MARLBOROUGH AND HIS METHODS OF WARFARE. 119 
gentlemen, the command of the sea and the victories of the army must 
be regarded even at such an early date as inseparably associated, and 
in an Empire like ours, with such enormous territories, what is the use 
of arguing whether the navy or the army be necessary or not? ‘The 
one is the complement of the other, to use a mathematical term, and it 
is just as absurd to argue about their relative utility as it is to discuss 
whether in a well-regulated family the wife or the husband is the more 
important factor (applause). 
My Lord, and gentlemen, I will just for a moment direct your atten- 
tion to a map of the British Empire, a map which should hang in every 
club-room and school in our land, and I will show the extent of the 
Hmpire at the close of the war of the Spanish Succession and its ex- 
tent now. Well, the British Isles were then, as Milton said, “ the 
noblest and the best of all the main;” they were there so then and 
they are so still, and I hope they may for ages remain noble and great—- 
that depends on the spirit and knowledge and physique of their 
inhabitants. In India we only had territory at Bombay, but trifling in 
extent and wealth compared to our present presidency ; in the Medi- 
terranean we had Minorca, which we have lost since, but Malta has 
taken its place; we obtained in the war, Gibraltar, and I hope we 
will continue to retain Gibraltar, too, in spite of everyone. May 
the shades of Queen Anne and of Marlborough, and of Elliot and 
Howe, Nelson and Collingwood for ever hover like the ghost of 
Banquo at Macbeth’s feast over the head of any officer who wishes to 
evacuate Gibraltar. We had Jamaica and we had Newfoundland and 
Nova Scotia. Now, gentlemen, just look at that picture in 1713 
and look wherever the red colour is on this other map of Empire. Marl- 
borough was one of the founders of the vast Empire which you must 
defend, an Empire boundless as that sea to which Mahan has 
so eloquently referred; an Hmpire “iceing the pole”? in America, 
“and in the torrid zone, dark heaving” in India. Gentlemen, it is the 
duty of us all to follow in the footsteps of Marlborough and to devote 
all the energies we have, and, if necessary, our lives, to preserving our 
Empire and its centre, those two right little tight little islands :— 
“Great, glorious and free, 
Fairest flowers of the earth 
Brightest gems of the sea.” 
(Applause). 
DISCUSSION. 
Tue CuHarrmMan---Gentlemen, the Secretary informs me that he has a letter 
which will be of general interest to you all to hear—he will read it. 
Masor Aspy—tThe letter is from Mr. Charles Dalton, the compiler of the 
Commission Register dating from James I].—he is one of our honorary 
members—lI am sorry he is unable to be here to-night. He writes as follows:— 
“Tf Dr. Maguire can throw any light on the missing Marlborough Commission 
Registers,” etc. (reading the same). 1 do not know whether Dr. Maguire can 
give us any information upon that point. Perhaps Lord Wolseley can. 
