton«ive. Tlio land^ confjuorc-d by Alex- 
 •inder, llannibnl, (\-usar, or Niipoleon arc unworthy of being C()n.j)are.J 
 with Jt. Within it.H limits all cliniutoH are included, all raecM arc repre- 
 sented, and untold and unimaginable wealth in contained. The waters 
 ul the Atlantic, the Pacilic, the Indian, and the Arctic OccanH wash its 
 «jnst8, while some ol eirth's noblest streams meander throuah it and 
 enrich and gladden Us various sections. Our morning gun awakens 
 ••ctivity a slumbering world, while the sublime strains of our noble 
 .National Anthem, fl.mting out upon the evening air, lulls the nations to 
 rest. Over every seventh aero of earth's wide surhice our fla" is Ryw<y, 
 and upon our empire the sun never sets. And beneath "the beui 'n 
 influence of Ihitish rule, liberty has been established, tyranny has cea^^cd 
 exist, the moral, social, and intellectual condition of the people has 
 been promoted, and the desert has been made to rejoice and blossom as 
 the rose. 
 
 But while Britain is great Jn territory, ahe is still greater in popula- 
 t.on, lor If over every seventh acre of the earth our flag is flying, every 
 hith individual in the world is a British subject. And, however 
 ■strangely it may sound, it is nevertheless true, that while Victoria i.s 
 Y«een of the first Protestant power, .ho reigns over more Catholics than 
 tlie Pope of Jvome does, more Mahometans than the Sultan of Turkey 
 more Jews than arc to be found in all Judea, and more Pagans than the 
 united numbers of her Christian, Mahometan, and Jewish subjects. 
 
 Unequalled as she is in territory and population, she is equally so in 
 the possession of those material resources, which constitute the bono and 
 sinew - the life-blood of a nation. Visit her manufacturing districts, and 
 behold the facilitiesshe possesses to enable her to outdistance every competi- 
 tor in the extent and variety of her productions. Go to her "harbours- 
 and estimate if you can, the value and importance of her commercial 
 marine-the greatest in the world. Traverse the United Kingdom, and 
 at.every step you will meet with evidences of thrift, energy, wealth, and 
 greatness -with n-inds to plan and hands to labour. And did the necps- 
 Mty exist, she could produce upon her own soil, at home or abroad ; all 
 that would be required to sustain her in her present proud position. 
 
 To a manufacturing country, coal is of far greater importance than 
 gold, and this .she possesses in inexhaustible quantities. Without this, 
 she never could have attained to mercantile greatness, her trade must 
 have languished, and her power declined. Fears have been entertained, 
 that the time might come, when th's source of the national wealth would 
 
 be dried un. lint nltlmnn'h fhp nnrnn' oi .-i^: - p " •• < i • 
 
 »" — i.i.i.^.i iiw annual coiioumjuiuu ui x^wgiisn coal is 
 
■RRTTArN A7I0NV, THE NATIONS. 
 
 by Alex- 
 compared 
 (vro rcpre- 
 h<i waters 
 H wnsh itM 
 cli il;, and 
 vakens - 
 [)ur noble 
 lations to 
 is /lying. 
 ic beHifrn 
 irt.s ceased 
 eople has 
 lossom as 
 
 1 popula- 
 ny, every 
 however, 
 ictoria is 
 )lic8 than 
 Turkey, 
 than the 
 
 CtH. 
 
 ally so in 
 bone and 
 •icts, and 
 competi- 
 larbours, 
 nmercial 
 iom, and 
 ilth, and 
 le neces- 
 oad ; all 
 )n. 
 
 ice than 
 •ut this, 
 ide must 
 irtained, 
 h would 
 1 coul IH 
 
 . 
 
 Talucd at upwards of $hX),00O,-O00, recent soientHIo invcHtigationa have 
 already demonstrated that the supply is practically inexhaustible. Sir 
 William Armstrong ^<5lls iw, that it will take upwards of nine hundred 
 years, at the present rate of consumption, to use up the coal that is now 
 icnown to exist, while itnothor and ainore recent authority-, believes there 
 can be no scarcity before the year A.l). \(HM). Those, therefore, that look 
 lor Britain's decadence from this cause, we arc glad to know, will have 
 10 '• wait a little longer." 
 
 Next in importance to coal is iron, the parent of agriculture niid the 
 "Useful arts This is, emrphatically., the age of ri'on, lor it is made use of 
 in every imaginable manner from needles to needle guns, from crinoline 
 to Crj'stal Palaces, and from the steel pen to the octan steamer. This, 
 too, she poj-sesses in rich abundance, giving work to her [reople, aud 
 wealth to tl)e nation, and another $100,000,000 may be regarded as an 
 omder-estimato of the annual value erf her trade in iron, besides this her 
 oopper, lead, tin, and ^ah; are^ery important, and largely contribute to 
 the national wealth. 
 
 The cotton manufacture is the most important and prosperous of rU 
 i.er great indufltrial departments. The extension oi this business during 
 the last hundred years, hd<j been truly auiazing. In 17G0 the returns far 
 materials and labour was not ciuite $1,000,000, while at the present time, 
 the estimate is about $330,000,000. Sue now employs 30.000,000 of 
 •spindles, while every minute there is spun a length of cotton which would 
 wind four times round the earth, and everyday 10,000,000 yards of cotton 
 ■fabrics are n?anufactm'ed in her looms. In addition to this, she carries 
 on an extensive aud valuable trade in woollen, h'nen. and silk fabrics, tho 
 whole giving employment to at)out two millions of lier people. 
 
 Her agricultural capabilities arc very great, and beneath the hand off 
 a skilful industry yields abundantly. But if ever she ro<iuires more bread 
 than she can raise at home, with which to feed her artizan population, 
 who, that is at aH acquainted with the bread-producing regions of out 
 Dominion, can doubt the possibility of 'jeing amply provided for here. 
 During the *• Trent agitation " an American gentleman assured us that 
 England would never demand the surrender of the €onlederate envoys, 
 for, knowing that such a demand would not be complied with, iier honour 
 ^ould require a declaration of war, tind American breadstuff!* excluded 
 from British ports, a famine would ensue, and untold horrors would bo 
 the result. If the South gloried in cotton, tli i West did, and does, in 
 corn ; but we lave lived withwit the one, and we could without the other, 
 ii indift, Australia, aird the West Indies, have begun to send their cottoa 
 
^ BRITAIN AMONG THE NATIONS 
 
 civUmtirXei could bl^rL''"''S°'1 ';. '"' •""=^^^0 »•> -dvanced 
 were it Zt fo cerW„ .^^f^" '"•'°,''"' """^ "''"•PWban ia Cbioa, 
 Company ToLSTjlrr'7 T^'T •'*^^ "^ «•" '"""^ 
 
 wools, sapply her marLTwhn.' ,1, ■ ""■ ''""''• »°'' Aastralian 
 
 we.tand^L'^disTanTea,. • '•"' """""^ ""=Ws ab„u»d in .h. far 
 
 individual can think .„, we are at t ZT,JZi'r l"he "e°,S~'"r 
 
 »^:nra-in^zrd;eTthrrririif^^^^^ 
 
 to what dlr'rtr etr^:; '" w"-"""* ^' "" ''™"'*, and 
 
 " the tis).iitt';ri:,*:T.-'7„tt:';;.n:;'r^!^';!? '"r^'^..™'>-«' 
 
BRITAIN AMONG THE NATIONS. 
 
 9 
 
 I, that the 
 illy contri- 
 
 get, those 
 I advanced 
 1 in China, 
 Chinese 
 and grow 
 Australian 
 in the far 
 
 Ics of her 
 ommercc, 
 mber and 
 ftg to the 
 sh cannot 
 claiming, 
 long the 
 
 I. Many 
 B United 
 rejudiced 
 lences ot" 
 lies have 
 ler name 
 3ry land, 
 gth, and, 
 at this 
 and the 
 sularity 
 mters of 
 'oach of 
 pationsv, 
 re thai? 
 . in thei 
 for the 
 > to th© 
 thithe;, 
 abraced 
 luently 
 
 J>een invaded, and their very capitals nave fallen into the hands of the 
 enemy, for seven hundred years no foreign flag has waved on England'^ 
 soil, no hostile foot has trodden the streets of England's cities. 
 
