The sun., 1904-07-20
Has Russia Violated International
Law?

Three Russian veesels--two OF them
the Smolensk and st. Petersburg, de-
scribed as auxiliary cruisers belonging
to the so-called volunteer fleet, and
the third, the Chernomoretz, a guard
ship belonging to the regular Black
Sea heet-have been permitted by the
Turkish Government to pass through
the Bosphorus from the Black Sea. The
two former ships are said to have been
unarmed during the passage through
the Straits, but to have received their
ornaments later. Emboldened by the
absence of any vehement protest on tho
part OF the Powers interested in tho
Treaty Of Paris, the Russians refrained
from taking this precaution in the matter
Of the Chernomoretz, which when she
entered the Bosphorus retained her
usual armament, consisting OF two
eight-inch guns, one six-inch gun, seven
quick-fring and machine guns, and two
torpedo tubes. Whether these acts will
be regarded as in themselves violations
Of treaty obligations sufficiently grave
to justify interposition on the part Of
England. Germany or France remains
to be seen. II the three vessels bad pro-
ceeded directly to Far Eastern waters,
their escape from the Black Sea might
have been treated as an accomplished
fact, q vehement remonstrance against
which might be deemed ine1pedient.
This has not been the course, how
ever, pursued by the vessels In ques-
ton. The two ships first named are
cruising in tho Red Sea, where they
have subjected merchantmen belong
ing to England and Germany to coercion
which it will be difficult to reconcile
with international law. On July Is the
St. Petersburg stopped the British
steamer Waipara and announced an
intention Of holding the vessel as prize.
At the end of four hours, however, a
guarantee having been given mean
while that there were neither arms nor
ammunition on board, the Waipara
was permitted to proceed. On the fol-
lowing day the Same cruiser captured
the Peninsular and Oriental Company's
steamer Malacoa, ON the charge that she
was carrying munitions Of war for the
Japanese Government. A third British
steamer, the Attention, has been seized.
on the ground that she was carrying
to Japan a cargo Of coal-which the St.
Petersburg Government, it will be re-
membered, has declared contraband
Of war. We observe, finally, that on
July IS the Russian cruiser Smolensk
seized and confscated flfty-five mail
bags on board the German steamer
Prinz Heinrich OF the North German
Lloyd Company.
So far as the Malacca Is concerned.
she was undoubtedly liable to seizure
on the high seas, II it be true that she
was carrying arms and ammunition
consigned to the Japanese Government.
Tho case Of tho Attention is different.
Her bill OF lading shows, we arc told.
that her cargo Of coal was consigned
to . British hrm in a Japanese port,
and was part Of large quantity OF the
combustible which had been contracted
for long before the outbreak Of the war
in the Far East. II It can be shown
that tho coal was not intended to be
used in Japanese military or naval
operations, II was not subject to con-
fscation; for other great maritime
Powers have not acquiesced In Russia's
arbitrary declaration that coal is con-
traband OF war. The seizure Of mail
bags on the Prinz Heinrich is obviously
analogous to what took place In the
case Of the German steamship Bundles
rath, from which mail bags were taken
by British warship on Dec. 20, 1899.
in Delagoa Bay. 1t will be remembered
that for this act. against which the
Berlin Government promptly protested,
Great Britain had to pay damages.
There are signs that public opinion
in London. Berlin and Toxic will not
permit these fragrant infringements Of
international law to be committed with
impunity. The correspondent Of the
London StdndGrd at the Japanese capital
cabled ON July IT that the influential
newspaper the JiT Shimpo that day
had expressed editorially the hope that
Great Britain would see to il that Turkey
lent Russia no further assistance by
allowing steamers Of the volunteer
feet to pass the Dardanelles. 1t added
that, In its judgment, Great Britain
was bound, under tho terms Of the
Anglo-Japanese alliance, to prevent
such assistance being given. The Lon
don Times, from the date Of the first
outrage, has protested earnestly against
the operations Of the cruiser st. Peters,
burg. and has called upon tho Balfour
Government to demand the release OF
the Attention and such indemnity as
shall be commensurate with the wrong
On July ls almost all the London news
papers commented With indignation on
the escape Of Russian war vessels from
the Black Sea, and insisted that their
Government should take immediate
action for the protection OF British COM
merce in the Red Sea and neighborins
! waters. The Dolly Telegraph, IN an
article that bears traoss of inspiration
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