He says "that neither Russia nor united
Germany, supposing that they should attain the highest fortune, can
pretend to impede that current of things, nor prevent that solution,
relatively near at hand, of the long rivalry of European races for the
ultimate colonisation and domination of the universe. The world will not
be Russian, nor German, nor French, alas! nor Spanish." He concludes
that it will be Anglo-Saxon.

A British poet has presented in poetry the special features of several of
the European languages, which we give:--

"Greek's a harp we love to hear;
Latin is a trumpet clear;
Spanish like an organ swells;
Italian rings its bridal bells;
France, with many a frolic mien,
Tunes her sprightly violin;
Loud the German rolls his drum
When Russia's clashing cymbals come;
But British sons may well rejoice,
For English is the human voice."

There are eight languages in the bounds of Christian civilisation that
may be accounted powerful, because they are the tongues of vigorous
people; they are the English, Russian, German, French, Spanish, Italian,
Portuguese, and Scandinavian. But of these all are indigenous, except
the English, so that they die if transplanted. Look at this country and
behold what a cemetery it is for languages. Once the French had strong
hold and promised to abide here; but it is now nearly gone, even from the
state of Louisiana and Canada, the last places of retreat.

If we take note of the population according to these several languages,
we shall see the prophetic future of the English. It is spoken by about
ninety millions, Russian seventy-five, German fifty-six, French forty,
Spanish thirty-eight, Italian twenty-nine, Portuguese fourteen, and
Scandinavian nine. Within the control of the governments of these
languages we find England to have rule over 255,000,000 people, who do
not as yet speak English, and we find that the other seven have only
seventy-five millions outside of themselves. Here is an important
difference. If we look at them by territorial limits, leaving out
Russia, we find the English language to own 13,382,686 square miles,
Germany 449,684, French 571,578, Spanish 4,694,811, Italian 114,466,
Portuguese 4,028,311, and Scandinavian 1,308,830. The aggregate number
of square miles possessed by these six languages, is 11,167,620, which
altogether, you see, own 2,215,066 miles square less than the English.
The balance itsel