These requisitions must be in proportion to the resources of the place. They shall not be demanded without the authority of the commander of the said naval force, and shall, as far as possible, be paid for in cash; if not, they shall be acknowledged by receipts.

ART. 4.-The bombardment of undefended ports, towns, villages, habitations or buildings for non-payment of money contributions is forbidden.

CHAPTER II.-GENERAL DISPOSITIONS.

ART. 5.-In a bombardment by naval forces, all necessary steps should be taken by the commander to spare, as far as possible, buildings devoted to worship, art, science, and charity, historic monuments, hospitals and places for the reception of sick or wounded, provided they are not at the same time used for military purposes.

It is the duty of the inhabitants to indicate these monuments, buildings, or places by distinctive signs, which shall consist of large rectangular rigid screens, divided at one of the diagonals into two triangles, black above and white below.

ART. 6. Unless military exigencies prevent it, the commander of the attacking naval force should before commencing the bombardment do everything in his power to warn the authorities.

ART. 7.-It is forbidden to give over a town or locality to pillage, even if taken by assault.

CHAPTER III.-FINAL PROVISIONS.

ART. 8.-The provisions of the present Convention are only applicable as among the Contracting Powers, and provided the belligerents are all parties to the Convention.

ART. 9.-The present Convention shall be ratified as soon as possible, etc.

(Arts. 10, 11, 12, and 13 formal.)

IX.

Convention relating to Certain Restrictions in the Exercise of the Right of Capture in Maritime War (No. XI.).

(Names of the High Contracting Parties.)

Recognizing the necessity of assuring the equitable application of law to international maritime relations in time of war better than in the past;

Being of opinion that, in view of this object, it is desirable, by abandoning or reconciling, if need be, in the common interest, certain old divergent practices, to undertake to codify into general rules the guarantees requisite for peaceful commerce and inoffensive work, as well as the conduct of maritime warfare; that it is necessary to fix in mutual written engagements principles which down to the present have been left to the drifting region of controversy or to the arbitrary action of governments;

That it is now possible to fix a certain number of rules, without interfering with the law at present in force, concerning matters not provided for therein;

Have appointed as their Plenipotentiaries the following:

(Names and Description of Plenipotentiaries.)

Who, after having deposited their full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed on the following provisions:

CHAPTER I.-POSTAL CORRESPONDENCE.

ART. 1.-Postal correspondence of neutrals or of belligerents, whether it be of an official or of a private character, which shall be found at sea on board a neutral or enemy vessel, is inviolable. If the vessel is seized, the correspondence shall be sent on with as little delay as possible by the captor.

The provisions of the preceding paragraph shall not apply in case of violation of a blockade, to correspondence destined for or coming from the blockaded port.

ART. 2. The inviolability of postal correspondence does not exempt neutral mail-ships from the laws and customs of maritime warfare relating to neutral merchant ships in general.

Nevertheless, visit and search should only be exercised in respect of them in case of necessity, and then with every consideration and all possible speed.

CHAPTER II.-ON THE EXEMPTION FROM CAPTURE OF
CERTAIN BOATS.

ART. 3.—Boats solely intended for coast fishing or for petty local navigation are exempt from capture, as well as their appliances, rigging, fittings, and cargo.

This exemption ceases to apply to them whenever they in any way take part in the hostilities.

The Contracting Powers undertake not to take advantage of the inoffensive character of the said boats, and employ them for military purposes while at the same time preserving their inoffensive appearance.

ART. 4.-Are likewise exempt from capture vessels entrusted with religious, scientific or philanthropic missions.

CHAPTER III.-RULES AS TO CREWS OF ENEMY MERCHANT SHIPS CAPTURED BY A BELLIGERENT.

ART. 5.-When an enemy merchant ship is captured by a belligerent, its crew, if belonging to a neutral State, are not made prisoners of war.

The same applies to the captain and officers when belonging to a neutral State, provided they deliberately undertake in writing not to serve on an enemy vessel during the war.

