The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-08-03
BRITAIN MAKES DFs,sDS.
Russian Government Must
Salute British Fir ~


Government has sent instructions to
Sir Charles Hardinge, the British Am
bassador to Russia, to energetically
protest against the sinking of the
British steamer Knight Commander
by the Russian Vladivostok squadron.
Until the presentation of the note
to the Russian Government the great
est secrecy will be maintained regard
ing its contents, bat it is known that
Premier Bafour and his colleagues
have decided to demand that the
fullest reparation shall be made by
! Russia or measures will be taken
10 follow up the diplomatic demands,
The British note, as Sir Charles
Hardlnge will submit it, will not men
ton the amount of indemnity Rus
sia must pay the owners of the ship
and the British subjects having goods
on board the vessel, but all that will
be sought will tr the establishment
of principle of indemnity and
apology. A salute of the British flag
must also be conceded and the future
protection of neutral shipping as.
sured.
That the Government regards the
sinking OF the Knight Commander
as breach OF International law was
confirmed by Premier Balfour in the
House Of Commons.
A lengthy meeting of the defense
committee took place, under the
presidency of Premier Bafour, al
which the Attorney General, Sit
Robert Finlay. was present. The
Attorney General docs not usually at.
tend these meetings, but it was stated
that the questions at issue between
Russia and Great Britain were under
discussion, and that Sir Robert was
called in to advise as to the question.
OF international law.
The attitude OF the British Govern.
mcnt is the result of the thorough
consideration given to the reports re
ceived from Sir Claude Macdonald
the British Minister at Toxic, and tn,
examination of international Law
authorized by legal experts. The dis
patches received from Sir Claud,
Macdonald confirm the reports tha
the Knight Commander had no con
traband of war on board for Japan
The Government and all the British
authorities, it is asserted, unite or
the point that there was no justifca
tion for the sinking of the vessel.
1t is felt in Government circles thai
the Knight Commander incident over.
shadows the Rcd sea seizures, which
practically have been adjusted.
In the light of the declaration OF
the Russian Government respecting
contraband of war, made three week!
after hostilities commenced, no rep.
resentations have been made by Count
Benckendorff, the Russian Ambas.
sador, to Foreign Secretary Lands
downe regarding the Knight Com.
mander, the Ambassador not having
received advices from st. Petersburg
on the subject, nor is it seen by the
Russian diplomats how it is possible
for their Government to make q
prompt answer to the British de.
mands.
1t is not known when the Vladi.
vo.tok squadron will return to port
The commander of the squadron, il
is pointed out, unquestionably sieze1
the papers of the vessel, including
her manifest, and, therefore, will be
able to present reasons to show why
he sank the ship, and with these
reasons in their possession the Rus.
sian authorities will be able to com,
pete their answer to the British rep.
reservations.
In the opinion OF these diplomats,
the cargo, or at least a portion of the
cargo, of the Knight Commander in.
cluded contraband of war under the
Russian declaration.
Attention is specifically called to the
feature of the declaration saying that
neutral ships with contraband OF
war of any sort can, according to cir
cumstances, be not only seized, buf
confscated. it is contended, she car
be sunk as well.
While Russia holds that her decla'
ration has never been seriously ques.
toned the British authorizes claim
tlat the British Ambassador at St
Petersburg first specifically reserved
the rights of his Government in case
Of an emergency arising, and, later,
flied objections against the various
provisions of the declaration. The
United States also reserved her rights
when acknowledging the receipt OF
the Russian declaration.
The British authorities are per.
sistent in their desire to induce the
United States to make a declaration
in respect to the policy it proposes to
pursue in the matter of the protec-
ton of commerce, but nothing has yet
been done so far as known here.