Government does not propose to accept the intervention of any Power in the South African War." Similar replies to similar offers had been made both by France and Prussia in 1870, and by the United States in 1898.
COMMISSIONS OF ENQUIRY AND THE HAGUE CONVENTION Sir,--It is just now [1904] especially desirable that the purport of those provisions of The Hague Convention "for the peaceful settlement of international controversies" which deal with "international commissions of enquiry" should be clearly understood.

It is probably also desirable that a more correct idea should be formed of the effect of that convention, as a whole, than seems to be generally prevalent.

You may, therefore, perhaps, allow me to say a few words upon each of these topics.
Art.

9 of the convention contains an expression of opinion to the effect that recourse to an international commission of enquiry into disputed questions of fact would be useful.

This recommendation is, however, restricted to "controversies in which neither honour nor essential interests are involved," and is further limited by the phrase "so far as circumstances permit." Two points are here deserving of notice.
In the first place, neither "the honour and vital interests clause," as seems to be supposed by your correspondent Mr.Schidrowitz, nor the clause as to circumstances permitting, is in any way modified by the article which follows.Art.10 does not enlarge the scope of Art.