Sir Graham Berry's address at the Colonial Institute on Tuesday,
on "The Colonies in Relation to the Empire," is of very great interest as illustrating one of the most serious difficulties of Federation. Sir Graham Berry attacked the foreign policy of the Empire, both for its sins of commission and for its sins of omission, and insisted that if the dream of Federation is to be realised, the Colonies will require us both to leave undone much that we do, and to do much that we leave undone. "Australians failed to see the overwhelming importance of keeping Russia out of Bulgaria, or Greece from acquiring some additional territory, while the vital interests of British subjects were passed by as only of slight importance,"—these vital interests being the objection of Australians to see France annexing a few more islands in the Pacific. Sir Graham Berry might almost as well say that it would be of no serious interest to England to protect the freedom of Switzerland or Denmark, or any of the minor States of Europe, as that it is of no serious interest to her to foster the growth of independent Balkan States. If the Colonies are so afraid of dictatorial Powers gaining afoot- jug on the ocean within five hundred miles of them, cannot they understand that it is in every sense the interest of England to live in a Europe in which the smaller States are safe from gratuitous dictation and open violence ?
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