, a series of levels 100 ft.
above one another would be marked daily upon the land until at last the
highest mountain peaks appeared as islands less than 100 ft. high. A
record of this series of advances marked upon a flat map of the original
country would give a series of concentric contour-lines narrowing
towards the mountain-tops, which they would at last completely surround.
Contour-lines of this character are marked upon most modern maps of
small areas and upon all government survey and military maps at varying
intervals according to the scale of the map.

CONTRABAND (Fr. _contrebande_, from _contra_, against, and _bannum_, Low
Lat. for "proclamation"), a term given generally to illegal traffic; and
particularly, as "contraband of war," to goods, &c., which subjects of
neutral states are forbidden by international law to supply to a
belligerent.

According to current practice contraband of war is of two kinds: (1)
absolute or unconditional contraband, i.e. materials of direct
application in naval or military armaments; and (2) conditional
contraband, consisting of articles which are fit for, but not
necessarily of direct application to, hostile uses. There is much
difference of opinion among international jurists and states, however,
as to the specific materials and articles which may rightfully be
declared by belligerents to belong to either class. There is also
disagreement as to the belligerent right where the immediate destination
is a neutral but the ultimate an enemy port.

An attempt was made at the Second Hague Conference to come to an
agreement on the chief points of difference. The British delegates were
instructed even to abandon the principle of contraband of war
altogether, subject only to the exclusion by blockade of neutral trade
from enemy ports. In the alternative they were to do their utmost to
restrict the definition of contraband within the narrowest possible
limits, and to obtain exemption of food-stuffs destined for places other
than beleaguered fortresses and of raw materials required for peaceful
industry. Though the discussions at the conference did not result in any
convention, except on the subject of mails, it was agreed among the
leading maritime states that an early attempt should be made to codify
the law of naval war generally, in connexion with the establishment of
an international prize court (see Prize).

Mails.

Meanwhile, on the subject of mails, important articl