Refuge Under Brazilian Treaty.

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C'est le moyen le plus sûr de se conformer au véritable esprit de la neutralité. On ne procède pas, en ce faisant, avec trop de rigueur, car on évitera ainsi l'extrémité de fermer les ports à ces navires, ce qui pourrait entraîner pour eux de sérieux dommages, et d'autre part on évitera les complications que la difficulté de cette délicate question pourrait soulever.

On ne peut procéder ici de la même manière que dans le cas de navires en détresse par suite d'avaries provenant de l'état de la mer.

Dans ce dernier cas la solution admise par tous c'est de laisser libre de repartir le navire accueilli dans ces conditions, mais s'il n'est pas fait ainsi et si dans se cas particulier, on accorde le refuge, on commettrait une première infraction au principe de l'inviolabilité des ports et des eaux neutres, infraction qui naturellement sera considérée comme complète si l'on n'exige pas la sortie subséquente du navire belligérant, après le délai habituel de 24 heures de son séjour dans ces ports ou dans ces eaux.

Une considération d'humanité doit déterminer sans doute les neutres à recevoir un navire belligérant poursuivi; ce secours étant indispensable pour qu'il échappe à un danger qui peut compromettre gravement la situation de ceux qui se trouvent à son bord ou qui peut l'exposer à une perte certaine s'il ne se réfugie pas dans le premier port qui se présente à lui.

Mais une fois que ce devoir est accompli, qu'on a laissé de côté les règles établies sur ce sujet pour ne plus faire place qu'aux sentiments chrétiens, qui commandent non seulement qu'on accueille le navire, mais même qu'on aille à son secours, pour le sauver, on admet aujourd'hui pour faciliter au neutre le maintien de sa neutralité que ces navires devront être retenus dans les ports et les eaux neutres, y être désarmés et qu'ils ne pourront reprendre aucune part aux hostilités pendant la durée de la guerre. (Deux. Conf. de la Paix, Tome III, p. 582.)

Refuge under Brazilian treaty.-The treaty of 1828 with Brazil would be binding in case one of the parties to the war was net also a party to the Hague convention. Article 8 provides:

Whenever the citizens or subjects of either of the contracting parties shall be forced to seek refuge or asylum in the rivers, bays, ports or dominions of the other, with their vessels, whether of merchant or of war, public or private, through stress of weather, pursuit of pirates or enemies, they shall be received and treated with humanity, giving to them all favor and protection, for repairing their ships, procuring provisions, and placing themselves in a situation to continue their voyage without obstacle or hindrance of any kind. (Treaties and Conventions, 1776-1909, vol. 1, p. 136.)

This article makes special provision for asylum for vessels of war pursued by enemies until they can place "themselves in a situation to continue their voyage without obstacle or hindrance of any kind." A strict interpretation of such an article would nullify the doctrine. of internment.

Brazilian neutrality proclamation, 1898.-Article 8 of the treaty of 1828 does not seem to accord with the clauses of the Brazilian neutrality proclamation issued during the Spanish-American War of 1898.

VI. No warship or privateer shall be permitted to enter and remain, with prizes, in our ports or bays during more than 24 hours, except in case of a forced putting into port, and in no manner shall it be permitted to it to dispose of its prizes or of articles coming out of them.

By the words "except in case of a forced putting into port should also be understood that a ship shall not be required to leave port within the said time:

First. If it shall not have been able to make the preparations indispensable to enable it to go to sea without risk of being lost. Second. If there should be the same risk on account of bad weather.

Third. And, finally, if it should be menaced by an enemy.

In these cases, it shall be for the Government, at its discretion, to determine, in view of the circumstances, the time within which the ship should leave.

VII. Privateers, although they do not conduct prizes, shall not be admitted to the ports of the Republic for more than 24 hours, except in the cases indicated in the preceding section.

VIII. No ship with the flag of one of the belligerents, employed in the war, or destined for the same, may be provisioned, equipped, or armed in the ports of the Republic, the furnishing of victuals and naval stores which it may absolutely need and the things indispensable for the continuation of its voyage not being included in this prohibition.

1X. The last provision of the preceding section presupposes that the ship is bound for a certain port, and that it is only en route and puts into a port of the Republic through stress of circumstances. This, moreover, will not be considered as verified if the same ship tries the same port repeated times, or after having been relieved in one port should subsequently enter another, under the same pretext, except in proven cases of compelling circumstances. Therefore, repeated visits without a sufficiently justified motive would authorize the suspicion that the ship is not really en route, but is frequenting the seas near Brazil in order to make

Brazilian Neutrality Proclamation.

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prizes of hostile ships. In such cases, asylum or succor given to a ship would be characterized as assistance or favor given against the other belligerent, being thus a breach of neutrality.

Therefore, a ship which shall once have entered one of our ports shall not be received in that or another shortly after having left the first, in order to take victuals, naval stores, or make repairs, except in a duly proved case of compelling circumstances, unless after a reasonable interval which would make it seem probable that the ship had left the coast of Brazil and had returned after having finished the voyage she was undertaking.

X. The movements of the belligerent will be under the supervision of the customs authorities from the time of entrance until that of departure, for the purpose of verifying the proper character of the things put on board.

XV. The ships of either of the belligerents, however, which may be admitted to anchorage or harbor in the Republic, must remain in perfect quiet and complete peace with all the ships which may be there, especially those of war or armed for war, belonging to the hostile power.

