NAVIES 183 



follow, its Austrian and Italian allies. Also 

 for the first time in history the New World 

 developed a sea-power of first-class importance 

 in the navy of the United States. And, again 

 for the first time in history, the immemorial 

 East produced a navy which annihilated the 

 fleet of a European world-power when Japan 

 beat Russia at Tsu-shima in the centennial 

 year of Nelson at Trafalgar. 



These portentous changes finally roused the 

 oversea dominions of the British Empire to 

 some sense of the value of that navy which 

 had been protecting them so efficiently and so 

 long at the mother country's sole expense. 

 But the dawn of naval truth broke slowly and, 

 following the sun, went round from east to west. 

 First it reached New Zealand, then Australia, 

 then South Africa, and then, a long way last, 

 Canada ; though Canada was the oldest, the 

 largest, the most highly favoured in population 

 and resources, the richest, and the most ex- 

 pensively protected of them all. 



There was a searching of hearts and a gradual 

 comprehension of first principles. Colonies 

 which had been living the sheltered life for 

 generations began to see that their immunity 

 from attack was not due to any warlike virtue 

 of their own, much less to any of their 



