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Plus le Soussigné attachait de prix à entretenir ces rapports, plus il regrette l'obligation où il se trouve de les suspendre.

Il a l'honneur de notifier à M. le Comte de Clarendon, &c., qu'il va quitter Londres, accompagné du personnel de l'Ambassade, et se rendre en Allemagne jusqu'à nouvel ordre.

Le Comte de Clarendon.

SIR,

Le Soussigné, &c.

BRUNNOW.

No. 6.-The Earl of Clarendon to Sir G. H. Seymour.

Foreign Office, February 7, 1854. On the evening of the 4th instant Baron Brunnow placed in my hands a note, the copy of which is herewith inclosed, announcing that the diplomatic relations between this country and Russia were suspended, and that he was about to leave England with the members of the Russian Mission. You will, therefore, immediately on the receipt of this despatch, inform Count Nesselrode that you are instructed to withdraw from St. Petersburgh, together with every member of Her Majesty's Mission.

You will return to England, and avoid all unnecessary delay in quitting the Russian dominions.

I am, &c.

Similar instructions will this day be addressed to M. de Castelbajac by the French Government. Sir G. H. Seymour.

CLARENDON.

CORRESPONDENCE respecting the Withdrawal of British Property from Russia, and the Rights of Neutrals, in the event of War between the 2 Countries.*—January-March, 1854.

No. 1.-Mr. Consul Lousada to the Earl of Clarendon.—(Rec. Feb. 1.)
MY LORD,
Riga, January 26, 1854.

I HAVE been applied to by MM. Mitchell, of Riga, for an opinion as to the respect that would be paid by British cruizers, in the event of a war, to bona fide British property, the produce of Russia, if shipped in neutral vessels.

The question has reference to goods already purchased here, and which these Gentlemen are anxious to export as speedily as possible.

I replied that, in my opinion, goods duly certified to be British property would be respected by British cruizers, irrespective of their origin.

* Nos. 1 and 2 laid before the House of Lords, March 20, 1854.

I have written to Sir Hamilton Seymour for his Excellency's advice thereon; but presume it to be more a question of international law, to submit to the Law Officers of the Crown; and, as similar cases are likely to arise, I have the honour to request your Lordship's directions on the subject. I have, &c. FRANCIS LOUSADA.

The Earl of Clarendon.

(Inclosure.)-Messieurs Mitchell and Co. to Mr. Consul Lousada. DEAR SIR, Riga, January 15, 1854.

WE take the liberty of requesting you to inform us, or to procure information for us from our Ambassador at St. Petersburgh, whether, in the event of hostilities between this country and England, goods (the produce of Russia) shipped from hence by us, and the property of British subjects, on board vessels of a neutral flag, would be respected by British cruizers, or the contrary? It is not our intention, in the present state of affairs, to enter into any export business, but having some goods left over, we are desirous of having same safely transported to England, and therefore beg to trouble you with the above inquiry. We presume there would be no difficulty in having a Consular attest that such a cargo was bona fide shipped by, and the property of, British subjects, and think that such a certificate should cause the goods to be respected.

Requesting the favour of as early a reply as possible,
We remain, &c.

F. Lousada, Esq.

SIR,

MITCHELL & CO.

No. 2.-Mr. Addington to Mr. Consul Lousada.

Foreign Office, February 16, 1854. THE Earl of Clarendon has had under his consideration your despatch of the 26th ultimo, inclosing a copy of a letter from MM. Mitchell and Co., of Riga, requesting to be informed what respect would be paid by British cruizers, in the event of war, to bona fide British property, the produce of Russia, if shipped on board neutral vessels.

I am to acquaint you, in reply, that property of the description in question, the produce of Russia, and exported therefrom by and on account of a British merchant domiciled and trading there, although purchased before the war, and exported to England, would not be respected by Her Majesty's cruizers, unless in pursuance of a license, or of some special instructions from Her Majesty to the officers of her navy.

By the law and practice of nations, a belligerent has a right to consider as enemies all persons who reside in a hostile country, or who maintain commercial establishments therein; whether such persons be by birth neutrals, allies, enemies, or fellow subjects; the

property of such persons, exported from such country, is therefore res hostium, and, as such, lawful prize of war. Such property will be condemned as prize, although its owner may be a native-born subject of the captor's country, and although it may be in transitu to that country; and its being laden on board a neutral ship will not protect the property. You will, therefore, inform MM. Mitchell and Co., that, in the event of war, the property in question will not be protected by the Consular certificate, or by any other document, but will be liable to capture and condemnation as prize. I have, &c.

F. Lousada, Esq.

H. U. ADDINGTON.

No. 3.-Messrs. Martin, Levin, and Adler to the President of the Board of Trade.*

RIGHT HONOURABLE SIR,

13, Trinity Square, Tower Hill, February 24, 1854.

We shall feel greatly obliged by your informing us whether, in the event of a war between this country and Russia, Russian goods imported from neutral ports would be considered contraband, or would they be fairly admissible into England?

Being much interested in this question, we solicit the favour of your reply,

The President of the
Board of Trade.

And remain, &c.

