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N.B.-Sir T. Barclay's Problems of International Practice and Diplomacy will be hereinafter referred to as Problems.

xvi

I. FIRST AND SECOND HAGUE CONI

COMPARED

THE first Peace Conference sat at The Hague between the 18th
May and the 29th July 1899. It was attended by plenipoten-
tiaries of the following independent States: Great Britain,
France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia, Italy, Spain,
Portugal, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway,
Greece, Roumania, Servia, Switzerland, Montenegro, Luxemberg,
Turkey (including Bulgaria), United States, Mexico, Japan,
Persia, Siam, and China. The result of the Conference was the
adoption of—

I. A Convention for the pacific settlement of international disputes.

II. A Convention relating to the laws and customs of war by land.

III. A Convention for the adaptation to maritime warfare of the principles of the Geneva Convention of the 22nd August 1864.

IV. And three Declarations on the following matters:
(a) Prohibition of the launching of projectiles and
explosives from balloons or by other similar
new methods.1

(b) Prohibition of the use of projectiles the only
object of which is the diffusion of asphyxiating
or deleterious gases.

(c) Prohibition of the use of bullets which expand or
flatten easily in the human body, such as
bullets with a hard envelope, of which the
envelope does not entirely cover the core, or
is pierced with incisions.

These Conventions and Declarations formed separate Acts which the States represented could sign separately.2

The Conference furthermore adopted unanimously the following Resolution :

1 Adopted for a period of five years only.

2 See Problems for text in full, pp. 213 et

"The Conference is of opinion that the restriction of military budgets, which are at present a heavy burden on the world, is extremely desirable for the increase of the material and moral welfare of mankind."1

The following Vau was also unanimously adopted:

"The Conference, taking into consideration the preliminary steps taken by the Swiss Federal Government for the revision of the Geneva Convention, expresses the wish that steps may be shortly taken for the assembling of a special Conference 2 having for its object the revision of that Convention."

The following Vaux were adopted, but not unanimously: "1. The Conference expresses the wish that the question of the rights and duties of neutrals may be inserted in the programme of a Conference in the near future.

"2. The Conference expresses the wish that the questions with regard to rifles and naval guns, as considered by it, may be studied by the Governments with the object of coming to an agreement respecting the employment of new types and calibres.

"3. The Conference expresses the wish that the Governments, taking into consideration the proposals made at the Conference, may examine the possibility of an agreement as to the limitation of armed forces by land and sea, and of war budgets.

"4. The Conference expresses the wish that the proposals which contemplate the declaration of the inviolability of private property in naval warfare may be referred to a subsequent Conference for consideration.

"5. The Conference expresses the wish that the proposal to settle the question of the bombardment of ports, towns, and villages by naval forces may be referred to a subsequent Conference for consideration."

Great Britain signed and became a party to the three Conventions, but not to all the Declarations, etc.

In March-April 1906 the Emperor of Russia issued an official invitation to hold the second Conference in July 1906. Representations from the United States and elsewhere led to the postponement of the Conference till 1907. The chief passages of the letter of invitation were as follows:

"In taking the initiative in convoking a second Peace Conference, the Imperial Government has had in view the necessity of giving a fresh development to the humanitarian principles which served as a basis for the work of the great international meeting of 1899.

"It believed at the same time that it would be opportune to increase, as far as possible, the number of States participating in the work of the projected Conference; and the enthusiasm with which this appeal has been met testifies to the depth and universality of the sentiment of solidarity which makes for the application of ideas having as their object the good of humanity as a whole.

"The first Conference separated with the conviction that its work should be completed subsequently through the regular progress of enlightenment

1 See Problems for text of original proposals of Russian Government, pp. 123, 124.

2 This Conference was held at Geneva in June-July 1906. The revised Convention, composed of 33 Articles, is dated July 6, 1906. See Appendices, p. 247.

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