certain, whether she is at war or at peace.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
T. E. HOLLAND.
Oxford, February 17 (1903).


WAR AND REPRISALS

Sir,--Professor Westlake's interesting letter as to the measures
recently taken by the Netherlands Government in Venezuelan waters
opportunely recalls attention to a topic upon which I addressed you
when, six years ago, our own Government was similarly engaged in putting
pressure upon Venezuela--viz. the desirability of drawing a clear line
between war and reprisals. Perhaps I may now be allowed to return, very
briefly, to this topic, with special reference to Professor Westlake's
remarks.

In any discussion of the questions involved, we ought, I think, clearly
to realise that The Hague Convention, No. iii. of 1907, has no
application to any measures not amounting to war. The "hostilities"
mentioned in Art. 1 of the Convention are, it will be observed,
exclusively such as must not commence without either a "declaration of
war," or "an ultimatum with a conditional declaration of war"; and Art.
2 requires that the "state of war" thus created shall be notified to
"neutral Powers." There are, of course, no Powers answering to this
description till war has actually broken out. Neutrality presupposes
belligerency. Any other interpretation of the Convention would, indeed,
render "pacific blockades" henceforth impossible.