814 report — 1884. 



administration. The remainder has heen (for the most part) either partially 

 surveyed or partially explored. A small portion, however, remains but im- 

 perfectly explored, or else almost unexplored. 



As might be expected in an empire whereof the real basis of power is 

 maritime, the coast fine is of an extraordinary length, to be measured by about 

 28,500 miles, with 48 large harbours ; for the whole of this length marine surveys 

 have been prepared. 



In an empire which lies on both sides of the Equator, and is scattered over 

 both hemispheres, there are varieties of climate touching the extremes of heat and 

 cold. Of the whole about one-sixth is within the tropics, one-third in the 

 antipodes, one-third in North America, and the remaining one-sixth in the 

 temperate zone of Europe and Asia. 



But greatness does not depend on area alone, and there is a vast range in the 

 scale of value for lands. For instance, it has been computed that the average 

 letting value of land in the interior of England is several hundred times as great 

 as that in the interior of Siberia. So in the British Empire there are wide tracts, 

 which may be important politically and prospectively, but of which the value 

 cannot be measured by a statistical test. Out of the 10 millions of square miles, 

 hardly one-fifth is cultivated or occupied in the widest use of the term occupation. 

 The area, however, which is capable of being brought under cultivation, and of 

 sustaining the future increase of population, must be regarded as enormous. It is 

 chiefly in Australia and Canada, in which two divisions it may be reckoned at 

 upwards of 2 millions of square miles, enough at the lowest computation to 

 support 200 millions of souls. Even in India, which is popularly, though not 

 quite correctly, supposed to be thickly populated, the cultivable waste is not less 

 than a quarter of a million of square miles. Then there is a residue which is un- 

 cultivable waste, and of which the dimensions cannot be precisely measured. It 

 consists of mountains and forests, with some desert, in the heart of Australia. 

 These mountains are among the greatest ranges in the world. The forests are very 

 extensive, and their extent cannot be precisely stated. They are infinitely various 

 both in respect of value and of condition ; some being poor or half destroyed, 

 others being rich and well preserved. But there are in the empire about 100,000 

 square miles of forests which are being formally and professionally preserved to 

 become a mighty source of national wealth. 



In the second place, respecting the inhabitants, the total population amounts to 

 305 millions of souls in those regions which are included directly in the empire. 

 If the countries already mentioned as more or less under political control were to 

 be included, then about 10 millions more would have to be added, bringing up the 

 total to 315 millions. 



This mass of humanity is composed of many diverse nationalities, among 

 whom the primary distinction is that of race. There are 45 millions of the fair 

 races ; among these about 39 millions are Anglo-Saxons, including German 

 colonists. Three and a half millions are Celtic (mainly Irish), H million are 

 French Canadians, half a million are Dutch in South Africa ; and there are a certain 

 number belonging to other nationalities, Scandinavians, Swiss, Greeks ; but there 

 are few from the Latin race in the South of Europe, and hardly any Russians. 



Again, of the 315 millions, ethnically there are 45 millions of the fair or 

 Caucasian race, 254 of the Aryan, and 5 of the Mongolian, the remainder belonging 

 to aboriginal races. 



A cardinal distinction between the several nationalities is that of religion. 

 Christianity, the religion of the dominant race, is professed by somewhat more than 

 the 45 millions of the fair races above mentioned, but the total can hardly exceed 

 46 millions out of the 315 millions, that is, one-seventh of the whole. The 

 religion which includes the largest number is Hinduism. There are 188 millions 

 of Hindus, and it may indeed be said that the whole Hindu race is subject to the 

 British crown. The Hindus then form more than a half of the total population 

 in the empire. Under the generic name of Hindu, however, there are counted 

 many thousands of Brahmos, who are really Theists, and there are 3 millions of 

 Sikhs and Jains, closely connected with Hinduism. 



