Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-04-26
SOMERS CANNOT SAIL
England's Neutrality Proclamation
Will Keep Her at Falmouth.
CREW DISCHARGED and PAID OFF
American Fleet Forced Outof Hong
Kong by Same Order.
LSO AFFECTS AIN

FALMOUTH. England. April 26.-Com-
mander Ha Teton of the United States tor
pedo boat Somers was notified last even
| ing, as a result Of the neutrality meas
ures adopted by the British government,
that he must not leave the waters. Conse-
| qLently. the Somers lowered her penrant
| at O'Clock this afternoon.
| A British torpedo boat has taken up a
position in her vicinity. The fires of the
| Scmers will be quenched and the crew of
| the torpedo boat will be paid off today.
| The Somers will then be lowed further up
| the harbor and will be moored until fur
| Their orders.
One American and four Scandinavian sea-
| rren arrived here today from London to
| join the Somers. The customs authorities
| sent them to the sailors home and warned
| them that they will be arrested if they
leave the building.
PrOcIamatio of Neutrality.
An extraordinary issue of the London Ga
zette this morning contains the customary
royal program of neutrality, defining the at
| tftude of British officials and British sub
| jects during the war between Spain and the
United States. 1t is identical with the pro-
| gram issued at the time Of the ChinQsJapa-
| nese war.
The instructions of the foreign Office to
the admiralty and colonial authorities,
regulating the belligerents' use of British
ports. is dated April % and gives the bel
ligerents twenty-four hours to leave.
This accounts for the departure Of the
United States squadron from Hong Kong
and the orders given to the Spanish torpedo
boat AudaZ to leave Queenstown
The proclamation fills four pages of the
Gazette, and begins: Victoria, r.: Whereas
we are happily at peace with all sover-
eigns, powers and states, and whereas a
state of war unhappily exists between his
majesty the King Of Spain, and, in his
name and during his minority, between her
majesty the queen regent OF the kingdom,
and the United States of America and be-
tween their respective subjects, citizens and
others inhabiting within their countries,
territories or dominions."
Point Gained Against Spain.
LONDON, April 26.-The dismissal of the
United States squadron from Hong Kong
and the apparent severity of the British
government in regard to the United States
torpedo boat Somers at Falmouth, the As
sociated Press hears, We're incidents prear-
ranged by diplomacy, the object being to
force the Spanish government to order the
Spanish fleet to leave the Cape Verde ISL
ands and to'prevent other nations at a crit
ical moment from Offering similar hospital
ity.
Coal COntrabanL of War.
Some of the newspapers here assert that
the rule in regard to coal being contraband
of war is new, but it is identical with Lord
Granville S proclamation of $780, at the time
of the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian
war, and identical with the proclamation
issued at the Tina of the commencement Of
hostifties between China and Japan, pro-
hibiting supplies being furnished to bellig-
erent ships, except provisions and coal suf-
fc!ent to carry a vessel to the nearest port
of her own country, no coal to b. again
supplied to the same ship, without special
permission, within three months of the
time she had previously been supplied