A complete body of law, by which States have agreed to be bound, must, one would think, necessarily precede the establishment of a mixed Court by which that law is to be interpreted.
2.

While the several delegations are vying with one another in devising new definitions of contraband, there would seem to be little likelihood that the British proposal for its total abandonment will be seriously entertained.

Such a step could be justified, if at all, from the point of view of national interest, only on the ground that it might possibly throw increased difficulties in the way of an enemy desirous, even by straining the existing law, of interfering with the supply of foodstuffs to the British Islands.

I propose, for the present, only to call attention to the concluding paragraph of the British notice of motion on this point, which would seem to imply much more than the abandonment of contraband.

The words in question, if indeed they are authentically reported, are as follows: "Le droit de visite ne serait exerce que pour constater le caractere neutre du batiment de commerce." Does this mean that the visiting officer, as soon as he has ascertained from the ship's papers that she is neutral property, is to make his bow and return to the cruiser whence he came?
If so, what has become of our existing right to detain any vessel which has sailed for a blockaded port, or is carrying, as a commercial venture, or even ignorantly, hostile troops or despatches?
No such definition as is proposed of an "auxiliary ship-of-war" would safeguard the right in question, since a ship, to come within that definition, must, it appears, be under the orders of a belligerent fleet.
I would venture to suggest that the motto of a reformer of prize law should be _festina lente._ The existing system is the fruit of practical experience extending over several centuries, and, though it may need, here and there, some readjustment to new conditions, brought about by the substitution of steam for sails, is not one which can safely be pulled to pieces in a couple of months.