V/IIAT THE OCEAN MEANS TO GREAT BRITAIN 307 



for fighting, if need were, but primarily designed to 

 protect honest trade. And this division of duties 

 once firmly established, the world discovered that a 

 new spirit was abroad the spirit of British conquest 

 by peaceful means of the world's trade. At this time 

 the people were fully alive to all that oversea traffic 

 meant to Britain, although it did not in those early 

 days mean anything to what it means now. Still, it 

 cannot be denied that when the Americans, our own 

 kinsmen across the sea, commenced their wonderful 

 seafaring career, we were resting upon the laurels we 

 had gained, apparently satisfied with the position to 

 which we had attained, and unwilling to believe that 

 any improvement was possible. This complacent satis- 

 faction with ourselves is a national failing that needs, 

 as happily it has obtained, sharp corrections, which we 

 have usually though not always profited by. I am 

 here tempted to a somewhat serious digression, but 

 one warranted, I think, by the subject. When the 

 great Scandinavian inventor Ericsson had so far per- 

 fected his screw-propeller as to fit it to a small vessel 

 and steam up and down the Thames, he obtained an 

 interview with the Lords of the Admiralty in order 

 to try and induce them to fit his invention to warships. 

 They listened to him in contemptuous silence, saw 

 what his little boat could do, and then, in grandiose 

 fashion, called his attention to the mighty paddle- 

 wheels of the warships fitting out, and asked him if 

 he thought his contemptible little device would com- 

 pare with those ! So, broken-hearted by his conflict 

 with official stupidity, he gave up the struggle and 

 departed for the United States, where he was received 

 with open arms, and eventually repaid his hosts by 



