Atlantic, it began to pay them less and less. And now we buy not only almost all our corn, but most of our meat, and a good deal of our wool, fruit and butter, from abroad also. The sad result has been that the land of England is rapidly going out of cultivation, and that our villages are being deserted in favour of our towns, where we cannot expect so strong and healthy a race to grow up as that of our grandfathers who lived by work in the open fields.
Imported food.There is, moreover, a most serious danger behind. If England should ever be defeated in a great war at sea, it would be impossible for us to get our food at all, and our population would simply starve. Therefore, at whatever cost to ourselves, it is our duty to keep our navy so strong that it must be for ever impossible for us to be defeated at sea.
Big Steamers.
With England's own coal, up and down the salt seas?’
‘We are going to fetch you your bread and your butter,
Your beef, pork, and mutton, eggs, apples, and cheese.’
And where shall I write you when you are away?’
‘We fetch it from Melbourne, Quebec, and Vancouver,
Address us at Hobart, Hong-kong, and Bombay.’
And suppose you were wrecked up and down the salt sea?’
‘Why, you'd have no coffee or bacon for breakfast,
And you'd have no muffins or toast for your tea.’
For little blue billows and breezes so soft.’
‘Oh, billows and breezes don’t bother Big Steamers,
For we're iron below and steel-rigging aloft.’
