20 MAY 1916, Page 2

That is nobly said, and very timely was Mr. Balfour's

reminder that the two generations when we were without a rival on the sea were the period when many small States grew to independence. " Belgium became a State, Greece secured her independence, the unity of Italy was achieved, the South American Republics were established, the Monroe Doctrine came into being." [Mr. Balfour might well have added that it was also during that period that we put an end to the slave trade.] We have had many faults as a nation, but no one with any sense of historical truth could dare assert that we 'have made a base, tyrannical, or selfish use of our command of the sea.