The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-08-26

tween treat BflIaIu anu IkuSSAd oh@IS
 to the captures made by the volunteer fleet steamers which had passed the
 DardaneIIes in the character of vessels other than war vessels, as all were
 aware. This led to an acute eontro- yersy and the Russian government
 gave assurances, without making a statement on the question of the prin- eiples involved, that vessels of this fleet I.Would not make further captures. Then when the Smolensk stopped an- other British vessed the Comedian) a painful impression was created and the government made urgent inquiries as
 to how this could be reconciled with former assurances. Mir Balfour said he hoped that they might really consider the episodes con- Inected with the volunteer fleet as now entirely ended.
 Most assuredly," said the premier,
 should the volunteer fleet steamers att
 tempt further captures, which do not
 think they will. no such captures would be recognized by us or by the
 Russian government. :"
 This, however obviously, was only part of a large problem which the po- sition of belligerency raised. The pro-
 blem was one of considerable complex ity, owing to the fact that no circum-
 stances precisely similar had occurred
 for a large number of years. It was not clearly proved that the Russians differentiated between British and oth-
 CT foreign ships to the disadvantage of
 Great Britain, but, if this was shown to be the case it would be most seri- lous situation. The deputation might
 rely that the declaration on the subject in the kings speech was no mare vague language, but that the British govern Ement meant exactly what it said and
 that the rights of the great shipping
 trade of Great Britain would not be ig- nored by the British government, or Iany government to which British inter- ests were confided.
 Regarding contrabrand of war, Mir.
 Balfour said it was difficult to define clearly what contrabrand of war was,
 but the principle which his majesty's
 government had laid down was that
 warlike stores carried to belligerent tcoal shipped for the purpose of aiding in warlike operations and foodstuffs in tended for an army in the field, or for
 the purpose of aiding troops, were all Econtrabrand of war; but his maiesty's
 government had not accepted the doc
 Urine laid down with some Russian no- tifications, to the effect that coal, food
 stuffs, cotton, and many other things were absolutely contrabrand of war, and that tn efact that they were found ion board a ship justified the seizure of the goods, an in certain cases the con fiscation of the vessel. The case had been put most clearly by Lord Lans-
 downe to the Russian government. and from the position taken there was no possibility of his majesty's government Ireceding.
 MT. Balfour carefully reviewed the cases of alleged differential tratment.
 He said there was no evidence as yet
 that fair treatment would not be meted
 out to all, and that in his opinion the
 cases cited hardly bore out the serious contention of discrimination against
 British shipping, but should t, against his own sincere belief, appear that there T6dllyf Ildu UGSIl ulSCIllllllls1lIUll llAG 6ON-
 ernment would take every step to end
 such disastrous state of things, which
 he refused even to contemplate. The Edeputation must remember that bellig- ferents had rights as well as neutrals,
 and the premier added:
 ''We ourselves may have to appeal tc ! the law of nations to protect our rights as belligerents, and in the interests of tour own self-preservation we may be obliged to ignore the interests of neu- Etral shippers engaged in the risky though legitimate, operation of carry ing contrabrand of war.
 The premier appealed to the deputa- ton in the interest of themselves and of the world at large to view both sides
 of the question and to approach it in the spirit of moderation.
 Tn conclusion Mr. Balfonr said the shipping industries might rely on the
 government doing everything right and Ijust to protect their interests as well as those of the whole great mercantile community.