And it is hereby further notified that all the measures authorized by the laws of nations and the respective Treaties between Her Majesty and the different neutral Powers, will be adopted and executed with respect to all vessels which may attempt to violate the said blockade.

BRITISH NOTIFICATION of the Blockade of the Gulf of Finland by the combined British and French Naval Forces. -London, July 12, 1854.*

Foreign Office, July 12, 1854.

IT is hereby notified, that the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have been informed by Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Napier, K.C.B., commanding Her Majesty's naval forces in the Baltic, that, on and from the 26th of June last, a strict and effective blockade was actually established by the combined fleets of Her Majesty and of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor of the French, of the various ports in the Gulf of Finland as hereafter specified; that is to say: The whole of the ports in the Gulf of Finland to the eastward of Helsingfors and Sweaborg, on the Finland shore, including Borgo, Lovisa, Pythis, Frederikshamn, Werolax Bay, Viborg, Biörkö Sound, and all intermediate ports, roads, havens, and creeks, to Cape Lubovki, in lat. 60° 5' north, and long. 29° 56′ east.

From Cape Lubovki the line of blockade crosses to Tolboukin Light, immediately off Cronstadt, then across southward to off the town of Borki, in the province of Saint Petersburgh, in lat. 59° 57' north, long. 29° 28' east.

That a complete blockade of Cronstadt and Saint Petersburgh has been effected by the combined fleets, which anchored off Cronstadt on the 26th instant.

Proceeding westward, the line of blockade extends from Borki to Karavalda Island, thence to Dolgoi Ness, and from Dolgoi Ness to Kolgenpia Point, which includes the Bight of Koporia, from thence to Kourgoulo Point, which includes Louga Bay, then the River Narva, and the whole coast of Esthonia and adjacent islands to Ekholm Light, situated in lat. 59° 43' north, long. 25° 48' east.

And it is hereby further notified, that all the measures authorized by the laws of nations, and the respective Treaties between Her Majesty and the different neutral Powers, will be adopted and executed with respect to all vessels which may attempt to violate the said blockade.

* Supplement to London Gazette of July 11, 1854.

BRITISH NOTIFICATION respecting the Blockade of certain Russian Baltic Ports.-London, August 11, 1854.*

Foreign Office, August 11, 1851.

WITH reference to the notifications of blockades of certain Russian ports in the Baltic Sea, published in the Gazettes of the 16th of June last and of the 16th of July last, it is hereby notified that the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty have received further information from Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Napier, K.C.B., commanding Her Majesty's naval forces in the Baltic, from Captain Key, R.N., of Her Majesty's ship Amphion, senior officer off the coast of Courland, and from William James Hertslet, Esq., British Vice-Consul at Memel, relating to such blockades, which information is as follows, viz., Sir Charles Napier states that:

"On and from the 17th of April last, all Russian ports, roads,. harbours, and creeks, from lat. 55° 53′ 0′′ N., long. 21° 3' 0" E., to Cape Dager-ort, in lat. 58° 55′ 0′′ N., long. 22° 5′ 0′′ E., including especially the ports of Libau, Windau, Riga, and Pernau were placed in a state of strict blockade by a competent force of Her Majesty's ships.

"On and from the 26th of April last the Russian ports of Helsingfors and Sweaborg, and all Russian ports, roads, havens, and creeks to the westward of Helsingfors, as far as the Hango Head, in: lat. 59° 48′ 0′′ N., long. 22° 53' 0'' E., were in like manner blockaded..

"On and from the 20th May last the Russian ports of Hafsal, Warmso Islands, Port Baltic, Revel, and all Russian ports, roads, havens, and creeks on the coast of Esthonia, from Cape Dager-ort to Ekholm Light (situated in lat. 59° 43′ 0′′ N., and long. 25° 48′ 0′′ E.), were placed in a state of strict blockade by a competent fore › of Her Majesty's ships."

"On and from the 26th of June last the Russian ports of Abʊ, the Islands of Orö, Onto, and the Aland Archipelago, Ny stad, Bjorneborg, Christinestad, Wasa, the Walgrund Islands, New Carleby, Jacobstadt, Old Carleby, Lohto, Kalajoki, Bra' nestad, Uleaborg, Carlon Island, Ijo, Gestila, Kemie, and all Russir .n ports, roads, havens, and creeks from Hango Head, in lat 59° 48' 0" N., long. 22° 53' 0" E., to Ned Tornea (included), situated at the head of the Gulf of Bothnia, in lat. (about) 65° 50′ 0′′ N., long . 24° 15' 0" E., were placed in a state of strict blockade by a competent force of the allied fleets.

"On being joined by the French squadron in the Gulf of Finland, on the 13th June, the duties of blockading in that Gulf and elsewhere were henceforward conjointly carried into effect."

* Supplement to London Gazette of August 11, 18/54.

SIR,

Captain Key R.N., to Mr. W. J. Hertslet.

H.M.S. Amphion, Memel Roads,

May 12, 1854.

I HAVE the honour to request you will inform Her Britannic Majesty's Consuls at Riga, Libau, and Windau, that those ports are now strictly blockaded, and that any vessel leaving them, after the 15th May, with a cargo or part of a cargo on board, will be detained and sent to England or France for condemnation.

This information is to be publicly made known at those ports. W. J. Hertslet, Esq.,

SIR,

British Vice-Consul, Memel.

A. COOPER KEY, Captain and Senior Officer.

Mr. W. J. Hertslet to Captain Key, R.N.