 " Britannia needs no bulwark, 
 
 No tower along the steep ; 
 Her march is on the ocetn wave, 
 
 Her strength is on the deep.*' 
 
 The character of the races from which her present population has 
 sprung must not be overlooked. In their veins fl)w the blood of the 
 Briton, Roman, Saxon, Dane and Norman, the blending of whose varied 
 physical and intellectual qualities, has given strength and solidity to the 
 Anglo-Saxon character. The Briton was considered honest, brave, and 
 hospitable : temperate, truthful, and generous. 'J'he rich, rough gem ot 
 the British heart was there, only requiring some Jstic fkill to render 
 it beautiful and attractive. Then came the Koman, civilized and refined, 
 blending the soft luxuriousness of the Italian character, with the sterner 
 qualities of the soldier. Next c,\me the Saxon, with his love ot liberty, 
 bold and manly independence, irresistible energy and steady courage. 
 After him came the Dane, honest, brave, and enterprising— fearless in 
 fight, heedless of dnnger, noble and magnanimous. And, lastly, came 
 the Norman, lively and energetic, full of wit and humour, brilliant, 
 dashing, enthusiastic, and glory-loving. No wonder, then, that the 
 intermingling of the peculiarities of these vigorous tribes, should have 
 constituted the British race the finest in the world, and that in the 
 Briton you find a combination of all those noble powers and capabilities 
 vvhich have placed him in the most commanding position in the van of 
 civilization, of science, and of freedom. 
 
 Another important element of Britain's strength lies in the union of 
 the three Kingdoms into one great empire. Never has the common, but 
 expressive proverb, that •' Union is strength," received a more striking 
 verification than in this case. As three separate and distinct nationali- 
 ties, they could never have become more than third rate powers. 
 National prejudices and conflicting interests would have occasioned wars 
 between them, and foreigners would have aided the one against the 
 other. As a consequence, weak and feeble, they would have fallen an 
 easy prey to any invader, and instead of being to-day, 
 
 " The first on the blazing scroll of fame," 
 
 would, in all probability, have been the dependencies of imperial France. 
 By this union, England's brave and powerful rivals have becoroe her 
 
10 
 
 BRITArX AMOXG THE NATIONS. 
 
 firmest nends and most gallant defenders. And now English Scotch 
 
 and lr,s!, ., lying round a oommon flag, owing nllogiance't 'c« 
 
 throne, and sharing the common heritage of glory and respons.hilTtv 
 
 won by each and borne by all, may gracefuUy drop theh d"rinc vc 
 
 designations, and rejoice in the nol»'er name of Britons '^'-'t'"«ti^e 
 
 ..In ^; 7 7"'! "^^'7« that many Irishmen consider that union a great 
 
 N rli;d .^"-'i" '''''' ^"''^"""^"' ^« ''' fully persuaded %ha 
 
 be the head of the united empire. No sane man will deny but that 
 
 Ireland has been badly used, but it must be admitted, that for many 
 
 years. Br. ,sh statesmen have manifested a sincere desire to atone for the 
 
 wrongs of the past, and that, to day, she has no great cause focom^ 
 
 ut; Bil-; T: TT'' '^'"'"'"^"' ''^^^ ^^- 'catholic EmancTa^ 
 tion Bill, which placed Catholics and Protestants upon a lootin/of 
 perfect equahty? Ha, it not endowed her c, lieges, educated hei 
 priesthood, protected h.- people in th. enjoyment of 'their rel'io is 
 privileges, made her sons Governors, Generals, Judges, Ambassador, 
 and oftcers of the Crown, and levelled national distinctions in the dus"' 
 Aid has It not, quite recently, given the most convincing proof of its 
 de erm.nat.on to act in the ..ost conciliatory and equitable'manner h^ 
 he " Dises abhshment of the Irish Church," and the promised le^isla^ 
 tion upon the Land question, *" 
 
 son. 5''^ '7«rt'^"ce of her colonies can hardly be over estimated. In 
 
 iTlSlflnd r r": '""f'T''^ '^ ^-y*'--.to esteem them 
 ^el> Jightljs and to advocate the dismemberment of the empire The 
 wily republican recommends it, and the smooth-tongued annexationist 
 descants upon the expense of keeping up such an establishment, and the 
 danger to all parties of maintaining the colonial connection. With such 
 views we have no sympathy whatever, and believe that severance would 
 he injurious to the colonies, and calamitous to the Mother Country 
 lltlt' ''''']!''^''' :^^ '>«d colonies, she might be again after she has 
 de V an cnT. , / '""'T^'"' '^'''« ^^^^fi^^ ^he has derived from them 
 defy all calculation, and are strangely overlooked l)y many in the discus- 
 Mon of tins subject. Before colonization commenced, cotton, tobacco 
 sngar, and many other things now classed among the necessaries of life' 
 vere all but unkowo; but with the planting of different settlements' 
 they were discovered, cultivated, and sent heme in exchange for the 
 products of her industry. The new desires thus created led to a sudden 
 and rapid deveh.pement of the useful arts, and a new era in her commer- 
 ce hiHvory was inaugurated. Manufactures sprung up m every direction 
 
BRITAIN AMONG THE NATIONS. 
 
 11 
 
 Agriculture flourished. The seaports were crowded with ships. Insigni- 
 ficant villages became important cities. Society was profoundlj' agitated, 
 the middle classes became wealthy, induential, and predominant. The 
 feudal aristocracy disappeared ; the power of the crown was diminished ; 
 ati j jiliorty was establislicd upon a rational and solid basis. Remote 
 regions were peopled with her children, with similar wants, habits, arid 
 inclinations, able and willing to purcliaso her goods, and opening to hor 
 new and remunerative markets. And it is a fact.'and one that we would 
 commend to the consideration of politicians of the anti colonial school, 
 that Britain finds her heaviest purchasers, to-day, according to popula- 
 tion, in her American and Australian possessions. 
 
 But are they not a source of weakness to i)er, and do they not expose 
 her to humiliation and defeat? Instead of this, they ara her strength, 
 and she cannot, dare not surrender them without imperilling her own 
 existence. Without them she would be weak as others, but with them 
 she can act as the policeman of the world. From Gibraltar she vigilantly 
 guards the mouth of the Mediterranean, and watches, with a jealous eye, 
 every movement upon the continent of Europe. From Malta she could, 
 at any momcst, strike a blow that would create the most profound 
 sensation. Out in the North Sea, at the feet of Holland and Denmark, 
 and commanding the mouths of the Elbe and the Weser, stands Heligo- 
 land, from which she keeps a watchful eye on all that is passing in the 
 north of Germany, and from which she sends her cruisers to wander and 
 her scouts to spy. From St. Helena and the Capo of Gjod Hope she can 
 sweep the Southern Ocean, while Aden and Ceylon stand as outposts, 
 guarding the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean. From Hong Kong she 
 keeps John Chinaman in check, while in the Southern Hemisphere she 
 holds undisputed sway. From her West India throne she compels the 
 South American Republics to keep the peace, while from the Bermudas 
 and Halifax, she reminds brother J(mathan that much as she loves him, 
 and strong as she believes him to bo, s!ic is in no degree afraid of him. 
 
 But this enumeration would be incomplete without some notice of 
 her army anJ navy Compared witli that of several of the gre;it powers, 
 her army is quite small. That of Russia numbdrs 850,000 men, Prussia 
 720,000, of France 626,000, while that of Britain, including the Ea^t 
 India force, is only 530,000. But to these must be addod some 300,000, 
 well officered and disciplined volunteers at home, and 100,000 abroad, so 
 that a million of men may be said to be ready to take the field at any 
 
 mntnenJ;- \ni\ thnt. nutnKor lan.rp fliniin-K if iu .vi'rl-f '->" ;.««,,«-....,... I.I. . 
 