ART. 6.—The captain, officers and members of the crew, if belonging to the enemy State, are not made prisoners of war provided they undertake by a deliberate written promise not to enter, during the hostilities, any service relating to the operations of war.

ART. 7.-The names of the persons left free under the conditions set out in Art. 5, Sect. 2, and in Art. 6, are notified by the capturing belligerent to the other belligerent. The latter is forbidden knowingly to employ the said persons.

ART. 8. The provisions of the three preceding articles do not apply to vessels which take part in the hostilities.

CHAPTER IV.-FINAL PROVISIONS.

ART. 9.-The provisions of the present Convention are only applicable as among the Contracting Powers, and provided the belligerents are all parties to the Convention.

ART. 10. The present Convention shall be ratified as soon as possible, etc.

(Arts. 11, 12, 13, and 14 formal.)

X.

Convention relating to the Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers in Case of Maritime War (No. XIII.).

(Names of the High Contracting Parties.)

With a view to diminish the divergencies of opinion which, in case of maritime war, still exist with respect to the relations between neutral and belligerent Powers, and to avert the difficulties which may arise from these divergencies;

Whereas, though it is impossible at present to make stipulations applicable to every case which may arise in practice, it is, nevertheless, unquestionably useful to establish, with respect to what may happen, some universal rules in the event of war unfortunately breaking out;

Whereas, with respect to cases not provided for by the present Convention, the general principles of the law of nations should be taken into account;

Whereas it is desirable that the Powers should lay down precise stipulations to regulate the consequences of the status of neutrality which they may have adopted;

Whereas it is a recognized duty of neutral Powers to apply impartially to the different belligerents the rules adopted by them; Whereas, in this respect, these rules should not, in principle, be altered, during the course of a war, by a neutral Power, except in case of experience having shown the necessity of doing so, for the preservation of its own rights;

Have agreed to observe the following common rules, which, however, shall in no way affect the stipulations of existing general treaties, and have appointed as their Plenipotentiaries:

(Names and Description of Plenipotentiaries.)

Who, after having deposited their full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed as follows:

ART. 1.—Belligerents are bound to respect the sovereign rights of neutral Powers, and to abstain, either on the territory or in neutral waters, from all acts which might constitute on the part of the Powers permitting them a non-observance of their neutrality.

ART. 2.-All acts of hostility, including capture and the exercise of the right of visit and search by belligerent ships of war in the territorial waters of a neutral Power, constitute a breach of neutrality, and are strictly forbidden.

ART. 3.-When a vessel has been captured in the territorial waters of a neutral Power, this Power shall, if the prize is still within its jurisdiction, use all means in its power to effect the release of the prize and its officers and crew, and that the crew placed on board by the captor shall be interned.

If the prize is out of the jurisdiction of the neutral Power, the capturing Government shall, on the request of the former, release the prize with its officers and crew.

ART. 4.-No Prize Court can be constituted by a belligerent on neutral territory, or on a vessel in neutral waters.

ART. 5.-Belligerents are forbidden to make neutral pcrts and waters the base of naval operations against their adversaries, especially by installing radio-telegraphic stations or any apparatus which may serve as means of communication with belligerent forces on sea or on land.

ART. 6. The supply, under any ground whatever, either directly or indirectly, by a neutral Power to a belligerent Power, of ships of war, or of munitions, or of material of war of any kind, is forbidden.

ART. 7.—A neutral Power is not bound to prevent the exportation or transit, for the account of either belligerent, of arms, munitions of war, or, in general, of anything which may be useful to an army or a fleet.

ART. 8.-A neutral Government is bound to use the means at its disposal to prevent, within its jurisdiction, the equipping or arming of any vessel, which it has any reasonable suspicion of being destined to act as a cruiser or to join in hostile operations against a Power with which it is at peace.

It is also bound to exercise the same vigilance to prevent the