The Sun.
London, England, 1854-05-26 00:00:00

" A NNEX TO THE CONVENTION BETWEEN FRANCE AND

GREAT BRITAIN, SIGNED AT LONDON TILE 10Tli M.Y.
" Instructions for the Commanders of the vessels o
war of his Majesty the Emperor of the French and her
Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland.
" You will find annexed a copy of a Convention signed
on the 10th of this month between his Majesty the Em-
peror of the French and her Majesty the Queen of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, for regu-
lating the jurisdiction to which is to belong the condem-
nation of prizes taken in common by the allied naval
forces or of merchant vessels belonging to the subjects
of one of the two states by the cruisers of the other, as
well as the mode of division of the proceeds of the prizes
taken in common. In order to secure the execution of
this convention, you will have to conform to the follow-
ing instructions :
"Art. 1. When, after an action in common, you shall
have to draw up the report or minute of a capture, you
will take care to indicate with exactitude the names of
the vessels of war present at the action, as well as of
their commanders, and as nearly as possible the number
of men on board of those vessels at the commencement
of the action, without distinction of rank. You will
band a copy of this report or minute to the officer of the
allied power who shall have had the chief command in
the action, and you will conform to the instructions of
that officer as far as regards the measures to be taken
for the management and condemnation of the prizes
thus taken in common under his command. If the ac-
tion has been commanded by an officer of your nation,
you will conform to the regulations of your own country,
and you will confine yourself to delivering to the senior
officer of the allied power, present in the action, a certi-
fied copy of the report or minute which you shall have
drawn up.
" Art. 2. When you shall have made a capture in
presence, and in sight of an allied vessel of war, you will
mention exactly in the report which you will draw up,
whether the captured vessel be a vessel of war, and, in
the minute of the capture, if it be a merchant vessel, the
number of men you had on board at the commencement
of the action, without distinction of rank, as well as the
name of the allied vessel of war in sight, and, if it be
possible, the number of men on board, also without dis-
tinction of rank. You will deliver a certfied copy of
your report or minute to the commander of that vessel.
"Art. 3. When, in case of the violation of blockade,
transporting contraband articles' land or sea forces of
the enemy, or official despatches from or for the .enemy,
you shall stop or seize a merchant vessel belonging to
the allied country, you must-1. Draw up a report,
stating the place, the date, and the motive for stopping
the vessel ; her name, that of the captain, the number
of the crew, and containing also the exact description
of the ship and of her cargo. 2. Collect into one
package and seal up, after taking an inventory of the
same, all the papers found on board—such as papers
of nivienality or of ownership, passports, charter par-
ties, bills of lading, invoices, or other documents calcu-
lated to prove the nature and ownership of the vessel
and cargo. 3. Put seals on the hatchways. 4. Put on
board an officer and such a number of men as you may
think necessary to take charge of the vessel and carry
her in safety. 5. Send the vessel to the nearest port of
the Power whose flag she bore. 6. Hand over the vessel
to the authorities of the port to which you shall have
sent her, with a copy of the minute and of the inventory
above-mentioned, and with the sealed package contain•
ing the papers found on board.
" Art. 4. The officer in charge of the captured vessel
shall cause a receipt to be given to him, stating the de-
livery of the vessel, of the sealed package, and of the co-
pies of the minute and the inventory above-mentioned.
l
Art. 5. In case of distress, if the captured vessel shall
not be in a state to continue the voyage, the offier
charged to carry into a port of the allied powers a. ptrize
made of a merchant vessel of that power may run inndohae
port of his own country, or into a neutral port,
will then deliver up his prize to the local authorities if
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" Art. 6. Women, children, and civilians, who may
be on board the vessel seized shall not be considered as
prisoners, but may be freely allowed to land. With
this exception, and those which may be suggested to you
for your safety, you will not let any one leave the vessel ;
under any circumstances you will keep on board the
captain, the supercargo, and those whose evidence may