o
maintain. They conferred a monopoly on the holder of the
licence, which enabled him to sell his cargo of French wines
or French silks at a prohibition price; and the law books of
the time are still full of the endless litigation and fraud
to which these practices gave rise.

"From all these evils we trust that the Order in Council of
the 15th April has permanently relieved us, and the change
it is calculated to bring about in the state of war is not
of inferior importance to that which marked the transition
from Protection to Free Trade in the state of peace. The
system of licences is at an end, for all the liberty of
trade with the enemy which it is in the power of the
Government to confer at all, is thus conferred at once, and
indiscriminately upon all; and, unless the Russian
Government find means to maintain a prohibitive system on
their frontiers, we hope that the supply of raw material
from that country will not be reduced to scarcity."

In addition, however, to this very lucid explanation, it may be added,
that it might become necessary to grant licences to trade directly
(with the consent of our allies) to the Russian ports.

That on the part of British vessels, the

"entering or communicating with any port or place in the
possession or occupation of the enemy, will place the
English vessel in the position of an illegal trader, and
that the vessel will then be liable to the same penalties as
if this Order had not been published."

With respect to Contraband, it will have to be remembered that
contraband _to_ Russia will not be contraband to England, unless it is
despatches, treasonable letters, enemy's forces, secret agents or
spies. Neutral property on board an enemy's vessel is not generally
liable to seizure, unless on an "armed vessel of force;" but even
this, by the Order, seems to be protected. By the same Order, British
property on Russian vessels is _not_ protected. It is quite in the
option of neutrals, or British vessels, to break any Russian blockade.

The renunciations in these Orders are a waiver only of certain parts
of the Queen's belligerent rights, and in no way diminish the state of
war between England and Russia. Notwithstanding these Orders,
Russo-English partnerships are dissolved, contracts with the enemy
invalid, and even though a free trade is permitted, an Englishman
c