 « , 1... ^x-. S..!...!_^,i i,, (.-, .iji^tn; ._.._ ItlllticctSltl tl Jjjr 
 
 augoicnted, did nece&sity require it. Of course they are widely distri- 
 
12 
 
 BRITAIN AMONG THE NATIONS. 
 
 effectually .quelled the mos terr r T,!"^'^ ^"•''^•" '^''^^ months, and 
 brief pen-od. she need ^T^^^:;^;:^::',:^ '"t " "T'' ^" "^'^^^ 
 against any ibe, foreign or domestic ""*'''" ^^' supremacy 
 
 cons.ji:ir;;,7j;-^^^^; Ti7::e:d't:r,i-''"^^^-^ ^- -'^^« 
 
 win.h we refer with honesi pride 'ih I h ''"""* """' ""^ ""« ^o 
 
 i'as been the theme of nuiuinlindt .'"'"' "' '^' ^''^'^^^ ^^'^ier 
 Queen Boadicea to the pres n time ^a "''? f"-" '"'"^ ^^^ d«>« «f 
 Lion hangs a laurel wS ' . » ^""^ '^' "^"^ «' ^he British 
 brilliant victories. Lr^l L son T ^ "^' '^^^"^ '' ^ thousand 
 
 eaualled hyfe.. and su^^ t^d^^ o^^^^^ 
 
 daring and endurance are worthv of h.^n ' . ^ memorials oi their 
 buns in pictures of silvL IW T^ T"* f '" '^^'"^''^^ «'" ^«>d, and 
 Marlborough, who humbed the pr d of T 1' viv'^^^ ''' '— ^"» 
 the footsteps of Clive in Ind^ani tv„,/ a : "' ^''''''- *'"^'<^^ 
 
 prowess of the British soldie Zt ^ %'" A^^^n-ca. and admire the 
 where Napoleon, the hero o a hun,Ld f f/'*^?'/'"^^'''"' '^"^ ^^^^^^loo, 
 i^ing<lon.s of Furope Td Lne do n ' ' ^''":' ^^^^"^ ^'^'^ ^" '^^ 
 ^uccumb to the superior ttrenn of '" •^"^^^^^«'-' --« compelled to 
 legions. Head Havelock's ad^rfc t. r ^!'"'"»'"" '^"^ his invincible 
 are capable of accomplishin ' J ! w T 7' ""^ ^'''''' ^^^* ^^''t""« 
 plains of Burmah, in C ina^^'n Pers 7^ II "" ''"'''' '' ^"^•'^' <>" ^be 
 tbe rocky slopes ^f .C"n a ^H ' " ^' ~^'^'^'^'' ^^' ^^^^^anistan, ^ 
 tbroughout North and S 1 4 ^"^ T' "'"'"^ ^"'"^P^^" l«°d, and 
 ^looping. And lon^a, th br-^r'T' u' ''"'' ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^^ -« 
 aUmirc,:, so long will he lerot Ik • "'**'' '" ''""^^" ^«^>«" ^^H be 
 upon the historfo Pa.e;trb: a T/^LTnd :^^ ^^- 
 
 l;rom the army we turn to thl navv m ? ^^^^'"brance. 
 proud, for, for two hundred years i L s7e'ot Jj """ ""'' ^^ '""''^^ 
 admiration and the terror of the wnhf T ^""^ ""conquered, the 
 
 tbe American and B.-ti! ^J^ ^tf the [.7^' ""^"' " ^'^•"''-°- 
 iormer is made up of 5 ^.Uinll P''^^^^'^ following particulars. The 
 
 Wheel vessels. 51 L c ads ^i^i" oJ'' h'""^' ' '^•'^^'^^^^' '' P^^dl- 
 boat-in ail 188 vessels. W any oJtho,''"'' l^'"^^*'^'"^ 1 torpedo 
 are being repaired, and some are foTle'^^rth ^"7^"' ^^^^^"^ 
 
 -'- vessel. andMl C i^^.:^^-::^- ^1^ 
 
ityof modern 
 3 months, and 
 ines in a very 
 er supremacy 
 
 have only to 
 \ nnd one to 
 »• tish soldier 
 
 the days of 
 ' the British 
 
 a thousand 
 Js of valour, 
 als of their 
 of gold, and 
 ^e imniortdl 
 ce. Follow 
 admire the 
 i Waterloo, 
 Jwer all the 
 )mpelled to 
 i invincible 
 lat Britons 
 idia, on the 
 anistan, on 
 
 land, and 
 heroes are 
 an will be 
 men blaze 
 trance. 
 
 be justly 
 uered, the 
 .'on)j)aring 
 ars, The 
 7 paddle- 
 
 1 torpedo 
 
 0, several 
 
 1, Britain 
 ■on-ciads, 
 boats, 30 
 ?se carry 
 
 BRITAIN AMOxn THE NATIONS. 13 
 
 »t.ll (resh ■•„ the „„«„„•, heart" m 1 Vh.? 7°.' V"^ ■''"'"'«"'• «« 
 Nelson, '• E„gi,„d eineeiriat .J "«".'-«»-be-lorg„lten words of 
 
 would .eet LhJZ^l'lZ^rZ T< '"r"',"" '"'^ ''"'^•'• 
 
 «.;^j«e noea.. „he„ ^^e, ciirr2rtre.r„7;h^ 
 
 pa««i away. A writer toHarJ^r'', nl7 T T'' ^ »"''' '" '">™ 
 world that tho battle belwe™T» «" * '"' ^'''' '*'2' ^>^ "" 
 «oundedthedo.thkLll„fTheBriL '"''.""'' "'" """i"'- had 
 
 new o„e we would „„° dar^ togo to war^Iv';!"' "L" ?"' "" ""'" « 
 while paaeing graveyard, .fLr*^i^hr"„hMi„°;^ ^^ °1 '""'" '^''' 
 
 .ory";:.:t.rcts^'tte=T;;ier-"r 
 
 or wlth'the c„»n!™„? ,?S»h XceT Tdt'^'** "^ ""> "■"°"«' 
 «.la. self possession and humane behaZ;, ^f, T, f" "' '^"'S'' ''^ 
 bloody well ol Cawnpore As !h.v "tT """«""> ^-Wi^" at the 
 the wives and children ^f' thlir^l^^ °''.'"' ""^ ^I'-Sl""™-! forms of 
 rolling down thrsLtrntXrrrr""'"'' ."''"" "^ ■>« '"" 
 utterance, t„ their honour be tsMe^ underXt?" -m "'"""^ """ 
 not a hand was lifted a.>ai;st IhTiT^l^ ! 'ta'tornWe provocation, 
 Single British bay„nttXr„ti w t ° ht wl°' te' f ""'' ""^ ' "" ' 
 .«.». and feci that ir, their hands our Z^l^t'l^^Z^Z' "' """ 
 
 ^oo'^rethej were, and weary. 
 
 Ti;« K J ® *^*y.'^ S"'" ^o'^'^ ^as o'er, 
 A hot pursuit and the dying yell. 
 
 When th * '*"^" ^'^ ^^^^ 00 ^o"e. 
 
 When they came to their night encamdm«n* 
 TW ^)^'^V evening fellf ' «"«^'"P'°«»t 
 They staid their steps for a Iittl« «n.«. 
 i>J toai thrice accursed welli' '*'""" 
 
14 
 
 BRITAIN AMONG THE NATIONS. 
 
 I ' 
 
 Tlieir's were no f'resli quick feelings, 
 
 Few hut had bravely stood, 
 On battle fields where the soil was slaked 
 
 Till each footprint was filled with blood. 
 Well did they know tho horrors 
 
 Ot war's unpitying lace, 
 \et they sobbed, as with one great anguisli, 
 
 As they stood by that liital place. 
 
 Still was the eve around them, 
 
 liut they knew that that sultry air 
 Had thrilled to the cry of murderous rage, 
 
 And the wild shriek of despair. 
 They saw in the chasm l^efore tlicm, 
 
 The bloody and sell-sought grave 
 Of many a heart that had cried in vain 
 
 On IJeaven and earth to save. 
 
 Mother and child were lying 
 
 Locked in a' last embrace, 
 And death had printed tho frenzied look 
 
 Of the ghastly murderer's lace. 
 One of the slaughtered Victims 
 
 They raised with a reverent care. 
 And shred from her fair and girlish head, 
 
 The tresses of tangled hair. 
 
 They parted locks between them, 
 
 Aad, with a low, quick breathing, swaro * 
 
 That a life of the cruel foe should fail 
 
 For every slender hair. 
 •' Leave to the cowards wailing, 
 
 Let women weep woman's fate, 
 Our swords shall reap red tears of blood 
 
 For hearts made desolate." 
 
