n time of peace would be substantially untouched,
save by the prohibition to the territorial Power to fortify its banks.
Even with reference to time of war, several of the articles of the
Convention merely reaffirm well-understood rules applicable to all
neutral waters--e.g. that no hostilities may take place therein. The
innovations proposed by the Convention are mainly contained, as "M.B."
points out, in the first article, which deals with the position of the
canal when the territorial Power is belligerent. In such a case, subject
to certain exceptions, with a view to the defence of the country, the
ships of that Power are neither to attack nor to be attacked in the
canal, or within three miles of its ports of access, nor are the
entrances of the canal to be blockaded. This is "neutralisation" only in
a limited and vague sense of the term, the employment of which was
indeed carefully avoided not only in the Convention itself but also in
the diplomatic discussions which preceded it.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
T. E. HOLLAND.
Brighton, October 4 (1898).

THE SUEZ CANAL

Sir,--Your correspondent "M.B.," if he will allow me to say so, supports
this morning a good case by a bad argument, which ought hardly to pass
without remark.

It is impossible to accept his suggestion that the article which he
quotes from the Treaty of Paris can be taken as containing "an
international official definition of neutralisation as applied to
waters." The article in question, after declaring the Black Sea to be
"neutralisee," no doubt goes on to explain the sense in which this
phrase is to be understood, by laying down that the waters and ports of
that sea are perpetually closed to the ships of war of all nations. It
is, however, well known that such a state of things as is described in
the latter part of the article is so far from being involved in the
definition of "neutralisation" as not even to be an ordinary
accompaniment of that process. Belgium is unquestionably "neutralised,"
but no one supposes that the appearance in its waters and ports of ships
of war is therefore prohibited. The fact is that the term "neutralisee"
was employed in the Treaty of Paris as a euphemism, intended to make
less unpalatable to Russia a restriction upon her sovereign rights which
she took the earliest opportunity of repudiating.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
T. E. HOLLAND.
Brighton, October 6 (1898).

THE SUEZ CANAL

Sir,--Will