40

had pronounced his opinion in the early part of this years, that Neutrals were not prohibited by the Common Law of Nations from carrying corn to a belligerent country. De Witt was himself an advocate of the doctrine of Free Ships Free Goods, and was at this time negotiating with France to obtain several modifications of the severity of her Prize Code 39. France, on the other hand, as appears from Sir Henry Nevile's negotiations in 1599, had been for some time unwilling to consider corn, as merchandise absolutely prohibited in time of war to be imported into the ports of a belligerent by neutral merchants. It is not surprising therefore that France should be found taking the lead amongst the European Powers in adopting a more lenient rule than that which the Dutch and British negotiators had agreed upon in the Treaty of Southampton (A.D. 1625), when they declared provisions generally under the title of 'munitions de bouche' to be contraband. We find accordingly a treaty of commerce concluded between Treaty of Louis XIV and the Hanse Towns (Paris, 10 May 1655), in which a catalogue of Contraband of War was set forth, from which provisions were omitted. This catalogue deserves notice, as upon its model, with the omission of cordage and sail-cloth, almost all the subsequent treaties on the subject of Contraband of War in the seventeenth century were framed :

Paris of

1655.

ART. XI. Lesquelles marchandises de contrebande sont entendues être munitions de guerre, armes à feu; scavoir, canons, mousquets, mortiers, bombes, pétards, grenades,

38 A letter to that effect, dated 14 Jan. 1654, is cited in a note to Vattel. Droit des Gens. L. III. c. 6. § 112.

39 Lettres et Négotiations de Jean de Witt, Tom. I. p. 108. 40 Winwood's Memorials, Vol. I. p. 23.

saucisses, cercles, affûts, fourchettes, bandoulières, poudre, mesche, salpestre et toutes autres sortes d'armes, comme picques, espées, morions, casques, cuirasses, hallebardes, javelots, et autres armes servans à la guerre, ensemble des chevaux, des cordages, et des toiles noyales, qui ne puissent servir qu'à faire voiles; pourront néammoins porter des bleds et grains de toutes sortes, legumes et autres choses servans à la vie, si ce n'est que les villes et places où ils les transporteront fussent attaquées par sa Majesté et que volontairement ils les y transportassent, sans y être forcéz par les ennemis de sa Majesté, et se servant par violence de leurs vaisseaux trouvez dedans leurs Portes, ou ailleurs; auquel cas pourront les Commandans des Vaisseaux de sa Majesté retenir les dits grains et autres choses servans à la vie, en payant leur juste valeur, suivant l'estimation qui en sera faite, sinon et à faute d'estimation et de payement en deniers comptans, les sujets desdites Villes Anséatiques pourront se retirer librement avec leurs vaisseaux et marchandises, si ce n'est qu'elles fussent de la qualité de celles spécifiées cy-dessus, pour être de contrebande 41.

the Py

§ 131. France having thus secured the consent of Treaty of one of the Great Maritime Powers to the mitigation renees of of the more severe rule, which made provisions Con- 1659. traband of War, came to an agreement with Spain on the same subject under the Treaty of the Pyrenees, A.D. 1659, which is most frequently referred to by Publicists as furnishing the rule for determining what is Contraband of War by the common consent of the Nations of Europe. It may be justly said, that there is no dispute amongst the Nations of Europe respecting the merchandise enumerated in the twelfth article of this treaty being all unlawful merchandise for neutral merchants to carry to an enemy's country:

ART. XII. Sub hujusmodi mercibus prohibitis, sive de Contre-bande, comprehensæ solummodo intelliguntur omnis generis machinæ ignivomæ et alia huc pertinentia instrumenta; verbi gratia, tormenta ænea majora, sclopeta, mor

41 Dumont, Traités, Tom. VI. Pt. II. p. 103.

taria, exostræ, globi incendiarii, granatæ, saucissæ, coronæ et serta ignea, tormentorum bellicorum fulcimina lignea, sclopetariorum furcillæ, coramina ad pulveris ac plumbi mensuras reponendas apta, pulvis pyrus, funes incendiarii, sal nitrum, glandes, longiores hastæ, gladii, cassides, galeæ, lorica, bipennes, sarissæ, equi, ephippia, bulge, quibus sclophi inseruntur, baltei, aliaque hujus farinæ ad bellum spectantia.

The next following article of the treaty, which excludes provisions from the list of Contraband of War may be considered to have the consent of all the Nations of Europe, so far indeed as it recognises the Right of a belligerent Power to confiscate the merchandise enumerated, if it is being carried to a blockaded port:

ART. XIII. Sub ejusmodi mercibus prohibitis sive de Contrebande minime comprehenduntur triticum, frumentum et alia grana, legumina, olea, vina, sal aut generaliter alia ulla; quæ aliæ omnes res vendibiles atque merces, quæ in præcedenti articulo expressæ non sunt, libertate fruuntur; eritque illorum transportatio, etiam in ipsa loca Corona Hispanicæ inimica, excepta Lusitania, prout dictum fuit, et urbibus locisque obsidione cinctis, circumclusis, aut invasis, permissa +2.

