istance of her ports from the scenes
of naval operations often obliges Russia to sink her prizes, so that "ce
qui les lois maritimes de tous les etats considerent comme un moyen
auquel il n'y a lieu de recourir qu'a la derniere extremite, se
transformera necessairement pour nous en regle normale," foresaw that
"cette mesure d'un caractere general soulevera indubitablement contre
notre pays un mecontentement universel."

2. A far more important question is, I venture to think, raised by the
Russian list of contraband, sweeping, as it does, into the category of
"absolutely contraband" articles things such as provisions and coal, to
which a contraband character, in any sense of the term, has usually been
denied on the Continent, while Great Britain and the United States have
admitted them into the category of "conditional" contraband, only when
shown to be suitable and destined for the armed forces of the enemy, or
for the relief of a place besieged. Still more unwarrantable is the
Russian claim to interfere with the trade in raw cotton. Her prohibition
of this trade is wholly unprecedented, for the treatment of cotton
during the American Civil War will be found on examination to have no
bearing on the question under consideration. I touch to-day upon this
large subject only to express a hope that our Government, in concert, if
possible, with other neutral Governments, has communicated to that of
Russia, with reference to its list of prohibited articles, a protest in
language as unmistakable as that employed by our Foreign Office in 1885;
"I regret to have to inform you, M. l'Ambassadeur," wrote Lord
Granville, "that Her Majesty's Government feel compelled to take
exception to the proposed measure, as they cannot admit that,
consistently with the law and practice of nations, and with the rights
of neutrals, provisions in general can be treated as contraband of war."
A timely warning that a claim is inadmissible is surely preferable to
waiting till bad feeling has been aroused by the concrete application of
an objectionable doctrine.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
T. E. HOLLAND.
Oxford, August I (1904).

RUSSIAN PRIZE LAW

Sir,--From this hilltop I observe that, in the debate of Thursday last,
Mr. Gibson Bowles, alluding to a letter of mine which appeared in your
issue of August 6, complained that I "had not given the proper
reference" to Lord Stowell's judgments. Mr. Bowles seems to be unaware
that in referring