594 THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE SEA 



leagues of the coast between the North Foreland and Beachy 

 Head, or within eight leagues of any other part of the coast ; 

 or any foreign ship with one or more British subjects on board, 

 found or discovered to have been within three leagues of the 



o 



coast, or any foreign ship irrespective of British subjects 

 within one league, might under certain specified conditions be 

 forfeited; and power was conferred on the commander of a 

 ship of the royal navy to fire on such vessel if it refused to 

 bring to after a warning gun had been given. 1 



Other nations have also assigned boundaries for customs 

 jurisdiction, which in nearly all cases exceed the ordinary 

 limits of territorial waters. The United States in 1799 ex- 

 tended its jurisdiction for such purposes to four leagues from 

 the coast, and in 1807, in an Act against the importation of 

 slaves, the seizure of vessels laden with certain cargoes within 

 that distance was also authorised. 2 In Spain the customs 

 limit is six miles, and therefore corresponds to the territorial 

 zone which is claimed; 3 in Sweden it is also six miles, but 

 measured on the Scandinavian system from the outermost 

 rocks; in Norway it is four miles, measured on the same 

 principle, but a treaty between Norway and Mexico, concluded 

 in 1886, places it as between these countries at three leagues 

 from low- water mark. 4 In Italy the boundary is ten kilometres ; 

 in France two myriametres, or about four leagues ; in Austria 

 it is also four leagues; while in Canada it is three leagues. 5 

 Wide limits for jurisdiction have also been fixed by certain 

 quarantine Acts. By the British Act of 1753, all vessels 

 coming from places whence the plague might be brought were 

 required to make signals on meeting other ships within four 

 leagues of the coast, a distance which was reduced to two- 

 leagues by a later Act. 6 



Such extension of jurisdiction as is indicated for customs 

 or quarantine purposes over foreign ships approaching the 



1 16 & 17 Viet., c. 107, ss. 212, 218 ; 39 & 40 Viet., c. 36, s. 179. 



2 Kent, Commentaries, i. 31 ; Wheaton, Elements, 267, 323. 



3 Riquelme, op. cit. See p. 569. 



4 Fifteenth Ann. Rep. Assoc. for Reform and Codification of the Law of Nations r 

 18, 22 ; Seventeenth, ibid., 302 ; Annuaire dc VInstitut, xi. 151. 



6 Fifteenth Rep., ibid., 84, 121 ; Ann. de VInstitut for 1894. Customs Act of 

 Canada, 49 Viet., c. 32, s. 21. 

 6 26 Geo. II. ; 6 Geo. IV., c. 78. 



