stem of
free trade were interfered with, if the attempt were
successful which is being made to reverse the policy of the
past sixty years on which the overwhelming bulk of political
economists were united, I foretell for this country a time
of the greatest disaster. All classes would suffer,
especially the working class.

Dealing with the question of exports and imports, he pointed out:

Eighty per cent of what came into Great Britain represented
raw material necessary for manufactures and food necessary
for the people. Therefore the prosperity of this country
depends, not upon its exports, but upon its imports. We are
free-traders, not for the injury it does others, but in our
own interests. It is to our advantage to buy cheap. Our
greatest import is food and the next raw material. We can
only pay by our own manufactures.

ENGLAND'S DEFENSES, AND WHAT THEY COST.

It Is Not Military Strength That Makes a
Country Great, Says Lord Avebury,
but the Right Use of Power.

That the burden of armament lies heavy on Europe is well understood. It is
not so commonly known that in the last ten years the cost of army and navy
has increased much more rapidly in Great Britain than in any country of
the Continent. The fact is brought out in the _Nineteenth Century_ by Lord
Avebury, who is better known to Americans as Sir John Lubbock. He says:

In our own case there has been on the army an increase in
the past ten years of L24,800,000, and on the navy an
increase of L25,000,000; or, taking the two together, in
round figures an increase of no less than L50,000,000, of
which, however, only L39,000,000 is shown in the ordinary
estimates. In other words, while Italy has increased her
naval and military expenditures by L1,500,000; Russia,
L10,800,000; Germany, L8,700,000, and France, L6,000,000, we
have increased ours L50,000,000. Thus these four great
countries put together show an increase of L27,000,000,
while ours by itself is L50,000,000, or nearly double that
of Russia, Germany, France, and Italy put together. What
justification have we for this enormous increase?

I do not wish to exaggerate, nor to maintain that we are
going down-hill. But our progress has been checked, and if
we are not wise in time worse will follow.

Lord Avebury's political opponents would argue that the British military
ex