GENERAL ADOPTION OF THE THREE-MILE LIMIT 583 



miles, from the coasts of their respective possessions in the 

 regions referred to; but when the British Government dis- 

 covered that in the corresponding convention concluded a little 

 earlier between Russia and the United States no limit at all 

 had been specified, they withdrew this article. Mr George 

 Canning, in a despatch to Mr Stratford Canning, the British 

 plenipotentiary at St Petersburg, withdrawing the article, said 

 that its omission was, in truth, immaterial, since "the law of 

 nations assigns the exclusive sovereignty of one league to each 

 Power on its own coasts, without any specific stipulation." 

 The Russian Government raised no objection to the new article, 

 and the distance from the coast at which the fishing was to 

 be exercised in common passed without specification, " and con- 

 sequently," added Stratford Canning, "it rests on the law of 

 nations as generally received." A little later, before the con- 

 vention was ratified, the British plenipotentiary, thinking it 

 might be desirable to have the law of nations declared therein, 

 jointly with the Court of Russia, in some ostensible shape, 

 broached the subject anew and suggested that notes should be 

 exchanged in London "declaratory of the law as fixing the 

 distance at one marine league from the shore." The Russian 

 Minister, however, expressed disinclination to do anything that 

 might retard the immediate ratification of the convention ; and 

 he assured Canning that the Russian Government would be 

 content in executing the convention to abide by the recognised 

 law of nations, and that if any question should afterwards be 

 raised upon the subject, he would not refuse to join in making 

 the suggested declaration, " on being satisfied that the general 

 rule under the law of nations was such as the English Govern- 

 ment supposed." * 



It is evident from these despatches that the British Govern- 

 ment at that time held the opinion that the territorial waters 

 of a state on an open coast extended, " by the law of nations," 

 for one marine league from the shore. But it would not have 

 been easy for them to adduce convincing testimony in support 



1 The Duke of Wellington to Count Nesselrode, 17th Oct. 1822 ; G. Canning to 

 the Duke of Wellington, 27th Sept. 1822 ; Count Nesselrode to Count Lieven, 

 26th June 1823 ; G. Canning to S. Canning, 8th Dec. 1824 ; S. Canning to 

 G. Canning, 3rd April 1825. Parl. Papers, ibid., 41, 42, 44, 46, 56, App. II. 

 pt. i. 14, 15, 29, 52, 57. 



