THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA, 



INTRODUCTION. 



OXE of the most prominent and characteristic features in 

 English history relates to the sea and maritime affairs, and 

 the reason is not far to seek. The geographical situation of 

 the country everywhere surrounded by the waves, separated 

 on the one side from the Continent by a narrow strait and open 

 on the other to the great ocean made it almost inevitable. 

 And to the advantage of insularity was added the potent 

 influence of race. A great part, if not the larger part, of our 

 blood has come from the old Scandinavian peoples, the sea- 

 wolves, as the Roman poet said, whose school was the sea and 

 who lived on the pillage of the world ; and it is to this circum- 

 stance even more perhaps than to the accident of position that 

 we owe our maritime and naval supremacy and the vast 

 empire scattered around the globe. Running through the 

 web of English history one perceives the connecting thread 

 of maritime interest and occupation interwoven with the 

 national life, and at all times affecting the national policy. 

 First and foremast was the necessity of securing the land from 

 invasion ; then came the duty of safeguarding shipping and 

 commerce ; and with regard to those fundamental interests, 

 the language used by our rulers centuries ago was the same 

 as that which is used by our statesmen to-day. The sea must 

 be "kept." That has been the maxim and watchword of 

 national policy throughout the ages, and the recognition of 



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