left an open question, by whom, if at all, compensation was to
be made or the losses thus established.

The _Reglement_ of 1907 is more liberal than that of 1899 with
reference to requisitioned property (though not with reference
to contributions). By the new Art. 52, "supplies furnished in
kind shall be paid for, so far as possible, on the spot. If
not, they shall be vouched for (_constatees_) by receipts, and
payment of the sums due shall be made as soon as may be." The
Hague Convention mentioned in the following letter is, of
course, that of 1899.

REQUISITIONS IN WARFARE

Sir,--A few words of explanation may not be out of place with reference
to a topic touched upon last night in the House of Commons--viz. the
liability of the British Government to pay for stock requisitioned
during the late war from private enemy owners. It should be clearly
understood that no such liability is imposed by international law. The
commander of invading forces may, for valid reasons of his own, pay cash
for any property which he takes, and, if he does not do so, is nowadays
expected to give receipts for it. These receipts are, however, not in
the nature of evidence of a contract to pay for the goods. They are
intended merely to _constater_ the fact that the goods have been
requisitioned, with a view to any indemnity which may eventually be
granted to the sufferers by their own Government. What steps should be
taken by a Government towards indemnifying enemies who have subsequently
become its subjects, as is now happily the case in South Africa, is a
question not of international law, but of grace and favour.

An article in the current number of the _Review of Reviews_, to which my
attention has just been called, contains some extraordinary statements
upon the topic under discussion. The uninformed public is assured that
"we owe the Boers payment in full for all the devastation which we have
inflicted upon their private property ... it is our plain legal
obligation, from the point of view of international law, to pay it to
the last farthing." Then The Hague Convention is invoked as permitting
interference with private property "only on condition that it is paid
for in cash by the conqueror, and, if that is not possible at the
moment, he must in every case give a receipt, which he must discharge at
the conclusion of hostilities." There is no such provision as to
honouring receipts in this m