The decline and fall of the British Empire - University of Oregon

of the British Empire ii
upon a seafaring life. Every year
liners manned by Lascars and con-
tinental aliens conveyed wealthy
English invalids across the ocean in
quest of health. Every year the
effete townsfolk of Britain invigor-
ated their languid bodies by a visit to
the sea -shore. But they ceased to
equip their Mercantile Marine with
seamen,* and we know how when
the call came and they were face to
face with a hostile Europe, they
had no adequate Naval Reserves to
fall back upon. We know too
how their alien-manned corn-ships
mutinied and played them false ;
we
know how, in the last stages of
their decline, both Navy and Mer-
chant Service were hastily reinforced
by Metropolitan policemen and
Government engineers : and we
* According to Lord Muskerry the numbers of
aliens in the British merchant service in 1905 were
as follows : alien captains 511, alien petty officers
2,991, alien seamen 40,000; and a large number
of merchant ships were manned solely by aliens.