The Brazilian forts and war ships will be ordered to fire upon a ship which shall attack its enemy within Brazilian harbors or territorial waters.

XVI. No ship shall be allowed to leave port immediately after a ship belonging to a hostile nation or a neutral nation.

If the vessel leaving, as well as that left behind, be a steamer, or both be sailing vessels, there shall remain the interval of 24 hours between the sailing of one and the other. If the one leaving be a sailing vessel and that remaining a steamer, the latter may only leave 72 hours thereafter.

Brazilian forts and warships shall fire upon any armed vessel which may be preparing to leave before the expiration of the indicated interval, after the departure of a ship belonging to the other belligerent.

XVIII. Belligerent warships which shall not wish to have their departure impeded by the successive leaving of merchant vessels or hostile war ships should communicate, 24 hours in advance, to one of the officials indicated in the preceding section and who shall be the authorized person on the occasion, an application for leaving. Priority of sailing will be determined by the receipt of advice.

XIX. Warships may not leave port unless the merchant vessels of the other belligerent which may be at the bar or have been announced by telegraph or other means first enter, except the respective commanders give their word of honor to the commandant of the naval station, and, in default of him, to the

authorized official, that they will do no harm to them; and if, besides this, they shall not be prevented. (U. S. Foreign Relations, 1898, p. 847.)

Questionnaire of the Hague Conference, 1907.—The questionnaire before the Hague Conference in 1907 asked whether the duration of the sojourn of ships of war of belligerents in the ports and waters of neutrals should be limited. The replies of Spain, Great Britain, Japan, and Russia received particular consideration and were as follows:

Spain:

ART. 3. Les vaisseaux belligérants ne pourront séjourner plus de 24 heures dans les ports ou les eaux neutres, sauf par cause d'avarie, état de la mer ou autre force majeure.

Great Britain:

(11) Une Puissance neutre devra notifier à tout navire de guerre d'une Puissance belligérante—stationnant à sa connaissance dans ses ports ou eaux territoriales au moment de l'ouverture des hostilités qu'il ait à partir dans les 24 heures.

(12) Une Puissance neutre ne devra pas sciemment permettre à un navire belligérant de demeurer dans ses ports ou eaux territoriales pour une période de plus de 24 heures, sauf dans les cas prévus aux articles de la présente Convention.

Japan:

(2) Les navires belligérants ne pourront entrer ni séjourner dans les ports ou eaux neutres plus de 24 heures, sauf dans les cas suivants:

(a) Dans le cas où l'état de la mer empêcherait lesdits navires de reprendre le large, la durée de séjour légale sera étendue jusqu'à ce que cet état de la mer cesse d'être un danger.

(b) L'intervalle de ni plus ni moins de 24 heures doit être maintenu entre le départ d'un port ou des eaux neutres d'un bâtiment de commerce ou d'un bâtiment de guerre d'un belligérant, et le départ des mêmes ports ou eaux neutres d'un bâtiment de guerre de l'autre belligérant. C'est à l'État neutre de décider lequel des bâtiments adversaires partira le premier.

Russia:

(4) Il appartient à l'État neutre de fixer le délai de séjour à accorder aux bâtiments de guerre des États belligérants dans les ports et les eaux territoriales appartenant à cet État neutre. (Deux. Conf. Int. de la Paix, Tome III, p. 706.)

Great Britain maintained at the Second Hague Conference in 1907, that when a ship of war of a belligerent

Questions at Hague, 1907.

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sought refuge in neutral waters in order to escape pursuit of its enemy, it was the duty of the Government of the neutral State to intern the refugee till the end of the (Deux. Conf. Int. de la Paix, Tome III, p. 696.) This seems also to be covered in the instruction to the British delegates, as shown in Sir Edward 'Grey's letter of June 12, 1907.

war.

33. The subject of the treatment of interned belligerent vessels appears to be included in the Russian program under the heading, "Régime auquel seraient soumis les bâtiments des belligérants dans les ports neutres." His Majesty's Government hold that while the warship of a belligerent taking refuge in a neutral port must, failing her departure within 24 hours, be interned, the question of her ultimate disposal is one which it would be best to leave to be dealt with under the terms of the treaty of peace. You will no doubt remember that one of the conditions of peace put forward by the Japanese plenipotentiaries at the negotiations at Portsmouth, United States of America, but afterwards abandoned, was the surrender to Japan of the Russian warships which had taken refuge at Kaio-chau, Shanghae, and Saigon, and which had there been interned. (Second Peace Conference at The Hague, 1907; Parliamentary Papers, Miscellaneous, No. 1, 1907, p. 17.)

In the Convention concerning the Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers in Naval War, ratified by the United States April 17, 1908, and generally approved by the States parties to the Second Hague Conference, there are several articles referring to the use of neutral waters by belligerents.

ART. XVIII. Belligerent warships may not make use of neutral ports, roadsteads, or territorial waters for replenishing or increasing their supplies of war material or their armament, or for completing their crews.

ART. XIX. Belligerent warships may only revictual in neutral ports or roadsteads to bring up their supplies to the peace standard.

Similarly these vessels may only ship sufficient fuel to enable them to reach the nearest port in their own country. They may, on the other hand, fill up their bunkers built to carry fuel, when in neutral countries which have adopted this method of determining the amount of fuel to be supplied.

If, in accordance with the law of the neutral power, the ships are not supplied with coal within 24 hours of their arrival, the permissible duration of their stay is extended by 24 hours.