42 The Latin version of this Treaty will be found in Schmauss, Corpus Jur. Gent. Academium, p. 683; the French version is in Dumont, Traités, Tom. VI. Pt. II. p. 266

ART. XII. En ce genre de marchandises de contrebande s'entend seulement estre comprises toutes sortes d'Armes à feu, et autres assortissemens d'icelles; comme canons, mousquets, mortiers, pétards, bombs, grenades, saucisses, cercles poissez, affusts, fourchettes, bandolières, poudres, mesches, salpestre, balles, picques, espées, morions, casques, cuirasses, hallebardes, javelines, chevaux, selles de cheval, fourreaux de pistolets,

baudriers, et autres assortissemens servans à l'usage de la Guerre.

ART. XIII. Ne seront compris en ce genre de Marchandises de Contrebande, les fromens, bleds, et autres grains, legumes, huiles, vin, sel, ny généralement tout ce qui appartient à la nourriture et sustentation de la vie; mais demeureront libres, comme toutes autres marchandises et denrées non comprises en l'article précédent; et en sera le transport permis, mesme aux lieux ennemis de la Couronne d'Espagne, sauf en Portugal, comme il a été dit, et aux villes et places assiegées, bloquées ou investies.

$132. The Dutch were not slow to follow the example of the Hanse Towns, and of Spain, and in 1662 concluded a treaty at Paris, with Louis XIV, whereby they agreed to limit the catalogue of Contraband of War to the articles enumerated in the Treaty of the Pyrenees. England and Sweden on the other hand kept themselves aloof, as they had agreed by a treaty concluded at Whitehall on 21 Oct. 1661, Treaty of to maintain the more severe rule. It was provided in 1661. by Art. XI of that Treaty, as follows:

Cautum tantummodo sit interim ne merces ullæ vocatæ contrabandæ, et specialiter nec pecunia nec commeatus, nec arma, bombarda cum suis igniariis et aliis ad eas pertinentibus, ignes missiles, pulvis tormentarius, fomites, alias lunten, globi, cuspides, enses, lanceæ, hastæ, bipennes, tormenta, tubi catapultarii, vulgo mortaria, inductiles sclòpi, vulgo petardæ, glandes igniariæ, missiles, vulgo granadæ, furcæ sclopetariæ, bandaliers, salpetræ, sclopeti, globuli seu pilæ quæ sclopetis jaculantur, cassides, galeæ, thoraces loricatæ, vulgo cuirasses, et similia armaturæ genera, milites, equi, omnia ad instruendos equos necessaria, sclopethecæ, balthei et quæcunque alia bellica. instrumenta, uti nec naves bellica et præsidiariæ hostibus suppeditanda devehantur ad alterius hostes, sine periculo, quod prædæ cedant absque spe restitutionis. Neque confœderatorum alteruter sinat ut suorum cujusquam operâ hostes aut perduelles alterius utantur, navesque vendantur, commodentur, ullove modo usui sint alterutrius hostibus aut perduellibus, ad ejus incommodum aut detrimentum; alterutri autem confœderatorum ejusve populo subditive cum alterius hostibus commercium habere, iisque merces quascunque (de quibus supra exceptum non est,) advehere licebit, idque, sive ullo impedimento, nisi iis in portubus, locisque, qui ab altero obsidentur; quod si acciderit, vel obsessoribus bona sua divendere vel ad alium quemvis portum non obsessum libere se conferre permissum est 43.

It will be observed, however, that whilst these two

43 Dumont, Traités, Tom. VI. Pt. II. p. 385.

Whitehall

Powers agreed to consider money, provisions, and ships, as prohibited articles, and so far in respect of Contraband of War adhered to the stricter practice, they proposed to adopt a more lenient rule in regard to cargoes going to besieged and blockaded towns, as instead of such cargoes, if captured on their way to such towns, being subject to Confiscation, they were made liable to Preemption only on the part of the captors. The provisions of this Treaty were renewed between Sweden and Great Britain in other treaties of Commerce concluded respectively in 1664, 1665, and 1666 Sweden, however, in the year 1667 concluded a treaty at the Hague (16 July 1667) with the United Provinces, under which, in order to put an end to all controversy as to what merchandise should be regarded as Contraband of War, the two Nations agreed to adopt the catalogue already referred to, as having been introduced by France into her treaties with Spain and the United Provinces 45. Great Britain very shortly afterwards, by the Treaty Treaties of of Breda (31 July 1667), entered into the same Madrid in system of concert as to Contraband of War with the 1667. United Provinces, having previously, by the Treaty of Peace and Commerce, concluded with Spain at Madrid, on March 14, 1667, agreed with that Power to adopt the rule of the Treaty of the Pyrenees. At Treaty of last, by the Treaty of St. Germain en Laye (24 Feb. 1677), Great Britain and France came to a common

Breda and

St. Ger

main en

Laye of

1677.

44 The Treaties of 1664 and 1665 are referred to in the first article of the Treaty of 1666. Dumont, Traités, Tom. VI. Pt. III. p. 83.

45 Art. III. Ut vero evitentur penitus atque amoveantur controversiæ et disceptationes, quæ ob designandam jam dictam mercem

de Contrabanda oriri aliquando possent, convenit utrinque, ac pro re rata habitum est, hoc in numero duci et censeri oportere arma quævis ad vim tam propulsandarn quam inferendam apta, præsertim, &c. Schmauss, Corp. Jur. Gent. Acad. p. 891.