New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-04-05
yryE MORALITY or TIE .sNTERNA-
T.nxAL MARITIME CODE.

Il
Commons regarding 1be morality OF lnterna
tioual maritime law, which ought not 70 eS
cane attention. The English Mi"ister was de
lrndiog the policy of the Government OF "Oic'
he was the leader at the time 1t accepted III
doctrines of the Paris Conference, when n
used The following words:
been fully cd that the eny rev Psot OF II
declaration Iof Pasl sT conesrsed Is ihA %
Lb declares tibet enemies property ha BE- Tree rom Gag
te In neutral bottoms The other parssro OG law and tn
S.csta,iou a. TO bocksdes is repetition OF that vino
vs. well known before. liiesr hssL ny hosoraole Snh
tho member for Bmins ham iM bTigh) haS i1y sho"i
wise snd PDc measure on the part oi '"e "0
to adopt the p Gil le that tie neutral nag sho1il
cover euenles goods sad he bss also shown that Il was
the doctrine Of almost every o'hsr maritime power IN the
world AID that Il hsd persisted IN Ietsrins the o
posle doctrine ard had BEEN at with maritime STATE
we SHOULD have run the risk Of soiDg to var with other
powers, Hear iesr But there principle upoa "ca
A. ~ seems to this doctrine should stand "o nave
lately sntsiued principle that ships Of our nation are
the territory that The territory csono' DO H'hee
With co. ,uny aud that passenger cannot be taken OUT o.
our hip. wi explanation The same principle which
applies 10 ld,iduas will Apply to goods But the sopna
upcn which the scnted 10 thst dec!sr1n q
Psris that III, pe.ent relative 70 zion Of the great
itine Pow es Of the woro fs. We P'rst'd in main
iu, dueirls vbcb other patton entertained would
involve NJ in the tbauce Of hosrs with more than one
POKER, II We cane iLto conflict with any"
The declaration 10 which Lord Palmerston
refers was the result "a be briefly explains,
of an agreement on the subject Of the maritime
RIGHTS on neutrbls in time Of war. 1t IL well,
however, 30 reproduce in full the points agreed
upon BY the contracting Powers. in the Con-
gross of Paris, there were representatives OF
Great Britain Austria, France, Russio, Prus-
sia, Sardinia and Turkey; and on .be 10th day
of April. 1856, they agreed as follows; Thai
priyateering IL and remains abolished; that the
neutral flag covers enemy's goods with the
exception of contrabaDd of war; that neutral
goods, with the exception OF cOntraband OF
war, are not Liable to capture under an enc
m,'s flag; and that bockndes, III order TO De
binding, must be effective. The Only part
however, oi these decaratOry covenants which
Lord PumorstOn regards Us new to Engh'h
usage Ia tlme OF war, is that whrh provide
for the protection OF non-c0niraband goods I'M
der neutral dag, and 1t II the grouEd
on which he justifes the assent OF In
gland 10 the new doctrine that challenge
our admiration - not for the lbefallt!
or the Justice Of the concession made-but Tor
the audacity with which be offers an excuse
for the act itself. The justice of the provision
that goods not contrabsnd Of var should be-
held safe IN neutral bottoms, the English Min
ister i, careful not to recognize even now,
after the Treaty of Paris has been 10 operation
o.gb! years; bg, hii argument If thai, as " &c
d" was the doctrine Of almost every other mari
time Power, and II England rad persisted
g" ia retaining the opposite doctrine, aud had
q been 20 war with maritime State, sho
,logh have run the risk of going 70 war
with other Powers "-theroiofe, expediency
dictated .ho concession. England 10 other
words. being unable 10 do better, permitted
trr-olf 70 bo out,oted ia tLe Congress Of
1850.
Still more audncious, If possible, ia the sup
Elementary excuse which Lord Palmerston
oaog, for the partial advance made by the En-
gish Government toward just and humane
Interpretation of peutral maritime rights.
Pointing directly to the Trent affair, bis Lord.
ship, with admirable nonchalance, says: I'VE
a. have lately maintained the principle that ships
" Of our nation are the same as territory; that
- the territory cannot be violated with i'm
punity, and that passengers cannot be taken
" out OF our .hips without explanation" Our
reader, can hardly fail to zee hoY this human-
tartan doctrine doyetals with tina ut,erarce of
the English Premier made in the Ssme breath,
that England only ceased to perHtt in the
doctrine that the enemy's goods were not
covered by Neutral fog when she found that
by such persistence she would " run the risk
of going % war with otbor Powers"
The Esglnh Minister candor, however,
must be held "a 10 .ome sort . palaion Of
tho questionable nst,re of the morality which
he claims for the policy Of his Government.
When b. delivered tue speech from which We
have quoted, in tho House of Commons, on
Tie l'th d last U0nh. he may have partly for
goisen that he ras jushfyiDg Mr.. Stewards pro-
peal oi tho 2Hh OF April last-so much yllfed
/ ~ EnglaRd--bF tho accession of the United
otaiss G0geIlment TO tho declaration OF Paris.
/ II EnglaD herssH only aosonted 10 that declara-
ton when eSpedlency dictated assent, the Pal
mtisson argument 10 as good Tor US as for our
kHsmsp, 30 whom 1t was addressed; aud if we
tad no other ground TO tall back ON for 3 jus.
hhcsVon Of lhe lateness OF Mr.. Stewards pro-
losS, we might safely claim q favorable judg
neht from Do unbiased opinion of the world
30, il hsppene, "a every ono knows. that We
l II ~ Il a.. Al.