Over-sea Britain : a descriptive record of the geography, the historical, ethnological, and political development, and the economic resources of the empire

Front matter

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Preface

It has been the aim of the author, in a work of moderate compass, to give a comprehensive account of the British possessions beyond the seas — to explain what the British Empire is ; bow it came to be ; the history of its growth ; the physical, political, and commercial geography of its various parts.

The maps in this volume have been brought up to date, and include rainfall, temperature, and v^etation charts, which, though they are on a small scale, will make clear those climatic conditions upon which the value of a country as a field for colonisation and commercial enterprise so largely depends. The statistics quoted in this work have been brought up to the date of publication in so far as this has been possible ; but it must be borne in mind that in the case of new countries, in the stages of ra[ud development, statistics relating to population, products, and commerce very soon get out of date. For example, the census of 1901 showed that the population of Manitoba had nearly doubled in a decade ; and in the same province the wheat crops increased from six millions of bushels in 1886 to nearly sixty millions in 1905. Again, when a comparison is drawn between Great Britain's colonial and foreign trade, it must be remembered that the figures given represent merely the conditions at the present moment, and that the ratio, in vi PREFACE

the case of the most important commodities, is rapidly changing in favour of the colonial trade: thus, if the avers^e for the last five years of the nineteenth century be taken, it will be found that the United Kingdom was then importing five times as much wheat from foreign countries as from her own possessions, whereas in 1904 the ratio was approaching equality, the United Kingdom importing in round numbers 43,(X)0,ooo cwt of wheat from the British possessions and 55/X)0,ooo cwt from foreign countries.

This volume deals with what may be described as the nearer Empire — that is the Mediterranean, African, and American possessions of Great Britain. The subject of a second volume will be the British possessions in Asia and Oceania

The author has travelled in most of the countries over which the British flag flies. He has witnessed, and on some occasions taken a part in, the making of several portions of that Empire in times of both peace and war, and has therefore been able to draw on his own personal experiences and observations when writing this short account of Britain b^ond the seas.

E. F. K.

IWTRODUCriOH

Introductory Gibraltar Malta Cyprus .

Contents

BRITISH AFRICA

The AraiCAH COMTINSICT 33

Southkrn Africa —