228 Agriculture during Two Great Wars. [june. 



French war we had not, and could not have, the gallant and 

 invaluable aid of the overseas Dominions. From 1812 to 1814 

 the United States, instead of being our allies, were our enemies 

 and at war. 



In comparing our position at the two periods striking differ- 

 ences appear. Two points may be specially noted, the growth 

 of our population and the increase in our resources. In 180 1 

 the population of the United Kingdom was about 15,000,000 ; 

 in 1811 it was about 18,000,000. In 1821, the first year in 

 which Ireland was included in the Census, it was nearly 

 21,000,000. In 1911 the population of the United Kingdom 

 exceeded 45,000,000, and thanks to their magnificent loyalty, 

 we had, with us and behind us, the vast population of the 

 Empire. Scarcely less striking is the growth of our financial 

 resources. Xo complete figures exist to show the exact amount 

 of the national income in the early years of the 19th century. 

 But statisticians seem to accept as an approximate estimate a 

 national income of ^£250,000,000, and it has been calculated 

 that, of this total income, £120,000,000 were above and 

 £130,000,000 below our pre-war Income Tax exemption of £160. 

 FuUer and more reliable figures are available for 19 14. There is 

 substantial agreement on the estimate of a national income of 

 rather more than £2,000,000,000, and on a division of this 

 total income into £800,000,000 above, and £1,200,000,000 

 below, the £160 v/hich was the pre-war hmit of exemption from 

 Income Tax. Thus the United, Kingdom began the War of 

 1914 with a population which was three times greater than that 

 of 1801, and with resources which were eight times as large. 

 These two points must be borne in mind, if the national effort 

 and the national burden of the two periods are compared. 



Taxation and the NaticnaJ Debt. — \\'hen our ancestors entered 

 on the French war (February, 1793) the National Debt 

 amounted to nearly £234,000,000, and the entire public expendi- 

 ture slightly exceeded £19,000,000. On 5th January/, 1816, 

 the Debt had risen in round figures to £864,000,000 and the 

 expenditure of the preceding year exceeded £106,000,000. In 

 April, 1 914, the National Debt stood at £665,000,000, and the 

 public expenditure for the year was estimated at £210,000,000. 

 In April, 191 9, the Debt had risen to £8,000,000,000, and the 

 public expenditure of this present year is estimated to reach 

 £1,400,000,000. Both in the French and in the German wars 

 a part of the debt was incurred for loans and subsidies to Allies. 

 In 1793-1815 the sum so expended was over £53,000,000 ; 

 in 191.4-18 it was £i;96i, 000,000. Even allowing for such 



