de cœur or for the fear of being sunk, but to defend his commerce that the enemy left his ports and gave battle to our Nelsons, St. Vincents, Camperdowns, and Howes. Once this is no longer necessary, once his commerce is safe and snug under the neutral flag, he remains like the Russian behind his granite walls, or like the Prussian entrenched behind his lines of torpedoes. Give up the power of distraining your enemies' goods at sea, and renounce at the same time the hope of adding another name to the list of your naval victories. When there is nothing to be gained by fighting, your enemy is not likely to mn his head against your iron walls. It comes to this: The Declaration of Paris abolishes war at sea, and leaves the arbitrament of war to the decision of big battalions—a comfortable prospect for the great military empires, but a doleful outlook for maritime Powers, and especially for England.
