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E. WALTER MAEXI'EE, F.B.A.S.. OX 



still considerable. France, in her great struggle with England, 

 lost almost all her acquisitions beyond the sea, but has since 

 started on a new course of colonial expansions, and now comes 

 high in order among the great Empire-States. Britain wrested 

 India. Canada, and South Africa from France, but lost on the 

 other hand the Colonies she had planted along the Atlantic 

 coast of Xorth America. Of the rive nations that entered into 

 competition for Empire beyond the seas, she has been far the 

 most successful. Of Empire-States, now existing, four stand 

 out pre-eminent. First, China, oldest of all : older than history: 

 the embodiment in living form to-day of civilization reaching 

 back to the founding of the primeval states of the river-valleys, 

 China includes within its borders one-fourth of the human race. 

 Another fourth is included in the British Empire, which differs 

 from China in almost every characteristic, but notably in these 

 two ; that, instead of being homogeneous and compact, it is most 

 widely scattered, and comprises amongst its peoples the most 

 diverse elements. These two Empire-States thus contain between 

 them half mankind. 



The third Empire-State is Bussia, with a population of about 

 one-tenth the whole, and the United States of America, with 

 a population of one-sixteenth, comes fourth. Strong indeed must 

 be the forces tending towards aggregation when we find that 

 two-thirds of the whole population of the planet are grouped 

 under four sovereignties, and are satisfied to be so grouped ; 

 sovereignties widely different in origin, development and present 

 character. 



Two-thirds of mankind are included in these four great 

 Empire-States, and a large proportion of the remaining third is 

 distributed among five or six smaller Empire-States. The only 

 region where, as yet, no strong tendency in this direction has 

 yet been seen, is in South America : yet even here there would 

 be nothing surprising if. within the next few years, this conti- 

 nent should become an Empire-State also ; — " an aggregate of 

 administrative units of diverse constituent elements, professing 

 allegiance to a central sovereign authority." 



Have any of the four great Empire-States been built upon a 

 great principle, a principle which might, by its working out in 

 the future, transform the Empire-State into "World-Empire ? 



The answer is obvious. These four States are growths ; they 

 have not developed by the conscious purpose and design of men. 

 "Wars indeed had some influence in their shaping, but in the 

 case of all, the real motive power has been the search for food. 

 China, Bussia and Siberia, the United States, Canada. Australia, 



