Part 116

From 1879 to the present time Irish agitation has been for Great Britain a source of serious disquiet. In 1882 Mr. Gladstone adopted a policy of conciliation, but the murder of Lord Frederick Cavendish and of Mr. Burke caused its abandonment and the immediate passing of a coercion law which virtually placed Ireland under martial law. In 1882 the Egyptian army, under the leadership of Arabi Bey, having revolted from the khedive’s authority, Great Britain sent a large naval expedition to Egypt, bombarded Alexandria, and defeated the rebellious forces. Since that date the Egyptian government has been under British suzerainty, and in 1896, a British expedition was sent up the Nile with the purpose of regaining the provinces of Egypt held by the mahdist forces.

Within the past quarter of a century Great Britain has largely extended its territory in Africa, bringing great areas in the south and east of the continent under its protection. During the same interval several subjects of dispute have arisen with the United States, which have all been peacefully settled. An imposing festival took place in London in June, 1897, on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of Queen Victoria’s accession, in which all sections of the empire took part.

=Boer War.=--October 11, 1899, war was declared by the Boers of the Transvaal and Orange Free State, the aim being the destruction of the British paramountcy in South Africa. This led to the annexation of those states by the British, after a fierce contest, in 1900. In 1900, a new parliament was elected, which again supported the Conservative ministry, with a slightly increased majority.

=House of Saxe-Coburg.=--Victoria died January 22, 1901, and was succeeded by her eldest son, Edward VII., who proved himself to be an active promoter of peaceful relations with other countries.

The Boer war was concluded in the middle of 1902 by the treaty of Vereeniging, and almost immediately afterward Lord Salisbury retired from office, being succeeded in the premiership by his nephew, Mr. A. J. Balfour. The education act of 1902 did away with school boards where they existed, bringing the voluntary and former board schools alike under education committees in England and Wales, and the same change was made in London in 1903. The Irish land act of 1903 was a measure of the first importance, its object, being to transfer practically all the agricultural land of Ireland to farmers or peasant proprietors. In the autumn of 1903 Mr. Chamberlain resigned office in order to be free to advocate a change in the country’s fiscal policy, intended to unite the colonies more closely with the mother country--a change which many have regarded as meaning a return to protection.

In 1905 the Liberal party returned to power under the leadership of Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman, who was succeeded after his death in 1908 by H. H. Asquith.

On May 5, 1910, the illness of King Edward was announced, followed by that of his death the next day. His son, George V., succeeded to the throne May 6, 1910.

A lengthy battle had begun to be waged against the hereditary prerogatives of the House of Lords, to which the death of the king caused a temporary cessation, but, in August, 1911, the Upper House was finally shorn of its permanent veto. In September, 1910, the fisheries dispute with the United States, which had remained unsettled for more than a hundred years, was decided at the Hague.

Early in 1913 the Irish home rule question became the dominant issue and a bill favoring it was passed by the House of Commons by a large majority, only to be overwhelmingly rejected in the House of Lords. In February, 1914, King George urged mutual concessions in the controversy, and in the same year the Home Rule bill became a law without the approval of the Lords, but practically non-operative. Today (1917) home rule for Ireland is still the great unsolved problem of British domestic policy.

The year 1914 also marked the entrance of Great Britain into the great European war that has since engulfed practically the whole of Europe and one-third of the civilized world. England’s history since has been almost wholly bound up with the diplomatic, economic, and military aspects of that titanic struggle, the real facts of which it will require more than a generation of dispassionate minds to verify, sift and assess at their true values. An attempt is made to give the leading features of this war, and the parts played in it by the various nations involved, under a separate heading.

IMPORTANT FACTS CONCERNING THE BRITISH EMPIRE

This title is usually given to the total territory governed or administered in the name of the British government centralized in London. It includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the self-governing Dominions, Dependencies, Crown colonies and Protectorates whose inhabitants look to the king as their ultimate head. Of the whole area of the lands of the globe, the British Empire occupies nearly one-quarter, extending to every continent.

