aith. The character of the goods apparently excluded the idea
of contraband of war, and the ships themselves, since they were bound
from neutral ports to a neutral port, appeared to be acting in good
faith.

THE SEIZURES. MARIA, MASHONA, BEATRICE, AND SABINE.

THE MARIA.--As early as September 6, 1899, the _Maria_, a Dutch ship,
had touched at Cape Town on her way to Delagoa Bay with a cargo
consisting largely of flour, canned meats and oats shipped from New
York[7]. She was allowed to proceed after a short detention by the
British authorities although goods in her cargo were plainly marked for
the Transvaal. It was realized under the circumstances that there was no
ground for the detention of ship or cargo, and in view of the fact that
no war was in progress at the time, the detention of the vessel even for
a short period would appear to have been unjustifiable. The _Maria_
called at Port Elizabeth, whence she cleared for Delagoa Bay. On October
29 she put in for coal at Durban, three hundred miles from Lorenzo
Marques, and was boarded by the commander of the English ship _Tartar_.
The _Maria's_ captain was willing to be visited and searched without
protest. According to the official report, "no guard was placed on her,"
and "the agents were willing to land all the contraband."[8] The
commander of the _Tartar_ informed them that if this were submitted to
the vessel need no longer be detained. When the _Maria_ had been brought
in and no contraband was discovered by the search, the agents of the
ship protested against the landing of that portion of the cargo
consisting of flour and other goods which they considered innocent, but
spoke of the vessel, it was alleged, as belonging to a British company
called the "American-African Line." The commander of the English cruiser
pointed out to them that British subjects could not under the Governor's
proclamation trade with the enemy, and mentioned the warning in a local
customs notice as the penalty for "vessels which carried contraband of
war or goods of whatever nature the real destination of which was the
enemy or their agents in neutral ports."[9]

[Footnote 7: For. Rel., 1900, p. 529.]

[Footnote 8: For. Rel., 1900, p. 575.]

[Footnote 9: For. Rel., 1900, p. 575.]

The _Maria's_ cargo included a consignment of lubricating oil as well as
a miscellaneous consignment of light hardware. Part of the cargo was
seized and part merely "detained." The consignment to the Neth