. 6, that "In order to assure the free passage
of the Suez Canal, the Government of His Britannic Majesty
declares that it adheres to the stipulations of the Treaty
concluded on the 29th October 1888; and to their becoming
operative. The free passage of the canal being thus guaranteed,
the execution of the last phrase of paragraph 1, and that of
paragraph 2 of the 8th article of this Treaty, will remain
suspended."

The last phrase of paragraph 1 of Art. 8 relates to annual
meetings of the agents of the signatory Powers.

Paragraph 2 of this Article relates to the presidency of a
special commissioner of the Ottoman Government over those
meetings.

On the whole question see _Parl. Papers, Egypt_, No. 1 (1888),
_Commercial_, No. 2 (1889), and the present writer's _Studies
in International Law_, pp. 275-293. Note must, of course, now
be taken of the constitutional changes resulting from the war
of 1914.

The provisions of the Treaty of 1888, with reference to the
free navigation of the Suez Canal, have, of course, acquired a
new importance from their adoption into the Hay-Pauncefote
Treaty of November 18, 1901, as to the Panama Canal, and from
the divergent views taken of their interpretation, as so
adopted.

SECTION 1

_On the Open Sea_

"THE FREEDOM OF THE SEAS"?

Sir,--Your remarks upon "the wide and ambiguous suggestions" contained
in the Pope's Peace Note are especially apposite to his desire for "the
freedom of the seas." It is regrettable that his Holiness does not
explain the meaning which he attaches to this phrase, in itself
unmeaning, so dear to the Germans. He is doubtless well aware that the
sea is already free enough, except to pirates, in time of peace, and
must be presumed to refer to time of war, and specifically to propose
the prohibition of any such interference with neutral shipping as is now
legalised by the rules relating to visit and search, contraband and
blockade.

If this be indeed the Pope's meaning, his aspirations are now less
likely than ever to be realised. It is curious to reflect that the
proposal actually made by our own Government at The Hague Conference of
1907, apparently under the impression that Great Britain would be always
neutral, for protecting the carriage of contraband was most fortunately
defeated by the opposition of the other great naval Powers, of which
Germany was