At last the North Sea Convention has boon ratified. Some disappointment with its terms is felt in this country. for it contains no provision for the punish-font of those who may be found responsible for the attack on the fishing ject. All it says is that the Commission shall inquire into and report on the question as to where responsibility lies, and the Gogreo of blame attaching to those found responsible, to whatever nation they may belong. Of course it was never imgained that the Qommission itself would be endowed with powers of punishment and therefore it may be argued that any pidertaking which Russia may hays given us on that point has no place in the Convention.
It is pretty clear, however, that oar Government has received nothing more than a_ verbal undertaking on the point, even if it has got that. However, now that the excite-iment caused by the incident has died down, nearly everybody except the extreme Jingoes is quite satisfied with the terms of the Convention. In spite of all the talk about panic and drunkenness, some English naval authorities—of whom Sir John Fisher is the most prominent—Lave never disguised their opinion that the, ander is one which any navy might have committed in war-time.
Indeed, I am assured that Sir John Fisher has declared that the difficulty of distinguishing in all cases between merchantmen and war-vessels that a belligerent vessel in its own defence to fire upon any vessel which approaches too close to itat night. This vi jew is, I think, gaining ground among the general public, who are ready to admit that a has offered us "Il reasonable reparati is one of the evils of at neutrals are bound to suffer.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.