S P 



S P o 



The conftituent parts of this mineral are given by Vau- 



quelin as under. 



Silex - 56 to 64 



Alumine .- 24 to 24.4 



Lime - 5 ^o 3 



Potafh - - 5 



Oxyd of iron - 5 to 2 



SPOHREN, in Geography, a town of Saxany, in the 

 ■circle of Leipfic ; 2 miles S. of Zorbig. 



SPOIL-Bank, n term expreiling any heap of fpare earth 

 or ftiifF which remains, or is laid by in the cutting of a 

 canal. 



SPOILS, Spolia, whatever is taken from an enemy in 

 war. See Booty. 



Towns and lands taken from the enemy are ufually called 

 "conquefts;" and allmoveablc thingscoiiltitute the "booty." 

 This booty naturally belongs to the fovereign making war, 

 no lefs than the conqueils ; for he alone has fuch claims 

 againft. the enemy as warrant liim to feize on his goods, and 

 appropriate them to himfeif. His foldicr";, and even the 

 auxiliaries, are only inllruments in his hand for ailerting his 

 right. He maintains and forms them. Whatever they do 

 is in his name, and for him. Thus there is no difficulty even 

 with regard to the auxiliaries ; if they are not alTociates in 

 the war, it is not made for them, they have no more right 

 to the booty than the conqueils. But the fovereign may 

 grant the troops what fhare of the booty he pleales. At 

 prefent, moll nations allow them whatever they can make on 

 certain occafions, when the general allows of plundering 

 what they find on enemies fallen in the- field of battle, the 

 pillage of a camp which has been forced, and I'ometimes 

 that of a town taken by allault. The foldicr in fcvral fer- 

 vices has alfo the property of what he can take from the 

 enemy's troops when he is on a party, or in a detachment, 

 excepting artillery, military (lores, magazines, and convoys 

 of provifion or forage, which are applied to the wants and 

 ufe of the army. This cuftom being once admitted in an 

 army, it would be injultice to exclude auxiliaries from the 

 right allowed to the national troops. The Roman foldicr 

 was obliged to bring in all the booty he had taken to the 

 public llock. This the general caufed to be fold, and after 

 dillributing a part among the foldiers, according to rank, 

 the reft was configned to the public trealury. 



Inftead of the pillage of the country and defencelefa 

 places, a cultom has been fubilitutcd more humane, and more 

 advantageous to the fovereign making war ; w'z. that of 

 contributions. Whoever carries on a jull war. has a right of 

 making the enemy's com. try contribute to the fupport of 

 the army, and towards defraying all the charges of the war. 

 Thus he obtains a part of what is due to him, and the fi^b- 

 jecls of the enemy, on fubmitting to this impofition, are 

 fecurcd from pillage, and the cour:try is prefervcd. But a 

 general who would not fully his reputation, is to moderate 

 his contributions, and proportion them to thofe on whom 

 they are impofed. An excels in this point is not without 

 the reproach of cru'-lty and inhumanity : if it [hews Icis 

 ferocity than ravage and dellruflion, it glares with avarice. 

 If for weakening nn uiijud enemy, or for punilhing him, it 

 be lawful to carry oft his goods, which is allowed to be the 

 cafe, the reafons that jiillify the former aft, may alfo be 

 pleaded in vindication of dcllroyhig what cannot conveni- 

 ently be carried oH. Thus a country is ravaged, the pro- 

 vifions or forage dellroyed, that the enemy may not find a 

 fubfillence there. When his (hips cannot be taken or brought 

 off, endeavours are ufed to fink them ; all this tends to put 



an end to the vear. But thefe means are to be ufed only 

 with moderation, and according to the exigency. To tear 

 up vines, or cut down fruit-trees, is accounted illegal and 

 favage, except inHidled to punifh fomc crime committed by 

 the enemy againll the laws of war. This is to dcfolate a 

 country for many years, and what no fafcty can require. 

 Such a conduft is not diftated by prudence, but by hatred 

 and fury. 



However, on certain occafions, matters are carried ftill 

 farther ; a country is totally ravaged, towns and villages are 

 facked, fet on fire, and the inhabitants put to the fword. 

 Dreadful extremity, even when forced to it ! Savage and 

 monltrous exceffes, when committed without neceflity ! 

 However, they are authorifed by two reafons. i. The ne- 

 ceflity of chaltifing an unjuft and barbarous nation, for 

 checking its brutality, and prefervirg one's felf from its de- 

 predations. 1. A country is ravaged, and rendered unin- 

 habitable, for making a barrier, in order to cover a frontier 

 againll an enemy, who cannot be flopped in any other way. 

 A hard refource indeed ! fays Vattel ; but may it not be 

 ufed againll an enemy, when with the fame views and pur- 

 pofcs a fovereign lays walte his own provinces ? But for 

 whatever caufe a country be ravaged, we ought to fpare 

 thofe edifices which do honour to human fociety, and do 

 not contribute to the enemy's power ; fuch as temples, 

 tombs, public buildings, and all works of a remarkable 

 beauty. What advantage is obtained by dellroying them ? 

 He who aifls thus declares himfeif an enemy to mankind, 

 wantonly depriving them of thefe monuments of art and 

 models of talle. This is the ligiit in which Belifarius re- 

 prefented it to Tottila, king of tlie Goths. We flill detefl 

 thofe barbarians for dellroying fo many wonders of art, 

 when they over-ran the Roman empire. I'hough the refent- 

 ment of the great Guftavus againft Maximilian, duke of 

 Bavaria, was entirely juft, he rejefled with indignation the 

 advice of thofe who were for demolifhing the ftately palace 

 of Munich ; and took particular care to preferve that ad- 

 mirable llrufture. 



However, if for carrying on the operations of a war, oc 

 the works of a fiege, there be a neceflity for dellroying 

 buildings of this nature ; there is doubtlefs a right of fo 

 doing. The fovereign of the country, or his general, makei 

 no fcruplc when reduced to it by neceflity and maxims of 

 war. The governor of a town evidently threatened with a 

 fiege, fets fire to the fuburbs, that they may not be of ufe 

 to the befiegers for lodging themfelves in them. Nobody 

 offers to blame him who lays walle gardens, vineyards, or 

 orchards, for pitching a camp or throwing up an intrench- 

 ment ; if fome fine edifice be dellroyed thereby, it is an acci- 

 dent, an unhappy corifequence of the war, and the general 

 is not at all blameable ; unlefs, witiiout the leail incon- 

 venier.cy, he might have made his difpofitions elfewhere. 



In bombarding towns, it is difficult to fpare the fine edi- 

 fices ; at prefent it is only the ramparts and defences of a 

 place which are ufually b.ittered. To deitroy a place with 

 bombs and red-hot balls, is an extremity never praAiled with- 

 out great reafons. But it is warranted by tlie laws of war, 

 when an army has no other refource for reducing a place on 

 wliich may depend the fucccfs of the war, or when it greatly 

 annoys us. It is alfo fomctimcs pradlifed when there is no 

 other expedient of facing an enemy to make war with hu- 

 manity, or for punifhing him for fome other illegal outrage. 

 But it is with reludlancc that good princes make ufe of their 

 rigorous rights, and never but in extremities. 



Fortrelles, ramparts, and every kind of fortification, re- 

 late folely to war, and as in a jull war nothing is more natu- 

 ral 



