Mat 28, 1886.] 



SCIENCE. 



477 



very promising foundation of the great Austra- 

 lasian group of colonies was laid by the establish- 

 ment of a small convict establishment at Botany 

 Bay. 



Turning to the east, we find Malacca captured 

 from the Dutch in 1795, though it did not finally 

 become English till 1823. Penang was colonized 

 in 1785, and Province Wellesley in 1798. Much 

 more important was the capture of Ceylon from 

 the same once supreme colonial power in 1796. 

 The battle of Plassey was fought in 1757, and 

 within about half a century thereafter, through 

 the genius of Clive and Hastings and Wellesley, 

 English supremacy was virtually established, 

 directly or indirectly, over a great part of the In- 

 dian peninsula. Bengal was ceded in 1765, and 

 Madras conquered in 1792-1800, having between 

 them an area estimated at two hundred and 

 ninety thousand square miles, and a population of 

 fifty-five millions. 



Thus, then, during the latter half of the eigh- 

 teenth century, England had succeeded in rapidly 

 increasing her foreign possessions by something 

 like six and a half millions of square miles, reckon- 

 ing the whole of Australia as virtually annexed. 

 During the present century she has been able to 

 increase this area by about one-third, half of it, at 

 least, in India. While, during the last eighty-six 

 years, she has been extending and confirming her 

 hold over India, and while she has acquired one 

 or two really important additions to her colonial 

 possessions, it will be seen that her chief work has 

 been to develop and consolidate the acquisitions 

 of the latter half of the eighteenth century. 



In the West India region, British Guiana was 

 finally annexed in 1803, and St. Lucia in the same 

 year, thus completing the present list of her pos- 

 sessions in that quarter. Also in 1803 the first 

 settlement was established in Tasmania. While 

 in this quarter, twenty-six years later (1829) West 

 Australia was settled, followed, seven years after 

 (1836), by the modest beginnings of South Austra- 

 lia at Port Philip. In 1841 New Zealand began 

 her wonderful career as a British colony. Ten 

 years later (1851) Victoria separated from New 

 South Wales, and set up for herself, — an example 

 followed by Queensland in 1859. In 1806 the 

 Dutch were compelled to hand over to England 

 their possessions in South Africa, which by the 

 formation of the Natal colony in 1838, and other 

 subsequent annexations, have been extended far 

 beyond their original boundaries. In 1807 Eng- 

 land captured the tiny islet of Heligoland, and 

 three years later (1810) Mauritius capitulated, her 

 possession of the island being confirmed by the 

 treaty of Paris, 1814. A year later (1815) she ac- 

 quired the Ionian Islands by treaty, only to give 



them up to Greece some fifty years after ; and in 

 the same year she established her naval station in 

 Ascension. Singapore was settled in 1818, and the 

 Falklands in 1833. Aden as an outpost of India 

 was occupied in 1833. Labuan was ceded in 1846, 

 followed by Lagos in 1861, and Fiji in 1874. The 

 Straits Settlements were detached from India in 

 1867, and set up for themselves as a separate 

 colony ; and in 1874 the native states of Perak, 

 Selangore, and Sungei Ujong, were placed under 

 its protection. 



We all remember the excitement over the occu- 

 pation of Cyprus in 1878 ; and while England pays 

 tribute for it to the sultan, her real relation to the 

 interesting island is indicated by the fact that it 

 figures among her other colonies at South Ken- 

 sington. The British North Borneo company was 

 incorporated by royal charter in 1881 ; and the 

 fact of its having a court to itself at South Ken- 

 sington may be taken as a tacit admission that 

 its territory is reckoned among her colonies. Eng- 

 land has hardly yet recovered from the excitement 

 of raising the British flag over southern New 

 Guinea, the Niger mouths, and Bechuanaland, in 

 1884 ; while at this very moment her soldiers and 

 civil servants are busy getting into working-order 

 the extensive territory of upper Burmah, pro- 

 claimed English on the first day of the present 

 year. This last annexation, however, belongs 

 rather to the record of her dominion in India, 

 which has advanced so rapidly that the two hun- 

 dred and ninety thousand square miles and the 

 fifty-five million inhabitants of 1800 have grown 

 to something like a million and a half of square 

 miles and two hundred and eighty millions of 

 population. To the above might be added such out- 

 lying spots as the Kuria-Muria Islands, the Keel- 

 ing Islands, and Port Hamilton, in Asiatic waters; 

 Berbera on the north-east African coast, and 

 Socotra off it : the islands of Rotumah, Auckland, 

 Lord Howe, Caroline, Starbuck, Maiden, ana 

 Fanning, in the Pacific ; not to mention the Nico- 

 bars and Andamans, attached to India. 



Thus, then, while the beginnings of the greatest 

 colonial empire on record go back some three 

 hundred years, by far the greater proportion of 

 England's foreign possessions have been acquired 

 during the last hundred and twenty years. 



LONDON LETTER. 



The conversazione of the Royal society, on 

 Wednesday evening last (May 12), was even more 

 successful than usual, special pains having been 

 taken to bring together objects of interest. Partly, 

 perhaps, on this account, and also because it w^as 

 the first reception of the new president, Prof. G. 