Pro MARTIN, LEVIN, & ADLER,
J. H. HAMBLEN.

No. 4.—Messrs. Martin, Levin, and Adler to the President of the

SIR,

Board of Trade.

13, Trinity Square, Tower Hill, March 9, 1854. On the 24th ultimo we took the liberty of addressing you a letter, of which the following is a copy:-"We shall feel greatly obliged by your informing us whether, in the event of a war with Russia, Russian goods imported from neutral ports would be considered contraband, or would they be fairly admissible into England? Being much interested in this question, we solicit the favour of your reply, and remain with due respect, &c."

To this letter we have received no answer of any kind, which makes us fear that ours did not reach its destination. May we respectfully, but urgently, solicit a reply to the present as early as possible? The question is one of vital interest to us. We have now considerable quantities of Russian goods on the way from that country to England, partly by land via Germany; this must be our apology for troubling you, and as we cannot tell at what precise Nos. 3 to 8 laid before Parliament, March 30, 1854.

time they may arrive here, wo do not know, until favoured with your answer, in what position we stand.

The President of the

Board of Trade.

We remain, &c.

MARTIN, LEVIN, & ADLER.

No. 5.-Sir J. E. Tennant to Messrs. Martin, Levin, and Adler. Office of Committee of Privy Council for Trade,

Whitehall, March 10, 1854.

GENTLEMEN, WITH reference to your letter of yesterday's date, in which you request a reply to the question contained in your letter of the 24th ultimo, as to the treatment of Russian produce in this country, in the event of a war with Russia, I am directed by the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade to inform you, that they are in communication with Her Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on the subject, and that a reply will be sent to your letter of the 24th ultimo so soon as the decision of Her Majesty's Government as to the course to be adopted in this matter shall enable them to do so. I am, &c.

Messrs. Martin, Levin, and Adler.

J. EMERSON TENNENT.

No. 6.-Sir J. E. Tennant to Messrs. Martin, Levin, and Adler. Office of Committee of Privy Council for Trade, Whitehall, March 14, 1854.

GENTLEMEN,

In reply to your letter of the 24th February, requesting to be informed whether, in the event of war between this country and Russia, Russian goods imported from neutral ports would be considered contraband, or would be admissible into England;

I am directed by the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade to inform you that, in the event of war, every indirect attempt to carry on trade with the enemy's country will be illegal, but, on the other hand, bona fide trade, not subject to the objection above stated, will not become illegal, merely because the articles which form the subject-matter of that trade were orignally produced in an enemy's country. I am, &c.

Messrs. Martin, Levin, and Adler. J. EMERSON TENNENT.

No. 7.-Messrs. Martin, Levin, and Adler to Sir J. E. Tennant. SIR, 13, Trinity Square, Tower Hill, March 15, 1854. WE beg to acknowledge receipt of your favour of yesterday, in answer to our inquiry relative to Russian produce imported from neutral ports, in the event of war. You therein state, that " every indirect attempt to carry on trade with the enemy's country will be illegal; but, on the other hand, bonâ fide trade, not subject to the

objection above stated, will not become illegal, merely because the articles which form the subject-matter of that trade were originally produced in an enemy's country."

We are very desirous to be informed where the line of distinction is to be drawn between "an indirect attempt to carry on trade," and a “bonâ fide trade," as we cannot at present see how, in case of war, any Russian goods could be imported into this country without such importation coming under the head of an indirect attempt to carry on trade with the enemy's country; unless the interpretation put upon your letter by several of the merchants. with whom we have conferred upon it, be the true one, viz., that a British subject buying (by his agents) Russian produce in Russia, and importing the same, via Germany (a neutral country), will be acting illegally, and his goods would be seized on their arrival here; but that a neutral subject buying Russian goods and consigning them to this country from a neutral port, will be considered to be carrying on a bona fide trade, and his merchandize will be admitted for consumption into England. This view of the case would give such a decided advantage to the neutral over the British subject, that we cannot believe such to be the intention of the Government. We therefore feel it necessary to put the present question, trusting we may be favoured with an explicit reply:

In the event of war being declared between this country and Russia, will it be allowable to import Russian produce (the property of British or neutral subjects) into this country from neutral ports.

Sir J. E. Tennant.

We remain, &c.

Pro MARTIN, LEVIN, & ALDER,
J. H. HAMBLEN.

No. 8.-Sir J. E. Tennant to Messrs. Martin, Levin, and Adler. Office of Committee of Privy Council for Trade. Whitehall, March 16, 1854.

GENTLEMEN,

In reply to the inquiry contained in your letter of the 15th instant, whether, in the event of war being declared between this country and Russia, it will be allowable to import Russian produce, the produce of British or neutral subjects, from neutral ports, I am directed by the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council for Trade to refer you to the general principle laid down in my letter of the 14th, and to repeat, that in the case of articles originally produced in Russia, but since purchased from neutrals at a neutral port, and in the ordinary course of trade with such port by Britith merchants, the fact of their having been originally produced in Russia will be immaterial. I am, &c. Messrs. Martin, Levin, and Adler. J. EMERSON TENNENT.

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