complications—a terrible handicap upon any power warring against British commerce. The incessant clashing with the interests of a powerful neutral would be a most serious handicap—how serious it is impossible to determine until it is attempted. At its mildest, it could never be neglected: at its greatest it might render war on British commerce abortive. This is a matter upon which history—save the most recent — has nothing to teach. But there are not wanting indications that neutral powers will only submit to the existence of a war on commerce in view of the fact that they may one day require to carry on such a war, or that they are gaining by it.
There is the case of the Russian Volunteer cruisers for instance. The matter was complicated by some legal technicalities about exit from the Black Sea; but the main issues were on more common grounds than that.
The Russians had very good reason to believe that on board the Malacca was some machinery intended for Japanese destroyers. They intercepted the ship, and found the suspicious articles marked with the British broad-arrow. These—if the Russian story be true—were cheek by jowl with some consignments for Hong Kong dockyard. The Russians were practically given two alternatives 'international complications' or to give up the Malacca without any enquiry as to whether she had anything on board her other than consignments for Hong Kong dockyard.
Now whether or no the Malacca actually had
