1514 IMPERIAL UNITY [PART VIII
and on the question of the conversion of merchant vessels
into men-of-war to obtain some modification before the
Convention finally took effect.
Sir Edward Grey?! then explained the views held by His
Majesty’s Government both as to the merits of the Conven-
tion and the question of consulting the Dominions with regard
to treaties.
On the merits of the Convention he elaborated the fact
that the Convention arose out of the decision to set up a Prize
Court arrived at at The Hague in 1907; he contended that
such a Prize Court was an unquestionable improvement on
the existing arrangement under which the Courts of belli-
gerents decided finally on the complaints of neutrals in
respect of the seizure of neutral vessels. But it was essential
bo draw up some rules for the guidance of the Court, and this
explained the fact of the drawing up of the rules embodied
in the Declaration of London. As regards the substance of
these rules it must be remembered that they were a com-
promise. Great Britain had secured very considerable con-
cessions from other Powers. Before the Declaration there
was nothing to prevent any foreign Power declaring all food
contraband, and now it could only do so under strictly
defined conditions, and indeed the onus was normally thrown
on the captor, and not as hitherto on the ship, to prove the
nffence of carrying contraband.
Similarly, though His Majesty’s Government disliked very
much the sinking of neutral vessels, they had found that
many of the Great Powers were not prepared to share their
view on this matter, and the United States in particular had
been very anxious that the compromise embodied in the
Declaration of London should be accepted, as representing
at any rate a considerable improvement on the arrangements
which existed before the Declaration.
With regard to the question of consulting the Dominions
as to treaties, Sir E. Grey explained that the fact that they
were not consulted with regard to the Declaration arose out
of the fact that they were not consulted as regards Hague
t Cd. 8745, pp. 104 seq.
