The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-14 00:00:00

We have received communications, from several cor-
respondents in which it is alleged that for the facilities
afforded to Russian commerce, at Memel and on the
Vistula, the British and not the Prussian Government
is to blame. The writers of these letters leave entirely
out of view .the fact that the Prussian Government has
at least twice allowed large quantities of lead to be
shipped from Bromberg to Warsaw on account of the
Russian Government for the mannufacture of bullets :
by allowing the shipment, therefore,. the Prussian Go-
vernment has connived at or sanctioned the transmission
of contraband of war from its ports to the interior of
Russia.
As for the exportation of flax and other Russian pro-
duce from Memel, that is attributed by the correspond-
entsweallude to entirely to the recognition by the British
.Goverkment, at the commencement of hostilities of the
principle " tree flag snakes free goods." They who make
this allegation fur let to ask themselves whether the Bri•
esih WrOvernment could avoid rzcognisint,,, the principle
presentas inmost wars, there are three parties to b.!
;134 t .idered—the two belligeieuts
,and neutta's. Neu-
. teats have rights as well, as belligerents ; arid one of these .
,r3utral rights is thaelte belligerents, while fightit..; out
• eir quarrel-, shall inflict as little annoyance or hindrance
"on the'trade-of the neutrals as possible.. Unless the
rinciple of " free flag snakes free goods" be admitted,
every neutral vessel must be liable to search by the,
cruisers of the belligerents. The exercise of a rght of
search has, been foti,nd
.extremely liable to alms!. On
his account an attempt was made (for the first time)
shout the middle of last century, to establish the
principle "free flag makes free goods," which must
have the effect of limiting the right of search to
such vessels as could reasonably be suspected of carry-
ing contraband of war. The benefit of this limita-
tion to neutrals is obvious ; for what concerns bellige-
rents its operation is " asi broad as it is long." If "'free
flag makes free goods," it•follows of course that "unfree
flag makes unfree goods." -Any advantage which neu-
tral traders, under the application of. the principle, may
have over traders the subjects of belligerents is a neces-
sary consequence of the one being at peace and the other
at war. In equity the British Government could not re-
fuse to adopt the principle "free flag makes free goods ;"
as a matter of policy it could not refuse it. The history
of the " armed neutrality" ought to convince every rea-
,ioning man that, by refusing to recognise the principle,
England would run the risk of converting all the Powers
now neutral (the United States included) into enemies:
Had -the Prussian Government only allowed its sub-
jects to avail themselves of the advantages derivable
from the recognitiOn of this principle it would only have
been acting in its own right. But what is iniquitous in
the conduct of Prussia is its allowing its subjects at
Ketnel to lend themselves to transactions by which pro-
duce the property of Russian subjects is made to appear
the property of non• Russian subjects. It is boastfully
recorded by a Russian journal that the trade iu Russian
produce on the Niemen is principally carried on by the
parties who have hitherto been . engaged in the
astenSive smuggling operations carried on along
that fiontier. It appears from the extraordinary
precautions which the authorities have been obliged
to take since the fire at Memel, to prevent depreda-
dons, that the trade in Russian produce has drawn
together a dangerous number of irregular characters in
let town. These circumstances corroborate the strong
,uspicions which have gone abroad that the duties for-
merly imposed upon Russian produce crossing the Prus-
iian frontier have not been faithfully collected since the
beginning of hostilities, and that Custom-house certifi-
cates of goods being the property of non-Russian sub-
jects have been issued without proper evidence having
been demanded as to whose property they really were.
These are the acts on the part of the Prussian Govern-
ment and it functionaries which are justly complained of
1,5 violations of neutrality.