British Vice-Consulate, Memel, June 8, 1854. I HAVE the honour to inform you that, immediately on receipt. of your letter of 12th May, which I received on the same day, I communicated the contents of that letter to Mr. Grisler, Hanoverian Consul at Memel; Mr Schiller, Swedish and Norwegian Consul at Memel; Mr. Schröder Sund, Danish Consul at Memel; Mr. Hoeftmann, for Holland, Consul at Memel; and likewise to a number of merchants on the Exchange of this town, and to several Riga and Libau merchants who were there.

I likewise informed his Excellency Lord Bloomfield, that I had communicated the subject of your letter to the Consuls of neutral Powers at Memel.

Captain Cooper Key, Memel Roadstead.

SIR,

W. J. HERTSLET.

Captain Key to Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Napier.

Amphion, off Windau, June 14, 1854. HER Majesty's ship, under my orders, having detained several vessels belonging to neutral nations, for attempting to violate the blockade established on this coast, and sent them to England for legal adjudication, in accordance with Articles IX and X of the Admiralty Instructions on the subject. I have the honour to report, for your information, the circumstances under which the said vessels have been captured, the manner in which the blockade has been carried out, and other points which may be of importance to the Court of Admiralty commissioned to take cognizance of this question.

Three points must be proved to condemn these vessels as lawful prizes :

1st. That an effective blockade has been established.

2nd. That the vessels detained attempted to violate this blockade. 3rd. That they were aware of its existence.

Regarding the first point, I have the honour to inform you, that [1853-54]. 3 M

since May 9th, when I was first intrusted with the blockade of this coast (at which time I found Her Majesty's ships Conflict and Cruizer on the station, which vessels had been blockading since April 20th), 2 ships have been ordered to cruize off the entrance of the Gulf of Riga, a passage limited by the shoals to a breadth of 3 miles, this entrance has never been left without one vessel. Two other ships have been continually passing between Windau and Memel within sight of the coast.

No doubt, in a few instances, vessels have succeeded in evading the cruizers under cover of the night and the fogs, which have been so prevalent that the number of vessels boarded is of itself a proof that vigilance has been exercised.

The second point is readily ascertained by a reference to the definition which has been sent in each vessel by the captain of the ships detaining her, in which the locality, the course the vessel was steering, and the direction of the wind, are stated.

With respect to the third point, the knowledge of the blockade, great care has been necessary to prevent injury to innocent vessels. The captured vessels come under 2 heads-those attempting to enter the blockaded ports and those leaving them. As regards the former, the captains of Her Majesty's ships received orders that if the slightest reasonable doubt existed as to the captain or the owner of the vessel being informed of the blockade, she was to be sent away with a notification to that effect on his papers.

Under these orders, 154 vessels have been warned off since April 20th, although nearly all of them passed through the Sound, communicating at Elsinore, which scarcely allows a doubt to exist of their knowledge of the blockade. Nevertheless, I deemed it my duty to show as much leniency to neutrals as was compatible with the interests of the Allied Powers. Four vessels only have been detained for attempting to enter the ports. Two of these contained coal, and were without proper papers; the others were from Copenhagen, and confessed their knowledge of the blockade.

To insure that the residents in the blockaded ports should not plead ignorance of their condition, I wrote the accompanying letter (Inclosure No. 1) to the British Vice-Consul at Memel, the contents of which were published in the "Berlin Gazette," and were publicly made known at Riga, Libau, and Windau. Mr. Hertslet's answer (No. 2) I inclose.

Notwithstanding this, several vessels have taken in cargoes, and left Riga; they have therefore been detained, and sent to England for adjudication.

Vice-Admiral Sir C. Napier, K.C.B.,

Commander-in-Chief, &c.

A. COOPER KEY, Captain and Senior Officer on the Coast of Kourland.

BRITISH NOTIFICATION respecting the Blockade of certain Russian Ports in the White Sea, by the Allied British and French Fleets.-London, September 28, 1854.*

Foreign Office, September 28, 1854.

It is hereby notified, that on and from the 12th day of August last, all Russian ports, roads, havens, and creeks, from Cape Swiatoi Nos, in long. 39° 47′ east, latitude 68° 10′ north, to Cape Kanin, in long.43°32′east, lat. GS°39′ 12′′ north, including especially the Ports of Arkangel and Onega, were placed in a state of strict blockade by a competent force of the Allied British and French fleets.

And it is hereby further notified, that all measures authorized by the laws of nations, and the respective Treaties between Her Majesty and the different neutral Powers, will be adopted and executed with respect to all vessels which may attempt to violate the said blockade.

BRITISH NOTIFICATION respecting the raising of the Blockade of Russian Ports in the Baltic.-London, November 3, 1854.†

Foreign Office, November 3, 1854. It is hereby notified that the Earl of Clarendon, Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, has received from the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, a copy of a despatch, dated "Duke of Wellington, off Faro Sound, 21st October, 1854," from Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Napier, K.C.B., Commander-inChief of Her Majesty's Naval Forces in the Baltic, informing their Lordships that he had raised the blockade of the Russian Ports undermentioned from that date:

"Islands of Aro, Uto, the Aland Archipelago, Nystad, Bjorneborg, Christianstad, Wasa, Walgrund Islands, Little Carleby, Jacobstad, Great Carleby, Lotto, Kalajoki, Brahistad, Uleaborg, Karle Island, Ijo, Gestila, Kemi, and all intermediate Russian Ports. to Neder Tornea, situated at the head of the Gulf of Bothnia, in lat. (about) 65° 50' N., long. 24° 15' East."

*London Gazette, September 29, 1854.

+ London Gazette, November 3, 1854.