22 COLONIAL SYSTEMS OF THE WORLD 



ment is given to the people. The British colonial system, which 

 has by far outgrown that of any other nation, gives, wherever 

 practicable, a large degree of self-government to the colonies ; 

 the governors are in all cases appointed by the Crown, but the 

 law making and enforcing power being left to legislative bodies 

 which are elected by the people where practicable, in minor cases 

 a portion being elected and a portion appointed, and in still 

 others the appointments divided between the British govern- 

 ment and local municipal or trade organizations, the veto power 

 being in all cases, however, retained by the home government. 

 The enforcement of the laws is intrusted to courts and subordi- 

 nate organizations, whose members are in many cases residents 

 or natives of the communities under their jurisdiction. In the 

 French colonies less attention is given to law-making and ad- 

 ministration by local legislative bodies, the more important of 

 the colonies being given members in the legislative bodies of the 

 home government. In the Netherlands colonies and in the less 

 advanced communities under British control the laws and regu- 

 lations are administered in conjunction with native functionaries. 



Of the 125 colonies, protectorates, dependencies, and '" spheres 

 of influence " which make up the total list, two-fifths belong to 

 Great Britain, their area being one-half of the grand total and 

 their population considerably more than one-half of the grand 

 total. France is next in order in number, area, and popula- 

 tion of colonies, etc., though the area controlled by France is 

 but about one-third that belonging to Great Britain and the 

 population of her colonies less than one-sixth of those of Great 

 Britain. 



Commerce between the successful colonies and their mother 

 countries is in nearly all cases placed upon practically the same 

 basis as that with other countries, goods from the home conn- 

 tries receiving in the vast majority of cases no advantages over 

 those from other countries in import duties or other exactions 

 of this character affecting commerce. In the more prosperous 

 and progressive colonies the percentage of importations from 

 the mother countries grows somewhat less as the business and 

 prosperity increase. The chief British colonies in North Amer- 

 ica (Canada and Newfoundland), which in 1871 took 50 per 

 cent of their importations from the home country, took in 1896 

 less than 30 per cent from the United Kingdom ; those of South 

 Africa (Cape Colony and Natal), which in 1871 took 83 per cent 

 from the home country, took but 71 per cent in 1896 ; those of 