=THE UNITED KINGDOM= +--------------+----------+-----------+----------------+----------------+ |COUNTRIES | AREA IN | POPU- | HOW AND WHEN | CHARACTER OF | | | SQUARE | LATION, | ACQUIRED | GOVERNMENT | | | MILES | 1911 | BY ENGLAND | | +--------------+----------+-----------+----------------+----------------+ |=EUROPE:= | | | | | | England | 50,839| 34,043,076|... |}Constitutional | | Wales | 7,470| 2,032,183|Conquest, 1282 |}Monarchy. Con- | | Scotland | 29,785| 4,759,445|Union, 1603 |}stitute the | | Ireland | 32,583| 4,381,951|Conquest, 1172 |}United Kingdom | | Islands | 302| 148,934|... |}of Great | | | | | |}Britain and | | | | | |}Ireland. | | =DEPENDENCIES AND COLONIES= | |=EUROPE:= | | | | | | Gibraltar | 2| 23,553|Conquest, 1704 |Military Gover- | | | | | |nor. | | Malta, etc. | 122| 215,879|Treaty cession, |Governor; Coun- | | | | |1814 |cils. | | | | | | | |=ASIA:= | | | | | | India (in- | 1,800,258|314,955,000|{Conquest, begun|{Viceroy; Coun- | | cluding | | |{1757 |{cil; Depart- | | Burma) | | |{Transfer from |{ments. Native | | | | |{East India Co.,|{rulers under | | | | |{1858 |{Political | | | | | |{Supervision. | | | | | | | | Ceylon | 25,365| 4,038,456|Treaty cession, |} | | | | |1801 |} | | | | | |} | | | | | |} | | Cyprus | 3,584| 261,587|Convention with |} | | | | |Turkey, 1878 |}Governor; | | Aden and | 3,070| 53,222|(Aden) Conquest,|}Executive | | Socotra | | |1839 |}and | | Straits | 1,500| 620,127|Treaty cession, |}Legislative | | Settlements | | |1785-1824 |}Councils. | | Hongkong | 30.5| 428,888|Treaty cession, |} | | | | |1841 |} | | Labuan | 31| 8,411|Treaty cession, |} | | | | |1846 |} | | | | | | | | British | 31,000| 204,000|Cession to com- |{Governor (Brit-| | North Borneo| | |pany, 1877 |{ish North Bor- | | | | | |{neo Company). | | | | | | | |=AFRICA:= |} | |{ |{The Union of | | Union of |} | |{ |{South Africa-- | | South Africa|} | |{ |{Governor- | | (including |} | |{Treaty, con- |{General; | | Cape of Good|} | |{quest, and |{Executive | | Hope, Natal,|} 473,184| 5,938,499|{cession, |{Council; | | The Trans- |} | |{1588-1900 |{Senate; | | vaal, and |} | |{ |{House | | Orange River|} | |{ |{of | | Colony) |} | |{ |{Assembly. | | | | | | | | St. Helena | 47| 3,553|Conquest, 1673 |}Governor and | | | | | |}Executive | | | | | |}Council. | | | | | | | | Ascension | 38| 266|Annexation, 1815|Under the | | | | | |Admiralty. | | | | | | | | Mauritius, | 1,063| 373,336|{Conquest and |{Governor; Exec-| | etc. | | |{cession, 1810, |{utive and Leg- | | | | |{1814 |{islative Coun- | | | | | |{cils. | | | | | | | | British East|} | |{ |} | | Africa (in- |} | |{ |} | | cluding the |} | |{ |} | | Protectorate|} | |{ |}Governor, Exec-| | of Nyasa- |} | |{Conquest and |}utive and Leg- | | land, East |} 420,466| 8,728,276|{cession, |}islative Coun- | | Africa, |} | |{1870-1890 |}cils. | | Uganda, |} | |{ |} | | Zanzibar and|} | |{ |} | | Somaliland) |} | |{ |} | | | | | | | | British West|{ | |} |{ | | Africa (in- |{ | |} |{ | | cluding |{ | |} |{ | | Gambia, Gold|{ | |} |{ | | Coast Colo- |{ | |}{Conquest, |{Governor; Exec-| | ny, Northern|{ 495,490| 17,442,772|}annexation, |{utive and Leg- | | Nigeria, |{ | |}cession, |{islative Coun- | | Southern |{ | |}1673-1872 |{cils. | | Nigeria, and|{ | |} |{ | | Sierra |{ | |} |{ | | Leone) |{ | |} |{ | | | | | | | |=AMERICA:= | | | | | |Dominion of | 3,745,574| ...|{Conquest and |} | |Canada | | |{settlement, |} | | | | |{1670-1858 |} | | Ontario | 260,862| 2,519,902|Conquest, 1759- |} | | | | |1760 |} | | Quebec | 347,350| 2,000,697|Conquest, 1759- |} | | | | |1760 |} | | New Bruns- | 27,985| 351,815|Treaty cession, |} | | wick | | |1763 |} | | Nova Scotia | 21,428| 461,847|Conquest, 1627 |} | | Manitoba | 73,732| 454,691|Settlement, 1813|} | | British | 312,363| 362,768|Transfer to |}Governor | | Columbia | | |crown, 1858 |}General; | | Alberta | 253,540| 372,919|Settlement |}Parliament. | | Saskatchewan|} | | |} | | (including |} | | |} | | Mackenzie, |} 250,650| 453,508|Settlement |} | | Ungava, and |} | | |} | | Franklin) |} | | |} | | Northwest |{1,418,000| 19,330|Charter, 1670 |} | | Territories |{ | | |} | | Yukon |} 196,976| 7,000|Charter, 1670 |} | | Territory |} | | |} | | Prince Ed- |} 2,184| 93,722|Conquest, 1745 |} | | ward Island |} | | |} | | | | | | | | Newfoundland|{ 42,734|} |Treaty cession, |{Governor; | | (and Labra- |{ 120,000|} 230,000|1713 |{Parliament. | | dor) |{ |} | |{ | | | | | | | |British Guiana| 104,000| 305,090|{Conquest and |} | | | | |cession, 1803- |} | | | | |1814 |} | |British | 8,598| 44,000|Conquest, 1798 |} | |Honduras | | | |}Governor; Exec-| |Jamaica | 4,207| 831,123|Conquest, 1655 |}utive and Leg- | |Trinidad and | 1,868| 358,641|... |}islative Coun- | |Tobago | | | |}cils. | |Barbadoes | 166| 196,287|Settlement, 1605|} | |Bahamas | 5,794| 55,872|Settlement, 1629|} | |Bermuda | 19| 19,289|Settlement, 1612|} | |Other Islands | 8,742| 255,000|... |} | | | | | | | |=AUSTRALASIA:=| | | | | | | | | |{Separate State | | | | | |{Legislatures | |Commonwealth | | | |{and Governments| |of Australia | | | |{(Governors); | |(including | | | |{Federal Parlia-| |Australia, | 3,091,496| 5,140,393|Settlement |{ment and | |Tasmania, and | | | |{Government; | |Papua) | | | |{Governor- | | | | | |{General and | | | | | |{Executive | | | | | |{Council. | | | | | | | |Dominion of | 104,471| 982,926|Purchase, 1845 |}Governor and | |New Zealand | | | |}Houses of | | | | | |}Parliament. | | | | | | | |Fiji | 7,435| 128,404|Cession from the|{Governor and | | | | |natives, 1874 |{Legislative | | | | | |Council. | +--------------+----------+-----------+----------------+----------------+

TABLE OF THE SOVEREIGNS OF ENGLAND