ts, towns, villages,
habitations, or buildings, which are not defended." The words "by any
means whatever" have not been here inserted, one would incline to think
by inadvertence, having regard to what passed in Committee, and to the
recital of the Convention, which sets out the propriety of extending to
naval bombardments the principles of the _Reglement_ (cited, perhaps
again by inadvertence, as that of 1899) as to the Laws and Customs of
War on Land.

But the topic was first squarely dealt with by the first of the three
Hague Declarations of 1899, by which the Powers agreed to prohibit, for
five years, "the throwing of projectiles and explosives from balloons,
or by other analogous new methods." The Declaration was signed and
ratified by almost all the Powers concerned; not, however, by Great
Britain.

At The Hague Conference of 1907, when the Belgian delegates proposed
that this Declaration, which had expired by efflux of time, should be
renewed, some curious changes of opinion were found to have occurred.
Twenty-nine Powers, of which Great Britain was one, voted for renewal,
but eight Powers, including Germany, Spain, France, and Russia, were
opposed to it, while seven Powers, one of which was Japan, abstained
from voting. The Japanese delegation had previously intimated that, "in
view of the absence of unanimity on the part of the great military
Powers, there seemed to be no great use in binding their country as
against certain Powers, while, as against the rest, it would still be
necessary to study and bring to perfection this mode of making war."
Although the Declaration, as renewed, was allowed to figure in the "Acte
final" of the Conference of 1907, the dissent from it of several Powers
of the first importance must render its ratification by the others
highly improbable; nor would it seem worth while to renew, for some time
to come, a proposal which, only two years ago, was so ill received.

I may perhaps add, with reference to what was said by one of yesterday's
speakers, that any provision on the topic under discussion would be
quite out of place in the Geneva Convention, which deals, not with
permissible means of inflicting injury, but exclusively with the
treatment of those who are suffering from injuries inflicted.

I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
T. E. HOLLAND.
Oxford, August 3 (1909).

THE AERIAL NAVIGATION ACT

PRACTICAL DIFFICULTIES

Sir,--The haste with which Colonel Seely's Bill, autho