The Express.
London, England, 1861-02-19 00:00:00

(Stamped, id. Additional.)

would be desirable that private property should be re-
=Lat sea or board the vessels of belligerents. General
ed that he wandered the right of blockade as
authorised by the law of nations was liable to very great
abuse, and that the only case in which a blockade woo
allowable was when a large army was nttaokisg
• place by lead while the fleet was doing the
name by ses, but be considered that to interrupt
trade by the blockade of a commercial port was an abuse
of the right which ought not to be permitted. That opened
a still wider question, and his answer to that despatch was
simply that as the war had ceased, and the treaty of Paris
ratified, it would oat be advisable to continue the discinsion.
With regard to the proposition itself, it was one of the
utmost magnitude, sod it was in effect this:—That where
there were two powers, one with a strung army and • weak
miry, and the other power with= army inferior in numbers
and a superior navy, the latterpowersbould forego all its ad-
vantage and leave the contest to be decided by this army.
(Haar, bear.) It was besides a mode in which a war would
be more prolonged than it was at present, because
the only way in which a great maritime power could
act as • belligerent was by crippling the power of its oppo-
nent, and in proportion to the greatness of its maritime
strength was the chance of bringing the war to a termina-
tion. (Hear, hear.) But If thin proposition be accepted,
that power would be given up which Great Britain poo-
ls the next plaos, he was persuaded that difficul-
ties in details would arise which would prove insurmounta-
ble. The mercantile navy of • belligerent would then be
free to enter the ports of its enemy, but no one could my
that amongst what might seem to he merchant ships on the
coast, there might not be some which were wad for the
Miof war.
.lt BIGHT rose to order. B. to ask whether
the noble lord was in order in going tto this difficult
and important subject, in answer to a question by an hon.
member, while other hon. members would have no oppor-
tunity of stating their views upon it, and which might be
different to those of the noble lord.

The SPEAKER said It ties nasal for the house to give
to ministers of the crown an opportunity of stating, in an-
swering questions of thatnature, their reasons for the course
they had adopted. The noble lord was explaining to the
house some reasons why he had not acted in the way which
the question of the boo, member pointed out—(bear, hear)
—and the house would consider whether the noble lord had
transgressed the limits allowed on such an occasion.
Lord J. RUSSELL said a select committee of that house
had made some recommendations in very positive terms,
end it might be thought that it was his duty to act upim
theme recommendations, and he was venturing to explain
why he did not consider that it would be prudent to take
any steps in the matter. He would not go further into the
argument except to say that the question was one which
affected the whole maritime power of this country, and any
minister of the crown ought to be most cautious before be
took further steps in respect to it. (Hear.)
BANKRUPTCY AND INSOLVENCY (SALARIES,