 • Her conduct in dealing with the Fenians has been severely criticised, 
 and her leniency attributed to cowardice. But powerfal as she is, she 
 <!an afford to despise such adversaries, as foemen not worthy of her steel. 
 A story is told of Queen Elizabeth which strikingly illustrates and 
 exp' uns Britain's conduct towards the misguided brotherhood. It seems 
 that during the reign of hfer sister Mary, a certain nobleman had grossly 
 insulted her, and for which he had been sent to the tower. Upon her 
 accession, he sought and obtained an interview, when he begged for life 
 in the most abject terms. Elizabeth', with flashing eye and haughty 
 mien, thoroughly despising the craven -hearted creature, replied in a tone^ 
 
 of withering contempt, " Do you not know that we are d 
 
 
BBITAIN AMOSa THE KATIOXS. ]g 
 
 preferring freedom, rude and wild ,= .1,. "*="'"*'•. "° invaders, 
 ios.. And to their iZ'XuZk^'Ztl: "'T'"" """ ''* 
 heroism and libertyloving spirit ofThetV "/trlTha 1"°'"":''' 
 legions >Tere the temrof the irnrlri . ^.f° *"^'^' ^^a'^^ome, whose 
 the.. This spiHt coll T.^';S^^^ ,"?,!7 -f- 'o -'^"e 
 the Romans and Sa.on«. for in 1 d ^f of A^ffed St^^^^^^ "1^^ 
 rights were «o far respected that trial by iurv court nf. fT-^"' 
 
 of parliamentary representation were Si 0^;'^^^^^^^ 
 These rights were more or less respected by bothihe DanTh andt: ''• 
 sovereigns, until the arrival of WiJIinm fh/n ^ ^^°" 
 
 Norn^ans, English liberty was lad in hr^ " f.!'°°'i"^';'>r- Under the 
 of every privLge, and LTar;;as^'^^^^^^^^^ ^^P^'-^ 
 
 church or state. "Englishman "TtJ^f/j "'*^ ''"^ "^*'« ^"' 
 
 term as "digger" is Ltrthe l\trn's^^^^^^^ Burd?"^'"^* 
 the British heart there lives a spirit that all the watt" 'ff,*^"^^ >° 
 cannot drown ; that all the fetters forged uln th?!n . J ' ^'^^'^ 
 cannot bind; and that all the laws fh«f T . ^'^'' °^ ^^'^''''^ 
 frighten ; and rising i„ all the m^ ati m S oTLT' 7"°! 
 outraffed people, they burst the bonds that Znnl *t T^^ ^""^ 
 
 their oppressors in the dust """^ ^^'^^^ ^°^ ^'^"•P^e^ 
 
 betwei^ trLrdryKTng^?ot\nftre"" '°"^''* "* ^-"^-^«. 
 sturdy barons. There^^won the" fire'^ ofa^^^^ f'- '' ''' 
 there was obtained that most important of S^i.^ victories, and 
 
 Charta, or the Great CharteroTte' l^^'^^T ite"^^^^^ 
 Constitution was not created by a single act Zr tS-l • "* ''"' 
 document; and while it has been the wtk of ^ a^d hJ ° ' "'"^^ 
 been brought to its present form, its com;retenerv;o„ld tlTT' '"' 
 to regard it as the production of a single mind In^». thestranger 
 
 great principles of aU good goveramenrs th* 1 . °^ '" *^' 
 
 ».,tK^.;*,, «* 1 j„ » "'^. «":«™ments,— the independent. ai,n,«»«^ 
 
 „„_,..^. .„., ^,, ^„ ,„^ inaiieaabie rights ol a social, rational fre^om! 
 
16 
 
 BRITAIN AMONG THE NATIONS. 
 
 till 
 
 11 !l 
 
 The extreme Tory will not find the absolute divine rights of the Morarch 
 tL T"[vu"' ^.^.^■'" ^'"^ '^' ^«^«^' "•'•^versible sovereign y of Th' 
 
 •Sovernmenuhe world h.s ever beheld. It teache» the g™T docW,^ 
 that law emanates from a higher souree than the human wlrand^S 
 .nd pendent J. ofit, .„d that to every Ban is entrusted the "'ht "„ TaU 
 
 ng pTthrrthrrr""??'.''"'' ™P™"»™'. "'".o" „Mng! 
 ing upon the rights of others. I'ake either of these alone and thS. 
 
 •lavery, the second to Iicentioi..-nes8 and anarchv Bn^ Ri^hT! a 
 Pnvileges. Duties and Obligations, in oppos on toXoAm ani 
 Wchy,are alike and fully recognised inland by the ScoZt 
 
 ar^r.?^' ^■^''^!' compares this Constitution to a tender but beautiful 
 
 t^Z\r"':-^ ^ ^''^ ^""'^ '^' ^'^•"^ bJ««t« of ^Pnng At firs" t L 
 but httle noticed, and its matured beauties are not antilpated Bu as 
 
 1 tn "^*''°' ""' '''' «^"'^^ ^^-*h of summer warm's the soU and 
 e^nand !r^ '^'ns and dews moisten its leaves and refresh its r^'ts ft 
 
 tTBrUish r^-; ?' ^^'^'^ '^ '^'^^'^^ "^"^ I-'-f-^^ the a^ So 
 ^Lth the W " T' "'"' ^"°^° ^^^ '^PP^««^'^*«* ** first/ h^' 
 
 goX tr^whTcrh^fhT.^ 1""^":: ^"' ^"''•*'°°' «--» ^°to a 
 
 As a system i^^ ^ ' ^*°^°^«^' ^^^ ^"^ t^^ richest truit. 
 
 rtlVLt s'tlt'' ";?,!?"«' '°^ ^^ ^"^^ *^ ^« ^^S^^^^^'J -« the only 
 
 w^hirt::d:^^^^^^^^^^ ^°"" ^^ «— -* ^^ «» -patibi^ 
 
 viola?ii)n''n?\rrn*°' ^^^* *"^ *° S°^«™ independent of, or in 
 rmeto n?.; f' .'■'"' Charter;" but it has ever been a daiglis 
 
 ^dMiZtJ T "**^* '^"'P'^*^^ ^'*^ *^« unfortunate Stuart^! 
 ialn r\ ' **'^"'*°° ^^"^"^ the British throne a blessing to the 
 tiSTnd '' •''' ^'^'^"^ *^^ ^^^'^^^^ ^f CharlesT^aVc^t 
 TfSr hL^ *!!°''^"^°**^^* ««'«°««- B"t it was overruled fo^ g(^ for 
 
 emagogues had represented it to be, they unanimously abandoned it, 
 
ho Afor.arcli, 
 nty of right. 
 >r republican 
 vill find fclie 
 laws, in the 
 i hereditary 
 »nd people; 
 'feet form of 
 Jat doctrine 
 , and exists 
 ;ht to do all 
 3ut infring- 
 i, and their 
 ssalage and 
 Rights and 
 )otisna and 
 ish Const i- 
 
 t beautiful 
 ^t first it is 
 d. But as 
 )e soil, and 
 ts roots, it 
 be air. So 
 first, has, 
 »wn into a 
 best truit. 
 s the only 
 !ompatible 
 
 of, or in 
 dangerous 
 les II. his 
 > StuartSt 
 3g to tb« 
 IS a most 
 good, for 
 : palitlcal 
 loned it, 
 
 BRITAIN AMONG THE NATIONS. J 7 
 
 :;:^tro'nr*'' ''" *'"°^ *"'*' ^^^^ "^^^^^ »«^^' -^ -^^--tic demon. 
 
 Detween Uie yslcms are numerous, and clearlv snmt „l .„ ;,i . x- 
 or.g,n. bat there are p„r„,s of di^imilar y wEVe think »t""' 
 
 .he head 0, the nat.on-ahfuidtroo^ron Hen;"?':,,"' ST 
 
 This facilif to cha'nge i^ thlt^.^ vlf f^ ^tm' t^ 
 owe, very largely, the stability of our institutionf vr-^u *u '' ""^ 
 Cabinet is chosen from the private waJL of it TnW ^^ '^'"^ '^° 
 the President. See how it onpr«t!7- *u ' ^^ '*'® responsible to 
 
 .he who,, tern. ^>^^ZZTo.ZZsZ it^'^r.^'"^ 
 laying the foundation, of . .omidaWe ins™ e ioMbrnr ed"h?4T 
 
 .rh:r:fi.s"r:?:iT.;''!:rt^^^^^^^^^ 
 
 purpose ofiimiting his powo™ut^We,e^rhr'" "™ '"' "« 
 
 plam that, notwithstanding all that can be J^llk *'^<''» ''^"sit 13 
 President of Republican America has aZer oflv^ 1 T*'^^' *^« 
 the Weign of monarchical Brita" rirn:'erarto ''"'^' ''^' 
 
 Besides all this, both slavery and the slave tr«ilo»« 1 ,♦ . 
 up eld by«,ei_, ,^t«, Con^ituln. If wf J.^hufread^^^'"^..!":' 
 9. .™c.o ., «t t«.t oeteb^led doeument. « l«m th.t"J.;„-i,^rw 
 
