298 OUR HERITAGE THE SEA 



removed in point of fighting conditions from the 

 historic times of Platrca, Salamis, and Actium. 



Steam came, unexpectedly, unwelcome to the essen- 

 tially conservative minds of those who ruled over 

 naval matters. But the keen men whose business on 

 the great waters had been rendered so easy and safe 

 by the labours of the British Navy in the cause of 

 peace, were quick to see the possibilities underlying 

 this new motive-power, and they seized upon it with 

 avidity. In spite of all that pseudo-scientists said in 

 its disfavour, the merchants persevered, and soon steam 

 navigation had arrived obviously to stay. It is a 

 notorious fact that in Governmental affairs nations 

 are always behind their commercial interests (except 

 in the case of the Japanese), and so we need not 

 wonder that it was late before the Admiralty sanctioned 

 the fitting of the old wooden walls with paddle-wheels 

 and engines, later with propellers, long after Ericsson 

 had laboured and demonstrated to the thick-headed 

 Lords in vain the advantages of his screw. But, once 

 adopted, events moved rapidly. A Frenchman invented 

 an armour-clad vessel, La Gloire, and Britain replied 

 with the Warrior. Thus the great race was begun 

 which is still in progress, but in which we still are 

 easily first. Not only first, but far ahead, as indeed 

 we must be. 



Meanwhile, thanks to Britain's command of the 

 sea, ocean traffic had assumed gigantic proportions. 

 The lion's share of this commerce belonged as of right 

 to us. I say " us " of right, for had we not led the way 

 in freeing the universal highway from those bars to 

 honest traffic which had so long prevented its exten- 

 sion? No longer dared piratical ships, under any 



