In the year 1889 they would have been given thus:-- Japanese.--Less than one-tenth of an inch long. American.--Three and a half tenths of an inch long. French.--Four and a half tenths of an inch long. German.--Six and a half tenths of an inch long. And next, after a great dividing gap-- British.--Fifty-one tenths of an inch, or over five inches long. Once more, the figures speak for themselves. But this was a good many years ago. Let us have the same plan repeated for the year 1897, or eight years later, noting the advance made in each case. Here, again, the tonnage of the whole steam-driven fleet of each Nation may be represented by a black line, one-tenth of an inch in width, and varying in length according to the size of the particular fleet. Some changes have taken place in those few years. The Japanese, instead of being quite at the end of the list, rank above the Spanish and the Norwegian; and the Americans have outstripped the French. The results now stand thus:-- Japanese.--Nearly three-tenths of an inch. French.--Five-tenths of an inch. American.--Over five-tenths of an inch. German.--Over a whole inch, or more than ten-tenths. And once more, after another big dividing gap:-- British.--About sixty-seven tenths of an inch; or over six inches and a quarter. We hear a good deal of the rapid growth of the German and American Merchant fleets, and not so much of the growth of our own. Yet certainly we have not stood still. According to the above comparison, which is taken from an American, not a British report,[12] we have not held our own badly during recent years. British transport has actually grown the most. True, we have merely added sixteen tenths to an already great length; whereas, in the same period, the German fleet, adding three and a half tenths, has nearly doubled itself, and the Japanese, adding about two-tenths, has trebled itself. But a very small amount is easily doubled or trebled; and the nearest is still a long way behind the British total. [12] _Merchant Marine of Foreign Countries_, vol. xviii. This should not be allowed to induce a spirit of over-confidence, which might probably mean in time the tortoises overtaking the hare. And although our Merchant fleet is still almost the double of all other Merchant fleets upon Earth put together, yet the proportionate difference has begun to grow less than it once was. Other countries are straining every nerve in the race; and if Great Britain would keep her present position, this is no time for slackening of effort. Powerful though our Royal Navy undoubtedly is, it has not that vast preponderance over other Fleets of War which our Merchant Navy has over other Mercantile Fleets. The aim generally set before Great Britain of late years has been to make and to keep the Royal Navy strong enough to be able to cope with any two other War Navies existing.