PROGRESS OF THE WORLD. 451 



another conflagration on their hands. Arming Merchantmen. 



They hold the money-bags, and conse- Tt was an extraordinary move on the 



quently should be able to control the P art of the Admiralty at home to en- 



■j., „.: Tu , . r -.i courage the arming of merchantmen. 



situation. the treaty or peace with . . te 



— , . .,_.■'_. Is this an admission that our fleets are 



lurkev was not signed until Sir Ed- , ,, ..... 



no longer capable ot defending our 



ward Grey informed the Balkan dele- merchant ships in a future war? Jf it 



gates that unless they agreed on the i Sj t ] ien we ought to come into line 



draft treaty without delay, it was no with the United States, and agree to 



use their remaining in England. This abandon the right of capture at sea 



firm action brought Greece and Servia altogether. When this was proposed 



into line. The signing took place on at the Ha S ue Peace Conference, it had 



vr ^^4-' tu «; • 1 i • r the support of the British delegates at 



May 30tn. Ihe official conclusion of / 1 s . 



. . „ , , , .... first, but directly other nations wished 



the war between turkey and the Allies , • ,, ■ . . . 



to make certain things contraband or 



was the signal for the outbreak of war> our representatives switched 



serious trouble between Bulgaria on round, and insisted upon right of cap- 



the one side and Greece and Servia on ture in every case. This may seem a 



the other. The territory in dispute is contradiction, but it was quite a sound 



shown on the accompanying map. position to take up. As the owner of 



Bulgaria insists that the agreement the greatest mercantile marine in the 



arrived at with Servia before the war world, Great Britain desired the right 



started should be strictlv adhered to. of capture to be entirely abolished. If 



Servia, for her part, points out that exceptions were to be made Great Bri- 



the territory conquered far exceeded tain at once took up the other position, 



what was anticipated. That Bulgaria and as the possessor of the most 



had not supplied the troops promised powerful navy insisted on the right of 



to assist in the conquest of Macedonia, capture, secure that this would be a 



and, further, owing to her desire to powerful weapon to her hand, as her 



capture Adrianople, had delayed the warships would suffice to protect her 



conclusion of peace. Further, that merchantmen, and the merchantmen 



Servia had assisted Bulgaria to a far of her foe would be at her mercy, 



greater extent than was stipulated in Either no capture at all, said our 



the treaty; and, finally, that much of naval delegate, Captain (now Admiral) 



the territory which was to have fallen Ottley, or right to capture all ships, 



to Servia had been taken from her by 0ne or the other, but nothing between, 



the Powers to form an autonomous That is an understandable attitude. 



Albania. Consequently Servia and a Useless Step. 



Greece refused to abide by the agree- To arm merchantmen in peace time 



ment, and were prepared, if need be, is to license privateering, and as Ad- 



by force of arms, to hold what they miral Sir Cyprian Bridge points out in 



had conquered. Some sanguinary the "Nation": "By the year 1856 the 



encounters have taken place, but it is privateer had become as obsolete as a 



probable that the Allies will finally pack horse." Authorised robbery en 



agree to accept the Tsar's offer of the high sea cannot possibly pay, for 



arbitration, and that the much-abused an ocean steamer of great speed and 



Concert of Europe will succeed in pre- size, with a large and expert crew, 



venting further bloodshed. would be required for the purpose. 