18 
 
 BRITAIN ASfoNG THE NATIONS. 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 imported for a term of years, provided the importer paid fur them ut 'hn 
 rate ot ton doUars r.cr head ; which money ^cnt to pay t e d bUhat w 
 oontraet«d in fighting to maintain the doctrine, that'-^A 1 me„ a 'e bo n 
 ireo and caual.' And don.cstic slavery continued to be a great national 
 .nsutufon unt.l our own times. We rejoice that that blot irbee, 
 w.ped oft the '-Star Span.Ied J3unner," and that slavery 1k« been swo 
 from then- country ; thnt the negro has become a citiLn.and ha7his 
 representative ,n the National J.egislat«re ; but it is well to rememte 
 that emanc.pat.on was brought about, neitf.er by the spirit nor letter o 
 
 ind iSrcir""' '"' '' "" """''"^ '' ''^ ^"«' '"^ - hour of agony 
 
 Under the British flag slavery has indeed been tolerated, but always 
 .n oppos>t.on to the spu-.t and genius of our laws. " Parliament," says 
 Mr Stephens m - blavery ,n the British West Indies Delineated "has 
 certamly permitted the bringing in of negroes from Africa, but tha't they 
 should, on the.r arnval .n a British colony, be sold into and retained 
 
 ?tTri^,;K r^'^'f,"'''' ^^^ ^^^^^^^^ by Parliament, and our 
 
 f^^nH , P ^""^ ^"'''^''^ '^ '"'^ •^ *^"°S-" 1° the words of the 
 
 mmortal Curran we can proudly say, " No matter in what language his 
 doom may have been pronounced ; no matter in what diastrous battle his 
 liberty may have been cloven down ; no matter with what solemnises he 
 r^,^'L . ^Ti"^ "P°° '^' altar of slavery : the momeut he t;.ci.es 
 the sacred sojl of Bn tain the altar and the god sink together in the 
 dust h.s soul walks abroad .n her own majesty ; his body swells beyond 
 
 tL^ZZ h h' '''^''''\lf h« '^^^^ redeemed, regenerated, and 
 disenthralled, by the irresistible genius of Universal Er.ancipation." 
 
 " Slaves cannot breathe in England : 
 Iheir lungs receive our air ; their shadcles fall • 
 That moment they are free." ^-.lesmii, 
 
 w«ll^H^T 7«'«^ «f. «oy«f°'»ent wo have good reason to be quite 
 well satisfied Our political institutions have been well tested, and in 
 them we have the fullest confidence. Beneath their benign and elevating 
 influence we have reached our present proud positionfand our futurf 
 fiZ/r-. g'-o^ brighter and grander still. While others talk about 
 
 i S; /' '"' 'Jf ^"T^'^' "" '"J"y ''' *°^ *h« «^ory of our system 
 18. that It can readily adapt itself to the ever-varying conditions of 
 society Words change their meaning, but princi^es live for ever 
 hence the superiority of an unwritten to a written Constitution. Im-' 
 provements in the latter must be broujcht about fey aaendmmt., which 
 
PRITAIN AMONG THE NATIONS. 
 
 15 
 
 like a codicil to a ^rill, n>ay invalidate tbe authority of the nrl.U.t 
 
 •But it, " the mind's the measure of thfi mnn " .-f :„-. n . . 
 
 nation, and, in thi. respect. iiritar^krwTeW IT ^e'ri!.?' Dr^ 
 
 attention to the claim of s:perro:i^^;ut t thT/^h^^t^^^^^ "t: "'^ 
 
 cousins have n.anifestei a praiseworthy dese to educite^^^^^^ '"' 
 
 an undoubted fact an.i fnr *k:o *k . ®^"'''^*e the masses is 
 
 Rnf f h!o 1 ' ? '^'^ ^''^y '^'■^ entitled to very great credit 
 
 Hut this was no more than the world had a rieht tn a.r..Jr 
 
 in every respect so favourably situated \£. ^ u iT '^ P'°P'« 
 
 a new country. MoretZntw.^!n? • /^'"""^^ ^^^ hardly be called 
 
 tions of the^Gre^t H rubn:^^^^^^ ^'T '"^^ ^--^- 
 
 intelligencewasinadvaLeof th«fL!. . V ' *°^' ^^ '"*" ^^o«« 
 
 EuropL troubleltdX , :^y '-^^^^^ T '^r "^ ^^' 
 
 enabled to make the very best'of their^rumrnces' Th^t' o rLT 
 been the most important in British hisfnrv u^ .u ^ "°*^ ^*'' 
 
 wonderful changes have t^Lnnlace Sn7t' .k^' ^'^'•'' ^"'^ °>''«' 
 so long acknowldging rhtltlthtSlw^^^^^^^^ 
 were made, whatever social abuse i were rem^^vL whll ■ ''^'""' 
 in literature or progress in science Jkpll^rttld/^^^ 
 theirs, without the attendant toil. Their tZrytooZliXZ''': 
 raned resources, labour -was amolv romnnpr** J a ^ '" ''* 
 
 within the reach of all WhilT iil ! ' *°^ competency was 
 
 would have been lex LaWe Jr.T"''' "°^'' '""'^ cirouasl^nces. 
 Yet.notwithstandin7threrar;aurL T^'^ ""' ''''^^''■ 
 
 t«u«.«oB ^ e.er been deemed of the utmost J^jp^rtan^eriiTM 
 
50 
 
 BRITAIN AMONG THE NAT10N8. 
 
 
 5 ! 
 
 deserting jt every possible encouragrment. The Pmbyterian Church— 
 to which t^ trmt mam of Scotchmen belan-jr-haa always occupied 
 advanced ground M|,oi* this question, and two hundred years ago declared 
 in favour ot "a schooJ in every parish, so far supported by the public 
 fuDdfl, as to render education accessible to even the poorest in the land " 
 Her efforts have been eminently successful, the happiest results have 
 followed, and Scotchmen, wherever found, have been proverbial for their 
 intelligence and practical sagacity. In England and Wales nearly two and 
 a half millions of pupils are enrolled on the registers of the different schto's 
 Compared with the past, this is decidedly encouraging, and warrants the 
 confident expectation that, at no very distant day, an unlettered English- 
 man will be rarely met with. Difficulties of a very formidable character 
 have had to be encountered, and others are Htill to be disposed of, but the 
 British people have proved their unwillingness to be satisfied with 
 atything short of the education of the whole population. And we have 
 great hope that the present progressive Parliament will inaugurate a 
 nefc ira in the educational history of the country, by originating some 
 comprehensive system, which will secure the support of all classes. 
 Taking then the three Kingdoms m they were two or three years ago, 
 the aggregate school attendance was about one seventh of the whole 
 population. 
 
 Turning to the United States, we find that with about the same 
 population, the proportion attending school is not as large as is generally 
 supposed. While some of the States may be in advance of Britain, others 
 aie yet farther behind. Massachusetts, pronounced by Dr. Ryerson 
 "the freest, wealthiest, and mast advanced in Science and Literature" 
 of all the Stat<«!?, does not; send one-fifth of her population to school. 
 New York send;, one-fifth, Ohio one-fourth, Pennsylvania one-sixth,, 
 Connecticut one-fourth. New Jersey one-sixth. None ether of the 
 States can compare with these, and these, in the a.orgregate, only give u 
 •chool attendance of about one-fifth of the whole population. Statist' ^ 
 of the othor States we have not been able to lay our hand upon, but « 
 writer iv a late issue of the New York "Methodist" gives us the 
 following startling information : " The proportion to every thousand who 
 could neither ^d r,r write (i. e. at the close of the war) were,— in 
 South Carolina, 59«, ;j;« than one-half; Mississippi, 671 ; Alabama, 
 490; rx)uisiana, 485, ?... \]i,, 480 Georgia, 479; North Carolina, 408 ; 
 Virginia, 351; Texas, :?J5j : *o;.j«.ee, 3!3: Arkansas, 309; Kentucky, 
 253; Maryland, 181; Dv%t i«^, 133; at i Mia-jouri, 148." Assuming, 
 t hen, the correctness of eke abave fiinirAA. wa ^nH that vt n^. ^^.^^ »r i.u^ 
 
 l-rvA, WUV» Vt 
 
 t&d 
 
BRITAIN AMONG Till NATIONS. 
 
