The Sun.
London, England, 1854-03-18 00:00:00

canstruction to be put upon it. With respect to my
letter to the consul at Riga, I should be very sorry that it
should appear to have been written with any unneces-
sary curtness or severity," or that it should in any way
inflict pain on the British merchants resident in Russia,
and I can truly state that such was not my intention.
(Hear.) During the time that I resided at the Court
of St. Petersburg, I feel bound to bear witness to
the honourable conduct and bearing of the British
subjects resident there, and, although I am ready to
agree with the noble lord as to the many disagreeable
calls we have made upon us relative to the persons and
property of British subjects resident in the country to
which our embassies may be attached, yet, with refe-
rence to the British residents at St. Petersburg, as far
as my experience goes, I must say that I never had the
slightest trouble or annoyance with them. (Hear, hear.)
The letter of which I am now speaking became neces-
sary in consequence of certain communications which
had been made by a gentleman resident in Russia to the
consul and authorities at Riga. This gentleman was not
going to leave Russia, but, on the contrary, to remain
resident there ; aud he wrote and and asked whether he
might import Russian goods from Russian ports with
safety. The subject was referred to me about a month
ago, and I immediately took advantage of all the means
at my command to ascertain what the law was with re-
ference to it ; and, having ascertained it, I stated it as
clearly and as concisely as I could in my despatch to
the consul at Riga, and in such despatch I explained to
him that, by the law and practice of nations, a bellige-
rent had a right to consider as enemies all persons who
resided in a hostile country, or who maintained com-
mercial establishments therein, whether such persons
Were by birth neutrals, allies, enemies, or fellow-sub-
jects ; that the property of such persons exported from
such country was ?vs h,ostiunt, and, as such, was looked
upon as a lawful prize of war. Such property would,
in fact, be condemned as prize, although its owner
might be a native-born subject of the captor's coun-
try, and although it might be in transitu to that
country ; and the fact of its being laden on
board a• neutral ship would not protect it. I
am exceedingly sorry that the law should be
considered to be unnecessarily severe upon this
question, but, in writing the despatch to whi h the noble
lord has called attention, it was not my duty to indulge
in any comments as to its severity, but merely to state
clearly, distinctly, and explicitly what the law really
was. (" Hear," and cheers.) I only wanted to inform
him of the truth of what the law was, and what he would
expose himself to if he did what he had announced it
was his intention to do. I certainly did allude to licenses
and facilities that might he given ; but, without knowing
under what circumstances he was going to export his
produce, and, in fact, knowing none of the pa,rtienia.rs of
the case, I thought I was going to the utmost, extent al-
lowable, without the fear of leading him into error, when
I adverted to such facilities, and informed him of the
state of the law, leaving him to decide for himself.
During the last few days I have received at the Foreign-
office very numerous applications indeed on the important.
subject to which the noble marquis has referred, many of
them requesting information on point, of law, others
with regard to the safety of transactions in which they
are engaged, aud others regarding, the use of the Ruisia,ti
flag in consequence of the dearth of shipping experienced
this year, and many others putting a string of hypothe-
tical cases which it would require no common ingenu'i'ty
to unravel. I consider it to be no part of my duty to give
answers to a great many of these questions that have been
put to me ; but still I have no wish to make use of official
reserve, and therefore I have endeavoured to give all the
information in my power ; hut ydur lordships will un-
derstand that great caution was necessary in doing so,
from the fear, iu the first place, of leading parties into
errors which might have led to their injury; and, secondly,
not to commit the Government to courses which might
have involved great responsibility. (Hear.) With
respect to the intentions of her Majesty's Government,
it has been impossible hitherto—though I need hardly
tell you that there is every desire on the part of the Go-
vernment to give all the protection possible to British
commerce and British property—it has not been possible
hitherto to determine on what principle the dispensing
power of the Crown will be exercised—whether licenses
or orders in Council shall be resorted to—till- we know
all the particular cases and the infinite variations which
distinguish them. (Hear, hear.) There is also this
point to be borne in mind—that we are, for the first
time, engaged with a naval ally, and, therefore, it is our
duty to be very blear as to the principles we are about to
adopt, and the departure which we shall sanction from
our former law and practice, as well as the bona fide
character of every transaction, before we can call on the
French Government to adopt those principles, and to
protece British commerce and property in a way that
the French might not, in ordinary circumstances, see to
be right. A great variety of cases has now been brought
under the consideration of her Majesty a Government,
and we are now very nearly in a position to determine
what rule of conduct to adopt and what facilities to
afford ; but I should be sorry to enter into any particu-
lars on this subject, and my noble friend has given a very
good reason why, when he stated that the accounts which
have appeared in two papers are entirely at variance
with each other ; but I think we are nearly in a position
to determine the principle on which we will allow
licenses; and I therefore only say at the present time, in
answer to the observations with which my noble friend
concluded his speech, that, in so far as concerns protec-
tion to British subjects and commerce, it is the determi-
...atm of her Majesty's Government to act with the ut-
most liberality consistent with the rights of belligerents.
With respect to the rights of neutrals, and with respect
to letters of marque, I trust we are about to set an ex-
ample of liberality by which we shall be able to show that
as far as it is in our power, it is our intention to mitigate
the calamities of war, and to act in a manner that shall
be consistent with the humanity and civilisation of the
age. (Hear, hear.) I have only to say, further-,-that it
is of great importance that our own foreign nations
should be apprised at as early a period as possible of the
course which the Government intend to pursue, and I
hope, therefore, in a few days to be able to lay the cor-
respondence applicable to this subject on your lordships'
table. (Hear.)
The house then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—(YESTERDAY.)
The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.
The Scarborough Market Bill was considered and
agreed to.