34 OUR HERITAGE THE SEA 



tablelands of the interior, it is a terribly unhealthy 

 land, its dense jungles breeding fever of a peculiar 

 malignant kind. Were it in possession of a colonizing 

 race, there can be no doubt that in no very long period 

 its amazing mineral and vegetable wealth would be 

 exploited, and its exports, at any rate, assume an im- 

 portant place in the world's trading returns. But as it 

 is, poor France has nothing to show for her mighty 

 acquisition in territory but costly expenditure in 

 money and more precious life, nor does that heavy 

 account show any sign of diminution as the years roll 

 on. Here, again, is an example of how Nature, when 

 unaided by the efforts of man, can make even the 

 most favourably situated land uninhabitable. Per- 

 haps the day will come when this splendid island may 

 be brought to its proper place among the nations, and 

 allowed to show how large a welcome it can give to 

 the increasing millions of mankind. 



Here, perhaps, it may not be amiss to digress for a 

 moment in order to call attention to the rubbish that 

 is so frequently talked about the overcrowding of the 

 globe. Though not perhaps strictly germane to our 

 subject, it is sufficiently cognate to excuse a brief 

 allusion, while its importance merits far more attention 

 than it usually receives. Taking our own dear land 

 first, there can hardly be a doubt that, under a really 

 scientific and careful system of agriculture, we might 

 not only be independent of foreign food, but that our 

 land might easily support at least double its present 

 population. When you travel about this little island 

 of ours, and see the enormous cultivable areas of land 

 given up to weeds, and casually growing trees, except, 

 perhaps, for the grazing of a few sheep, note the 