 21 
 
 I Cburcb — 
 I occupied 
 fo declared 
 the public 
 ;he land." 
 »ults have 
 il for tboir 
 ly two and 
 ntschco's. 
 rrants the 
 1 English- 
 character 
 )f, but the 
 sfied with 
 i we bare 
 ugurate a 
 ;iDg some 
 I classes, 
 rears ago, 
 he wbole 
 
 the same 
 generally 
 in, others 
 Ryerson 
 erature " 
 school, 
 oe-sizth, 
 p of tbti 
 ly give kw 
 Statist' .1 
 •n, bui u 
 i us the 
 and who 
 rere, — in 
 Llabama, 
 na, 408 ; 
 mtuoky, 
 Burning i 
 
 V, Vt CUV 
 
 population of the above fifteen States were, «• in a condition of deplorable 
 Ignorance." If, then, the North can give us nothing better than the 
 loregoing, and the South is in such a sad state, the statistics of the West, 
 if we had them, wuuld scarcely make such a diflerence as to give to tlie 
 whole Union an)- superiority over the Mother Country in the number of 
 school goln.'; .'^out'i 
 
 Of the Higher educational institutions-tho Grammar and Model 
 Schools, the Academies, Colleges, and Universities of the respective 
 courJ;rie3we cannot speak particularly. While America has more iu 
 i.u^oer, as might be readily supposed, it will not be pretanded that they 
 mnk as high. Graduates of British Univtrsities, as a class, are believed 
 to be superior to transatlantics wearing the simc honours. Their 
 training is believed to be more thorough, their education more complete, 
 and the public estimates ot their relative standing is much higher. This 
 feeling is not confined to Provincialists, but exhibits itself from time to 
 time among our cousins themselves. Oxtbrd, Cambridge, Dublin, Edin- 
 burgh, &c., are great educational centres, ot which the nation is justly 
 proud. To these institutions Britain owes much, and from them for 
 generations past, men have gone forth who have increased the wealth of 
 •very department of science and literature, have adorned every profession, 
 added greatly to the glory of the Empire, and conferred upon the race 
 incalculable and imperishable benefits. 
 
 In the number and variety of her newspaper productions, America 
 stands unequalled. Ten years ago the issues were at the enormous rate 
 ot thirty-five for every white man, woman, and child in the country, and 
 costing in the aggregate about $40,000,000. Of the power of this vast 
 intellectual agency, it is difficult to conceive any idea. If every leaf of 
 the forest were a syl iUine record, and every month of the year should 
 bring round the deciduous influences of autumn, the leaves that would 
 then strew the land, would, perhaps, -ve the best idea of the immense 
 sauwer of printed leaves that daily fall into the hands of the American 
 P«ople. The periodical press is a tremendous intellectual engine 
 radiating the light of knowledge m every direction, and exercising almost 
 supreme control over the sentiments of all within its reach, by keepin.^ 
 them well informed upon all ijuestions of moment in religion, literature" 
 and art. ' 
 
 But while a smaller number of periodicals may be issued from the 
 British press, we believe that that deficiency is more thaa compensated 
 by the marked superiority of their contents. Perhaps it is net ing too 
 muou, that the London " Times " wields a greater influence in . .e world 
 
22 
 
 BRITAIN AMONG THE NATIONS. 
 
 a I 
 
 n 
 
 to-day than all the papers published on this side o( the Atlantic. While 
 we would hesitate to bel.eve many of its doctrines, or always to follow 
 it. leading, we admire its ability, and regard it a power in the earth. Its 
 leaders are characterized by ripe thought and scholarly research, and far 
 as civilization extends-yes, and beyond it-the voice of the " Thunderer" 
 IS heard. Every subject is discussed in its columns, for besides questions 
 
 n elect and enters the domain of art, literature, science philosophy, 
 politics, morality, and all the higher interests of mankind, and its pageJ 
 sparkle with a beauty and a brilliancy, a freshness and a vigour 
 peculiarly its|^own. Its circulation is very large. Seven tons of pr-°tin^ 
 paper have been used in one issue, or what would cover an extent ol" 
 
 hirty acres of ground, and the wonderful enterprise of the establishment 
 has been exhibited by running the whole through the press in some six 
 
 nuJ!j^ P^s« from the dailies and weeklies to the monthlies and 
 quarterlies, we find the mother far in advance of the daughter. Black- 
 wood and the London, Westminster, Edinburgh, and North British 
 l.eviews are regarded by all as the great exponents of Anglo-Saxon 
 thought throughout the world, and so important are they deemed in 
 
 h^r'fi, f °° u'"^^ '' " ^''''^'' ^^"^"= ^S^'" ^"^ «i°^'J-r magazines, 
 largely filled with articles taken from them, but they are wholly re- 
 printed m New York. And here an interesting question arises, and that 
 «9, V> hy is America thus dependent upon Britain for literature of this 
 peculiar character? " One oi two answers must be given : either that 
 talent that higher order is not sufficiently remunerated, or that it does 
 uot exist. We are inclined to adopt the former, and assign as the reason 
 that writers find it more profitable to contribute to such papers and 
 magazines as the Ledger, Harper, and the Atlantic, timn for the more 
 solid and substantial, though less attractive, periodicals of the above 
 c ass. And hence, since some must have such reading matter, it is 
 cheaper to import it when ready for the press, than to produce it at 
 home. 
 
 These remarks are equally applicable to the book publications of the 
 tnited States. Native productions are readily recognized by their 
 jracmess of style, independent outspokenness, and the attractiveness of 
 '"echan.cal finish, but they lack the depth, solidity, and intellectual 
 grasp of Old World thought. A very large proportion of the books in 
 eucukt,on,n America are of British origin, while a krge mnjority of 
 -vi.__i.._ .. ..r..., .n vKv Vaiioug dppurcuicnts of iiceralare arc the same; of 
 
BRITAIN AMONG THE NATIONS. 
 
 23 
 
 ic. While 
 s to follow 
 earth. Its 
 3h,and far 
 'hunderer" 
 8 questions 
 a\s to the 
 philosophy, 
 I its pages 
 a vigour, 
 •f pr- ting 
 extent of 
 iblishment 
 I some six 
 
 bblies and 
 p. Black- 
 h British 
 glo -Saxon 
 lecmed in 
 lagazines, 
 ivhoUy re- 
 , and that 
 re of this 
 ther that 
 lat it does 
 he reason 
 ipers and 
 the more 
 he above 
 ter, it is 
 Lice it at 
 
 ns of the 
 by their 
 /eness of 
 ellectuaS 
 books in 
 ijority of 
 same; of 
 
 some 400 volumes on the " Catalogue for a Pastor's Library, prepared by 
 Professors of Andover. New Haven, and Chicago," about 300 are British 
 books. One third of all the publications of " Harper and Brothers," and 
 of the " Methodist Book Concern " of New York, have a similar author- 
 ship. And wsre the catalogues of all America's publishing houses 
 carefully examined, we would find that the works of enduring greatness, 
 tliat will be read and studied by posterity, when the popular literature of 
 the day will be forgotten, have been chiefly produced by the thinkers of 
 Britannia's sea-girt isle— the land of literary renown. 
 
 And then, think on the names that are famous in story, that have 
 flourished beneath the Red Cross flag. No nation on the lixce of the 
 earth, not all the nations united are able to produce such a brilliant 
 array of noble and distinguished individuals. Pitt, Canning, Palmer- 
 ston. Glad-^toue, Chatham, Fox, Burke, Brougham, Curran ; Marl- 
 borough, Wellington, Nelson, Shakespeare. Milton, VV^atts, Wesley, 
 Cowper, Montg(.mery; Robertson, Ferguson, Keightley, Macau lay ; 
 Arkwrjgbt, Symington, Watt. Stephenson ; Franklin, Livingston, Bruce, 
 Park; Newton, Dick, Miller ; Lowth. Henry, Owen, Clarke ; Whitfield, 
 Chalmers, Spurgeon, Punshon, and James. Herg are Statesmen of the 
 first rank. Orators of unrivalled ability. Warriors before whom the world 
 has trembled. Poets who are unapproachable, Historians who have never 
 been equalled. Inventors at whose shrine the world does homage, Travel- 
 lers whose discoveries have astonished mankind. Philosophers who have 
 cast all others into the shade, and Theologians and Preachers who have 
 dwarfiBd all others by their great"- .?. In a word — 
 
 'Vi^^t ^^l^^^^^ss one that shine and live, in arms, in arts, in sont^, 
 
 Ihe brightest the whole wide world can give, to that little land belong." 
 
 But while we believe Britain to be " the greatest, the strongest, tho 
 freest, and the most enlightened." of the great fUmily of nations, we also 
 believe her to be "the most Christian." Reverently believing that 
 " righteousness exalteth a nation," its Christian character is necessarily 
 determined by the character and influence of its religious opinions, 
 institutions, and literature. If these are distinguished by an intelligent 
 appreciation of sterling worth, by an unfaltering advocacy of good morals, 
 and by an untiring inculcation of sound religious truth, the standing of 
 tlie masses will bo correspon-Mngly exalted. Judged by these, the BriUsh 
 people will bear comparison with any. While we sincerely regret the 
 existence of much evil ; while we deeply deplore the prevalence of many 
 vices; while we frankly acknowledge that mitred ' infidels, reverend 
 
24 
 
 BRITAIN AMONG THE NATIONS. 
 
