The times., 1898-04-12
NEUTRAL NATIONS.
Their Rights and Obligations in
Time of War.

the boundary line into Switzerland.
They were disarmed, and while the Of
ficers were accorded a certain amount
of restricted liberty ON parole. the men
were kept under close guard in various
camps and fortified places of the little
republic until the end of the war, and
at the expense of the French govern
ment, which, in accordance with usage,
refunded to Switzerland all that the
keep of its troops had cost. So deter
mined was the federal government 10
avoid any complaint ON the part of the
German government that the laws of
neutrality had not been properly OBJ
served. that, although popular sympa-
thy in the cantons De Faude and Gen.
eva was all in favor of the French,
/ can recall seeing Swiss sentinels
standing along the shore of the lake
shooting to kill at French soldiers who
were endeavoring to escape across the
water to the French shore on the op-
posite side, scarcely a couple of hours
row distant.
1t is in view of eventualities of an
analogous kind on this side of the At
lantic that Great Britain is now going
to the trouble and expense of dispatch
ing a large body of troops, several thou
sand men, in fact, to Jamaica, and
that, too, at the most unhealthy season
of the year, the regiments which have
been stationed at Halifax during the
winter being especially likely to suf-
fer from the change of climate. ia
maica Is the nearest neutral territory
to Cuba. In fact, there are places
where the distance from shore to shore
is even less than twenty miles. There
fore. it is natural when the Spanish
troops are routed by the American
forces, as England anticipates is GER
tain to be the case, the defeated OFF,
GERS and soldiers will seek refuge in
the island of Jamaica.
1t will thereupon become the impera-
tive duty OF England to treat the Span
ish fugitives in identically the same
manner as the French army of Gen.
Bourbaki was treated by the Swiss of
1870; that is to say. the officers will be
permitted to reside on parole in GER
tain specified towns and settlements
of the island, reporting themselves to
the authorities on regularly appointed
days, while the rank and file will be
placed under strict guard in camps or
within the precincts of fortresses, as
far removed as possible from the coast.
AT the present moment the British
forces in the island Of Jamaica consist
in the main of a so-called 'blackfoot"
regiment; that is to say, a corps of
West Indian negroes, officered by white
men, who are not precisely the cream
of the holders of Queen Victoria'S COM
mission, but rather the reverse; while
1T ~ ~I,.,.z
about 100, half company Of Berkshire
infantry. These forces. of course, would
be wholly unable to keep under proper
control a horde of several thousand
armed and desperate Spanish fugitives.
who might either turn their attention
to pillage or else use the less frequent
ed portions of the Jamaica coast as
basis for renewed attacks upon Cuba.
Two thousand English troops have
already been ordered TO the island. and
it is probable that more Will follow
from England as quickly as possible.
The English soldiers assigned to this
duty are hardly likely to enjoy the job,
for of all the tasks that fall within the
province of the army this is assuredly
the most disagreeable, especially when
it has to be performed in so dreary
an island as Jamaica. at the most un-
healthy, depressing and demoraliZing
period of the year. The troops have
to undergo all the hardshipS of cam
paigning without receiving any of the
customary rewards in the shape of pro-
motion. medals or fame. Yet. were
they to be remiss in the performance
of this work, disagreeable though ii
may be. the United States Government
would have a valid cause for demand
ing heavy damages from England for
any harm to life or property that Span
iards escaping from Jamaica and re-
turning to Cuba might perpetrate.
The new governor of Jamaica is
man of considerable energy and
strength of character, whose tenure of
office as governor of British Guinea
has VIGOROUSLY inspired him with
profound dislike for the Spanish races,
both those indigenous TO the soil of the
Western hemisphere as we'll as those
who hail from the land of Don QuiXote.
Sir Augustus Heming may be relied
upon, therefore, TO see that every Span
lard or every Cuban who sets his foot
on the island of Jamaica after the war
has once begun is put under lock and
key and kept there safely until the
struggle is at an end, at the expense,
of course, of the Spanish government.
Another question which is going to
give rise to a good deal of trouble is
that of a blockade The United States
will probably declare a blockade of the
Cuban coast, and it is extremely doubt
full whether any English or other neu-
trail ship will attempt to evade its pro-
visions, but ii is announced at Madrid
as we'll as other European capitals, that
the Spanish propose to declare a block
ade of the entire Atlantic coast of the
United States, from Boston down to
! New Orleans. insisting that ii has a
sufficient naval force to render it ef-
fective Without a blockade neutral
ships flying neutral flags and carrying
American freight not contraband of
war are perfectly safe from capture
by virtue of the terms of the Paris con-
vention of 1856, and of a treaty con-
cluded between the United States and
Spain in 1918 If a blockade be de-
clared of the American coast by the
Spanish government, the latter can.
theoretically. assert the right not mere
ly to search, but to capture and even
sink every neutral vessel attempting
to either enter or leave a United States
port Thus, If the Spaniards were to
include New York in their blockade
as they certainly will. the Cunard,
White Star, Campagnie, Transatlan-
tiaue and other Old World lines of
steamers would have TO suspend their
service. unless they wished to expose
themselves to the risk of being cap
tured or sunk by the first Spanish war
| ship which they may happen to run
into.
1t must be thoroughly understood
| that a blockade is not necessarily con-
| fined to a single seaport. but may ex-
| oil ho wi
| sembles a siege on land, with this diff
| farence that there is no infantinr, On