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344 ECONOMIC INQUIRIES AND STUDIES

from the interruption of its commerce, which would b r
our ruin. But our position in this respect is apparently
not quite exceptional. Less or more our continental
neighbours, and especially Germany, are in the same
boat In the event of war, if they could not make up
the loss by traffic over their land frontiers, they would
be just as liable to suffer from blockade and interrupted
commerce as we are. I t is conceivable, moreover, that
in certain wars some of the countries might not be able
to make up by traffic over their land frontiers for
blockade or interruption of commerce by sea. We may
apprehend, for instance, that Germany, if it were vic-
torious by sea in a war with France, would insist upon
Belgium and Holland on one side, and Italy and Spain
on the other side, not ~upplying by land to France
what had been cut off by sea. One or more of these
countries might be allies with Germany from the first.
Contrariwise France and Russia, if at war with Ger-
many and the Triple Alliance, might practically seal up
Germany if they were successful at sea, insisting that
the Scandinavian countries and Holland should not
make up to Germany by land what had been cut off by
sea. Germany in this view, apart from any possibility
of rupture with this country, has a case for a powerful
fleet. It is not quite so much liable to a blockade as
we are, but there is a liability of the same kind. The
question of naval preponderance among rival powers
may thus become rather a serious one. If preponder-
-ance is to be nearly as essential to Germany as it is to
this country, who is to preponderate? What our prac-
tical action ought to be in the premises is a question
that might easily lead us too far on an occasion like
this, but the facts should be ever present to the minds
of our public men. We may be quite certain that they
are quite well known and understood in the councils of
the Russian, German, French, and other continental
governm¢nts. •