 Hill 
 
 Indlir'^K ^? 'r'^'""' philosophers, would remove the ancient 
 landmarks of her fauh and give her in lieu thereof a soulless latitudi- 
 narmnusm ; we are nevertheless persuaded that the law abiding character 
 of her people, the humanity of her laws, the liberality of her political 
 sys^m, the healthful spirit of her literature, and the widespreL" 
 
 rotldTfVh '" r *^'"^' 'T'^' conclusively prove that Britain is 
 possessed of the most pure and effective Ciristianity in the world 
 
 Of the planting of Christianity in Britain, we need not now speak 
 
 articularly. suffice It to say that it is generally conceded that it took 
 
 place at a very early penod. Indeed some are of opinion th, t Saint Paul 
 
 Mas the honoured agent in the hands of (iod, first to tell the story of the 
 
 tioss, to the rude barbarians of the Mother Land. The evidence in 
 
 avour this theory is obtained in the writings of several of the Prim" 
 
 tne Fa hers who assert that he preached in " the western isles" and 
 
 he isles of the ocean," between his first and second imprisonment in 
 
 »orld, and bt Paul tells us that "their (i. e, the Apostles) sound 
 
 vent into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world ' 
 
 But whether he did or did not bring Christianity thither, it was most 
 
 Td^e! bl r'rr' ""Z'^"^' *'^' time, and its early'introducrn 
 and establishment has proved exceeding ly beneficial to the civilization of 
 ine country. 
 
 From that time to the present Britain has never been witliout true 
 and genuine Christians. True, clouds and darkness have fquent" 
 overhung her pathway, and her spirituality has often sadly declined, bu^ 
 again and and again has the Great Head of the Church raised up brave 
 reforming spirits to arouse and quicken her into life. During the gloomy 
 period of the middle ages, Christianity was the main-stay of socialordTr 
 and wrought out beautiful results in individual character. In its re' 
 formed developements it has mainly contributed to the best and n.ost 
 valued of her social improvements. Her noblest heroes have been 
 inspired by its celestial spirit; her mo.t precious institutions have lelt 
 he shapening touch of its divine hand ; the best portions of her literature 
 eflect the refulgence of its light; and the virtue, integrity, honour, 
 benevolence, and piety of the land, are traceable to. have sprun^r from 
 and are strengthened by its benign and elevating influence. If Christil 
 anity has not been the only cause of her greatness, without it she could 
 never have attained her present pre-eminence. As a beautiful iUustra- 
 t.on of the transforming power of the Gospel, we give the following : in 
 
 workmjf the el'»''tr!c toU.*..,,..}, :. u__ i^ r ..... * • • 
 
 o .-ic ci„w-jt w..3..,i.rn, It lias uwa louna tnat when a piece of 
 
 
BRITAIN AMONG THE NATIONS. 
 
 25 
 
 paper has been dipped in a certain chemical solution, a stream of 
 electricity passed over it will imprint the paper with beautiful tints and 
 fiyes. So. if other things have baen like the chemical solution to the 
 paper, preparing her for some high de^liny, the introduction and 
 fstablishment of Christianity has been like the electric stream pa-sing 
 over the nation, covering it with the fair and beautiful colours, which 
 render her the admiration of the worll. And while there is still room 
 lor improvement; while she is still very far from being what we think 
 she ought to be, and what we hope soon to ^ee her, yet nowhere in the 
 wide, wide world, is ProtPstant Christianity so inHuential for good, so 
 free from doctrinal error, so deeply implanted in the people's heart, or so 
 loyally defended, as beneath the Red Cross flag of EnglarJ. To the 
 various races that acknowledge her authority, she guarantees political 
 eq^.lity, religious liberty, a free press, and an open Bible, while they, in 
 their turn, appreciating the benefits of Biitian rule, are wont to regard 
 her as " The model nation of the world." 
 
 We may be regarded as conservative and old fbgyish in our views, 
 I'lit we rejoice in a national recognition of the Christian religion. While' 
 tiie iramers of the American Constitution studiously avoided°all refercoce 
 to the Deity, or to the authority of the JJible,-an omission which has 
 occasioned great grief to many, and which has called forth nianv an 
 editorial essay under the heading of, " Is this a Christian Nation V"" We 
 acknowledge him in public documents and official phrase as the fountain 
 of all authority, and his word as the highest source of appeal. Into that 
 grandest of all ceremonies— the coronation— religion largely enters. The 
 Sovereign goes to the House of God to receive the Crown. The service 
 commences with a solemn act of worship. The Deity is acknowledged, 
 praised, and invoked. The inspiration and authority cf the Bible is 
 proclaimed, by the reading of the Scripture lessons. The divine 
 character of the Christian ministry is shown by the important fact, that 
 a sermon suited to the occasion is preached. The oath is administered by 
 tiie highest ecclesiastic in the realm, from whose hands the crown is 
 received. A Bible is next presented by the same; the gift of CJod to 
 })rince, peer, and peasant, by which the Sovereign is taught so to rule, 
 and the subject so to obey, that His blessing may be secured, and iiis 
 name glorified in the widespread and permanent prosperity of the land. 
 And in various other ways is it declared that the people put themselves 
 and their Sovereign under the rule and protection of the Almighty, 
 acknowledging his law and revelation. s?nd nrofos-jlnrr fiiomiioivoa tx »>« 
 hi.? subjects. 
 
2G 
 
 BRITAIN AMONT; THE NATIOxVS. 
 
 .n 1 ^^V ""'"l"^ ^° ^"^""'^ *'»"** "^"«'' of tliis may be mere formalitv 
 
 ». e™y CWU;er ™me. are ad Jr^l t°rX„t\ S^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
 -M.er ™,.e ,s .he ,>„„„,. ,,, „„,,„ ,=, d^estHS To 111 
 
 -vice She has r^d f„"ir;.:: c«zi;'°'i;^.f:'Lr fh"' 
 
 To the Established Churp'iP« v,^; r^^„i j t-. 
 
 is deeply indebted AJnob oF ..' ? !'"'' ^^^esbyterian- Britain 
 
 oi,«lly belong the ^^ el 2, "tt'irtf '"'"T .''" """" """• 
 ."«nv wl, arelX- .e etd »'.'","" """" °' ^»°"' « ""^ """ 
 
BRITAIN AMONG THE NATIONS. 
 
 e formality, 
 »g but good 
 unworthy 
 »ice to know 
 e, and upon 
 n, is, to use 
 3f womanly 
 her, Queen, 
 ies are song 
 ized world, 
 orth in all 
 
 church to 
 as any, we 
 
 important 
 lany of her 
 Puseys, her 
 osed ; but, 
 relieve her 
 pride, her 
 literature, 
 d consider 
 liarm her. 
 f the day. 
 ional seats 
 d.and the 
 
 And this 
 dd to her 
 
 — liritaia 
 id wicfiin 
 account, 
 sir oppor- 
 by other 
 em prin- 
 weaUh, 
 2r classes 
 may find 
 loblenes-? 
 carers of 
 
 2T 
 
 the proudest earthly titles have felt themselves ennobled ])y bocomin- 
 Christian, while multitudes of the humbler have been benefitted, in bod/ 
 mind and estate, by the elevating power of that gospel, to which they 
 {.ave listened in tlie parish churches, or the healthful influence exercised 
 over them by tlie ministers of their respective communions. 
 
 What Lritain owes to Disscntors cannot be estimated. After ?ll 
 that h.id been done by the Establishments, much, very much remained to 
 I.e done. lor reasons that need not now be explained, large portions of 
 tMC i)opulation appeared to be beyond their reach, and consequently 
 dcnved no appreciable benefit from thera. As long as men will think 
 difleremly, various organizations are indispensable to the efficient 
 promotion of Christianity, and could we, with a large-hearted charity 
 but agree to differ, a much greater amount of good would be accomplished! 
 Ihere is room for each, there is work for all. While the upper and lower 
 m-ders are largely under the influence of the Establishments, to the 
 rson conforming denominations the spiritual interests of the middle 
 classes have been chiefly entrusted, And well and faithfully have they 
 performed the duty, for, from the mechanical, manufacturing, and 
 mercantile classes have come .some of the brightest lights in literature, 
 the greatest apostles in science, the most distinguished masters in art, 
 and tl,e most profound philosophers. And better still, many a moral 
 desert, both at home and abroad, has ])ecorae a fruitful field, and made to 
 rejoice and blossom as the rose. Their works praiso them, their power 
 IS felt in every department, they have a strong hold of the national heart, 
 and they have built for themselves a memorial of enduring greatness 
 
 1 a tree is known by its fruits, and its character determined 
 accordingly, we can best estimate the worth of our national piety by 
 what It has done, or attempted to do, in promoting the interests of the 
 kingdom of God. lo speak of the various agencies that have originated 
 in the Christian benevolence of our people for the mental, moral, and 
 religious improvement of mankind, would be a pleasing, but practically 
 an endless task. Their name is Ic-ion, their labour love, and their 
 reward the gratitude of man and the ble.ssing of God. But from the 
 multitude we .select two as suffioient for our present puroose-her Bible 
 and Missionary Societies. 
 
