(8) East Africa protectorate: recognized by Germany and France in 1890, with that of Zan zibar, for considerations as above and trading rights, and the recognition of the French pro tectorate over Madagascar. (9) Central Africa protectoraterganized 1891 from the B territories of the British South Africa Com pany, (10) Bechuanaland, constituted a protec torate over native South African tribes in 1895 and a part of the province of Cape of Good Hope. (11) Rhodesia: the territories of the British South African Company, chartered in 1889, were brought under the colonial office in 1898, with Matabeleland and Mashonaland. (12) British Somaliland, completing the circle around Africa up to Socotra and Aden; protec torate under the East India Company 1884, con stituted a Crown colony 1898. (13) Egypt, nominally under Turkish suzerainty, but vir tually controlled. by the British government since 1882, was formally declared a British protectorate in December 1914.
North America.—(1) The Dominion of Canada is the chief. Its nucleus was the terri tory which fell under British sway by the French and Indian War 1755-60, definitely ceded in 1763. The greater part of this was divided in 1791 into Upper Canada and Lower Canada, the former as a real settlement founded by loyalist refugees from the United States, who also founded New Brunswick. England also held north of the United States: (a) Nova Scotia, conquered from the French in 1713, after a previous occupancy 1654-67; (b) Cape Breton, conquered 1748, and restored to France; conquered again in 1758 and ceded by France in 1763, when it was annexed to Nova Scotia; again separated 1784, again united 1820; (c) Prince Edward Island, till 1799 called Isle Saint Jean or Saint John's Island, then changed in honor of the Duke of Kent; cap tured from the French 1745, restored, again taken and held in 1758, ceded 1763 and annexed to Nova Scotia; in 1773 again separated. (d) Newfoundland, an old fishing station, ceded by France in 1713. In 1841 Upper and Lower Can ada were united. In 1867 the united province was joined with Nova Scotia and New Bruns wick into the Dominion of Canada. In 1871 this was joined by British Columbia, formed 1866 out of the older British Columbia and Vancouver Island, the former organized 1858 from the old Hudson Bay territory of New Caledonia; the latter a Hudson Bay territory made a Crown colony in 1849. In 1873 Prince Edward Island also came into the Dominion. Meantime, in 1869, it had acquired the North west Territories, and in 1870 set off Manitoba and at once admitted it into the Dominion. The provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta were created in 1905. There remain the Northwest Territories, north of the Prairie provinces, and the Yukon Territory in the extreme northwest of the Dominion. (2) Newfoundland, which still refuses to join the Dominion: its history is outlined above. Labrador forms a part of Newfoundland for administrative purposes.
(3) The Bermuda Islands: settled 1609. (4) The Bahama Islands: ceded by Spain 1783, after alternate conquest and reconquest. (5, 6)
The Windward Islands and the Leeward Islands: taken by the English in the general agreement with France for partitioning the West Indies in 1660. (7) Jamaica, with Turk's Island and Caicos Island: taken from the Span iards in 1655. (8) Barbados: colonized 1625, made a Crown colony in 1663. (9) Trinidad, with Tobago : captured in 1797 during the French wars. (10) British Honduras : settled early in the 18th century, but not ceded to Great Britain by treaty from Spain till 1783, formerly known as Belize or Belize. (11) British Guiana: partitioned off from the other Guianas in 1803, and formerly ceded by treaty in 1814. South America.—The Falkland • Islands, east of the southern tip of the continent : fought for by British, French and Spanish for many years; then nominally controlled by Argentina till 1833, when the British took possession of them for a finality, and established a colony in 1851; it includes also South Georgia to the eastward.
The South Atlantic.— In the No-Man's Land between South America and Africa, and unrelated to either, the British hold three islands.
(1) Saint Helena : definitively secured from the Dutch by the East India Company in 1673, transferred to the home government in 1834.
(2) Ascension: 700 miles northwest of Saint Helena, settled in 1815 after Napoleon's depor tation. (3) Tristan d'Acunha: a triad of little islands about half-way from the Cape of Good Hope to South America, garrisoned by the British in 1816 while Napoleon was at Saint Helena.
The Confederation of Australia, formed 1901. The first colony in Australia was the convict settlement of New South Wales, made a self-governing colony in 1841. Western Australia was founded in 1829, South Australia in 1836. Victoria, settled in 1835 as Port Philip, was set off from New South Wales in 1851. Queensland was settled from Moreton Bay in 1825. Tasmania was a convict settlement of the Island of Van Die men's Land from 1803 on, but in 1852 the con vict deportation there was stopped, and the col ony made self-governing under the name of Tasmania. (2) New Zealand was colonized in 1845. (3) The Fiji Islands came under British sway in 1874 by voluntary cession from Thakombau, the leader of the native chiefs.
(4) British New Guinea was delimited and formally annexed in 1884. (5) There are a considerable number of islands in the western Pacific which have come into British hands at various periods, by occupation. The largest are the Tongas, part of the New Hebrides and the Solomons, Ellice, Gilbert, Union, Cook and Monahiki. (See GREAT BRITA IN ) . Consult •Dilke, C. W., 'The British Empire' (London 1898) ; 'Problems of Greater Britain> (London 1890) • Goldman and others, 'The Empire and the Century' (1905) ; Payne, 'Colonies and Colonial Federations> (Oxford 1905) ; Seeley, J. R., 'The Expansion of England' (London 1883); 'The Growth of British Policy> (2 vols., London 1895).