The question respecting the ratifica—tion of the Declaration of London is one of vast importance to all trading nations, more especially so to the British, The fact that we have roughly half the world's shipping ander oar flag in one which calls for the greatest circamspection when new rales and new principles may, without receiving all the care that shoald be devoted to them, 4 made binding on us and oe our descendants for all time to come. There can be no motto for such an occasion but, Festina lento. Every role, every regulation, every concession, whether by us to stir rivals, or to us by our rivals, must be mbt to microscopic examination ipping and commercial, as well a8 by legal experts. It is not surprising that and should be roused, as the time for Yatification draws oh, to an appreciation of the danger of setting het band sat weal to s declaration which, as yet, cannot be said to have received spy-thing like the attention which it imperatively demande. It is not matter of party politics, bat an imperial necessity which lies before us. Inter-esta of the most wide-spreading natare fre st stake, and it behoves us to parse and examine with all possible care both the letter and the spirit of the Declaration, and to be as carefully observant of what it does not contain as of what it does, The germ of the Declaration of London may be traced back st least as far asthe year 1856, Then, in the Declaration of Paris, we find Mid down the four stceinct rales so well and widely known—and, be it remarked, 80 honourably observed on the whole—1. Privatecring is and remains abolished 2. The neutral flag covers enemy's with the exception contraband of war 3, Nentral goods, with the exception of contraband of war, are not liable to capture under enemy's ting.
4. Blockades, in order to be binding, roust be effective: that is to say, maintained by a force sufficient really to prevent access to the enemy's The only important Power which, op to the first Hxgae Conference, had refased to be bound by this first declaration was the United States, and her acceptance was withheld as " protest. against the rejection of an amendment. which she bad ermponeds exempting Pip tec pla pened before uvate ry from capture at ses. addition was made to this epoch-marking agreement, or any farther effort at the lessening of the horrors of war. Then the Declaration of Petersburg dealt with the use of explosive bullets, etc, The still more widely known Geneva Convention ensured the introduction of all the hamanity possible into the conduct of military operations, after which nothing further
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.