does not shirk responsibility. It puts the code into the hands of its
officers "for the government of all persons attached to the naval
service," and is doubtless prepared to stand by the rules contained in
it, as being in accordance with international law. These rules deal
boldly with even so disagreeable a topic as "Reprisals" (Art. 8), upon
which the Brussels, and after it The Hague, Conference preferred to keep
silence; and they take a definite line on many questions upon which
there are wide differences of opinion. On most debatable points, the
rules are in accordance with the views of this country--e.g. as to the
right of search (Art. 22), as to the two-fold list of contraband (Arts.
34-36), as to the moment at which the liability of a blockade-runner
commences (Art. 44), and as to the capture of private property (Art.
14), although the prohibition of such capture has long been favoured by
the Executive of the United States, and was advocated by the American
delegates at The Hague Conference. So also Arts. 34-36, by apparently
taking for granted the correctness of the rulings of the Supreme Court
in the Civil War cases of the _Springbok_ and the _Peterhoff_ with
reference to what may be described as "continuous carriage," are in
harmony with the views which Lord Salisbury recently had occasion to
express as to the trade of the _Bundesrath_ and other German vessels
with Lorenzo Marques. It must be observed, on the other hand, that Art.
30 flatly contradicts the British rule as to convoy; while Art. 3 sets
out The Hague Declaration as to projectiles dropped from balloons, to
which this country is not a party. Art. 7 departs from received views by
prohibiting altogether the use of false colours, and Art. 14 (doubtless
in pursuance of the recent decision of the Supreme Court in the _Paquete
Habana_), by affirming the absolute immunity of coast fishing vessels,
as such, from capture.

On novel questions the code is equally ready with a solution. It speaks