Longitude from Greenwich

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"THE LINER SHE'S A LADY."

THE LINER She's a lady, an' she never looks nor 'eeds—
The Man-o'-War's 'er 'usband, an' 'e gives 'er all she needs;
But, oh, the little cargo-boats, that sail the wet seas roun',
They're just the same as you an' me a-plyin' up an' down!

Plyin' up an' down, Jenny, 'angin' round the Yard,
All the way by Fratton tram down to Portsmouth 'Ard;
Anythin' for business, an' we're growin' old-
Plyin' up an' down, Jenny, waitin' in the cold!

The Liner she's a lady by the paint upon 'er face,
An' if she meets an accident they call it sore disgrace:
The Man-o'-War's 'er 'usband, and 'e's always 'andy by,
But, oh, the little cargo-boats! they've got to load or die.

The Liner she's a lady, an' if a war should come,

The Man-o'-War's 'er 'usband, an' 'e'd bid 'er stay at home;
But, oh, the little cargo-boats that fill with every tide!

'E'd 'ave to up an' fight for them, for they are England's pride.

The Liner she's a lady, but if she wasn't made,

There still would be the cargo-boats for 'ome an' foreign trade. The Man-o'-War's 'er 'usband, but if we wasn't 'ere,

'E wouldn't 'ave to fight at all for 'ome an' friends so dear.

-Kipling.

ENGLAND

CHAPTER I.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY.

The British Isles were once a part of the continent of Europe. Geological ages ago the land beneath the English Channel and that part of the North Sea which separates England from the mainland, sank, allowing water to divide the island from France and the Low Countries. Similarly, beyond doubt, was Ireland separated from England. These changes took place long before written records began, but they have been proved by remains within the earth, found to be similar throughout the islands and continental coast.

The isolation afforded the islands because of their water barrier has had a tremendous effect upon their history. In antiquity, Britain lay at the extreme northwestern corner of the known world. Phoenician ships occasionally visited it to procure copper and tin from the famous mines of Cornwall; generally speaking, however, the islanders were left to themselves until the Roman conquest. The partial conquests of Saxons, Angles and Jutes were accomplished far more slowly than would have been the case except for the barrier of the sea. Land forces can pour into a defenseless country in overwhelming hordes, but those who can be transported over the sea must of necessity be limited. Thus the Britons were given opportunity to assimilate new comers and to be themselves assimilated in turn. The Norman conquest in 1066 was more rapid than any preceding, yet this was not immediately effected. Since 1066 England has been spared long struggles on her own soil because her water barrier proved too stormy for mariners accustomed to less angry seas.

While, on the other hand, the channel and sea have proved adequate to restrain the invader or retard his work, they have not shut England off from quick communication with the main

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