In fact, ever since England organized a regular navy (1512) the
encircling arms of the ocean have been her closest and surest friend.
They have exempted her from keeping up a large standing army and so
preserved her from the danger of military despotism at home. They too
have made her the greatest sea power,[1] and, at the same time, the
greatest colonizing power[2] the world has yet seen. They have also
made her the greatest commercial power on the globe.[3]

[1] The English navy far outranks that of any other nation in the
number of its warships.
[2] The English colonial possessions and "spheres of influence" cover
an area of more than 11,400,000 square miles. (See map between
pp. 422, 423.)
[3] The total commerce of the United Kingdom in 1910 was nearly
912,000,000 pounds and that of the British Empire exceeded
1,990,680,000 pounds.

It is true that the use of steam for vessels of war has diminished the
natural protective service of the Channel, since a hostile fleet can
now move against England in almost any weather. Still, the "silver
streak," as the English call that waterway, will always remain, in
some degree, a defense against sudden invasion, except, of course,
from a squadron of military airships.

15. England as a Commercial Center.

In closing this period, the position of England, with respect to
facilities for commerce, deserves particular attention. In the first
place the country has many excellent harbors; next, it is situated in