" Down to the Sea in Ships " 



success. Yet still we, Children of the Empire 

 which dominates the Ocean, must desire our 

 Empire to hold her own, must strive our utmost 

 to keep ahead of all competitors in the race. 



Perhaps not everybody realises how far ahead 

 we have been up to the present day. 



Other nations indeed have made great advance. 

 What the future may mean for them and for us, 

 Time alone can show. But as yet they do not 

 seem likely to outstrip us, unless Great Britain 

 grows lazy and lies upon her oars. 



In the year 1900, the Merchant Shipping of 

 the whole world, including all vessels of more 

 than one hundred tons, was reckoned to amount 

 in round numbers to over Twenty-eight Thou- 

 sand Ships, and in burden to over Twenty- 

 nine Millions of Tons. 



Of that vast world-fleet Eleven Thousand 

 vessels were British. And since the British 

 ships were, on an average, larger than the 

 foreign ships, it meant that nearly one-half of 

 the tonnage of the whole world's merchant ship- 

 ping sailed under the Red Ensign. 



To put the matter differently. In 1892 another 

 reckoning was made ; the comparison being ex- 

 pressed by numbers, for the Merchant -Navies 

 of several Nations. It stood as follows : 



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