 For a long time, Britain ha.s been regarded as the stronghold of 
 1 rotestant Christianity, and she great champiun of the Word of God 
 Believing the Bible to be the keystone of all national greatness and true 
 civilization— tiiat where it has been siinnrnssftd r^Hcrjon h-i-s r^.-.-an-r-.*-' 
 into priestcraft, superstition has l^en rife, and mo"al and intellectual 
 
il 
 
 Pi 
 
 28 
 
 BRITAIN AMONG THE NATIONS. 
 
 life has wifchered-and that wherever it has been freely circulated it ha. 
 proved the D vinity of its origin, and the blessedness of itrpower; 
 elevauon oi the people, the prosperity of the nation, the purity of tie 
 priesthood, the stability of the Church, and in everything tha make a 
 nat.on great and f,ee ; she has bravely defended the righ't of vTry man 
 to possess and read the Bible in his mother tongue. And of its inflLnc" 
 upon the hearts and lives of the people, we know of nothing mo"e true 
 
 Kevie""'''W?" T f'^T' '^^-^ ''' "^"^^^'^ Rom'an CathTc 
 Kev ew Who will not say that the uncommon beauty and marvellous 
 
 fn"iMs : : TnT ^''^^ '' °°^ ^' ''' '''''' ^'^^^^^^^'^ " - y 
 
 7JoL \T'v ' ^'T r *'" '"' ^'^' ^ "'""'^ '^^^' <^^^ "ever be 
 lorsott n ; l.ke the sound of the church bell, which the convert hardly 
 
 mZl Zn """ '"T- 1*' '^''^'^'^^ ^'"^^^ ^««"^ *« ^ «'--' things' 
 
 rln h"n ""? ««^-'7««"«^- 'J'he power of all the gifts and trials of 
 n man ,s h.dden beneath its words. It i« the representative of his bes 
 moments ; and all that there has been about him of «oft, and gende an 
 E ^t/^"'!-*' -^ f-^. ^P-ks to h.. f.>r ever out of the E^gn"! 
 iJible. It IS his sacred thing, which doubt has never dimmed and 
 controversy never soiled. In the length and breadth of the iL here i 
 
 Tot-tua^r'^l"'- ' '" r^' '' --^hteousness about him. who 
 spiritual biography is not in his Saxon Bible." 
 
 To give this Book to every man, woman, and child,not onlyat home 
 ut also abroa 1, was the object of the founders of he " British and 
 foreign Bible Society." To describe the operations of. or to estimate the 
 good done by this Society, is utterly beyond our powe; ; suffice i^L say 
 
 j.2,940,404 copies of tho B.ble, the " British and Foreign Bible Society '' 
 has issued from 1803 to ,867, 52,669,080 copies. And ^u the la't „aL 
 year the issues of the latter exceeded those of the former by 1,134,062 
 
 \at ?1.I"' !^''-'f """^y operations we carnot now speak particularly. 
 Not only under her own flag, but under those also of almost all other 
 
 Old, old story." llecognizing her own indebtedness to the Gospel and 
 
 has availed herself of every opportunity to give it to the world. Throu<^h 
 every conquered province liberty of conscience has been proclaimed and 
 m every treaty it has been expressly stipulated that the tL^TsZlt 
 untrammelled. And sn w*.l! arjH • .j.i..i.. i,-^...^ v, . , ^ «"""'" oe 
 
 .._.! K.S., j.ciy kuoun has sue Deeome for her 
 
 » 
 
BRITAIN AMONG THE NATIONS. 
 
 29 
 
 Julated, it has 
 
 I power, in the 
 
 purity of the 
 
 that makes a 
 
 of every man 
 
 f its influence 
 
 ng more true 
 
 man Catholic 
 
 rid marvellous 
 
 )lds of heresy 
 
 can never be 
 
 anvert hard.ly 
 
 hnosfc things, 
 
 lind, and the 
 
 and trials of 
 
 e of his best 
 
 1 gentle, and 
 
 the English 
 
 dimmed, and 
 
 land there is 
 
 him, whose 
 
 nlyat home, 
 British and 
 estimate the 
 ice it to say, 
 1816 to 1867, 
 )lc Society " 
 last named 
 by 1,134,062 
 
 )articularly. 
 )8t all other 
 telling tii« 
 jrospel, and 
 others, ahc 
 . Through 
 laimed, and 
 I should be 
 me tor her 
 
 championship of the South, that the Missionaries of all lands and 
 churches, feel perfectly safe under the shadow o( her flag, and regard it 
 ns the symbol of security, civilization, and social elevation. 
 
 xo carry on this great work, immense suras of naoney are required 
 and the appeals that are made, from time to time, to British Christians,' 
 are usually responded to in a spirit of the largest liberality. Six millions 
 of dollars are annually laid upon the altnr of Christianity, principally for 
 the purpose of furthering the objects of the Bible, Tract, and Missionary 
 Societies, and this sum, large though it is, is being greatly increased 
 every year. 
 
 From the past and present, we naturally turn to the future, and 
 anxiously enquire. What will Britain's future be? Like the mighty 
 nations of antiquity, will she only live in history, the records of her glory 
 being read to fire the heart of some new and rising nationality, or will 
 her power bo perpetuated, and her career be one of undiminished and 
 incrcaaiag greatness? Nineveh, Babylon, Tyre, Athens, Rome and 
 Jerusalem, with their artists, orators, heroes, philosophers, and poets, 
 have all passed away, and little remains but the name, and is there, or is 
 there not, reason to fear that Britain's career may similarly close. The 
 dream of Lord Macaulay and others, that the time might come when 
 London Bridge will have crumbled away, the waters idly rolling on, no 
 richly freighted ships coming or going, her Parliament House a mighty 
 ruin, and the stranger, standing upon the site of the Royal Exchange or 
 the Crystal Palace, will muse upon the departed glories of Great Britain, 
 has far less of probability than of poetry in it. She may fall, her people 
 may become vicious, lawless, and corrupt, her flag may be trailed in the 
 dust, and her name be a byeword, a hissing, and a reproach. 
 
 But we think not. We have good reason to believe that a far 
 different fate awaits her. Id the virtue and intelligence of her people we 
 see hopeful indications of a bright and brilliant future. The signs of the 
 times are encouraging. The national credit was never better, her moral 
 influence never greater, and her statesmanship never wiser and more 
 progressive than at present. Never was the people more loyal, the 
 government more liberal, or the throne more stable than now. Never 
 was there c. better state of feeling between the Mother Country and the 
 Colonies, and never was that connection more highly valued than at 
 present. Disaffection is unknown, dismemberment 's not to be enter- 
 tained, and the reconstruction of the empire is to be the overshadowing 
 question of the not very distant future. And our hope and prayer is, 
 that such measures will be adopted, as will not only render separation 
 
80 
 
 BRITAIN AMOXr, THE NATIONS. 
 
 UDdesimble but W.11 gather around the Red Cross flag, in the bonds ul a 
 more .nt.mate relationship, every English speaking and British gove ned 
 dependency .n both hemispheres. Yes, the prospect is bright and xve 
 calculated to thrill the heart of every patriot ; aid to lead him to st" v 
 perpetuate and strengthen institutions that have been ho eminently 
 successful m the past, and to expect for his country a career of eve . 
 brightening prospects. And m conclusion we would say : - Frown down 
 d.8 oyalty ; Heed not those who lightly estimate your glorious herite 
 lurn away from the advocates of Independence, for if they are sincefe' 
 their judgment IS defective, and if they are not, they are unwoZoi 
 confidence Rally round the grand old flag, raiso it higher and ve 
 higher, and let this be our common cry: Mt fluttered o.ITLoLC 
 may it float over my grave? '" v « my traaie , 
 
 I 
 
bonds ol a 
 h governed 
 it, and well 
 tn to strive 
 ) emiuently 
 ■er of ever- 
 rown down 
 3 heritage; 
 re sincere, 
 nworthy of 
 r and yet 
 my cradle ; 
 
 I