Advisory Council of Imperial Naval Defence,

in which all parts of the Empire were represented. At present there is in existence a British Committee of Imperial Defence, which included, last year, the British Premier, as Chairman, Lord Roberts, and the chief officers of the Admiralty and the War Office. Its functions are to consider all questions of Imperial Defence from the point of view of the Navy, the Military forces, India, and the Colonies; to obtain and collate information in regard to defence matters; and to furnish the British Government with such advice as may be necessary. The Committee is purely an advisory one, and has no executive functions whatever. This Committee is regarded by the British Governments as merely the beginning of what in time may develop into a wider and more comprehensive scheme. To the Colonies, certainly, the institution under discussion, limited as it is in its membership to the officials of the Admiralty and War Office, seems too narrow in scope to be able to efficiently advise on the defence matters of a vast empire.

It is to be hoped, therefore, that this limited committee will soon develop into some such general body as a representative Defence Council of the Empire. Such a representative body as this should be speedily in a position to advise, efficiently and effectively, on the best methods to be followed in order to ensure the maintenance of British Supremacy at Sea. It could also, without difficulty, formulate some satisfactory scheme of both representation and contribution to the defence fund.

In the next place, there can be little question that, in order to preserve her sea-sovereignty, and thus keep her empire safe from attack, and possible dismemberment, Great Britain should form such