526 
L A W. 
In this acceptation of the term, there arc only Great 
Britain, the feven United Provinces, Spain, Portugal, the 
Sicilies, Denmark, Sweden, Turkey, formerly the repub¬ 
lic of Venice, latterly France, and fince the beginning of 
the eighteenth century Ruiiia, which can be called mari¬ 
time powers ; the other powers have either never been 
maritime, or have ceafed to be fo. 
Thefe rights of the maritime powers are thus exercifed. 
1. The Ottoman Porte exercifes his right, as proprietor 
and fovereign of the Black Sea, in fuch manner as not 
to permit even the entry or navigation of it to any na¬ 
tion whatever, unlef's he has granted it by treaty. 
2. Denmark, wifiling to extend its empire and rights 
on the Teas, adjacent to Iceland and Greenland, to the 
Ipace of four miles from Iceland and fifteen from Green¬ 
land, claims a right of excluding foreigners from fifhing 
and even navigating in that fpace ; but this has been dis¬ 
puted by many nations, and particularly Great Britain 
and the United Provinces, in what concerns the right of 
Billing. 
3. Great Britain claims the property and empire of 
certain parts of the four feas that furround her; the em¬ 
pire over more diilant parts ; and maritime honours on 
all the feas. And her all-powerful and hitberto-invincible 
fleets have enabled her fuccefsfully to maintain this ma¬ 
ritime fuperiority and afcendency againft all the world. 
4. The republic of Venice claimed the empire, and 
particularly the maritime honours, on the Adriatic ; but 
the neighbouring Hates difputed them with her, and lat¬ 
terly flie has not been in afituation to maintain any rights. 
The annual ceremony of the doge of Venice going to wed 
the Adriatic was thought important towards the fupport 
of this right; but that is now laid afide, as Venice has 
paffed into other hands. 
5. Genoa has no longer a naval force refpeftable enough 
to claim with efi'eft the maritime honours which fhe pre¬ 
tends to be entitled to on the Ligurian Sea. 
6. After many difputes with rel'pett to the empire of the 
Baltic, and particularly with refpedt to the honours of the 
flag, fome of the Hates fituated on its fhore (as Denmark 
and RulTia by a treaty ot 1730, and Ruflia and Sweden by a 
treaty of 1743) have agreed to yield thofe honours in cer¬ 
tain diftrids, and to omit them reciprocally in others. 
The maritime honours about which there have been fo 
many controverfies, and which have been productive of 
violent afts, and even of war, confilt, 1. In fainting with 
cannon-, and on this point it is to be determined, who (hall 
falute the firH, at what diflance the falute fliall be given, 
with how many guns, and if the falute (hall be returned 
gun for gun ; in this refpedl all the powers of Europe fa¬ 
lute by the odd numbers, 3, 5, 7, and fo on, except Swe¬ 
den, who only falutes by the even numbers. 2. In fa- 
luting with the Jlag or with the pendent ; and here it is 
to be fettled whether it fliall be furled up, lowered, or 
hauled down. 3. In faluting with the fails, by lowering or 
hauling down the fore top-fail; this lait way of faluting is 
tifually made ufe of by merchantmen, but veflels of war 
fometimes ufe it alfo. 
All powers, whether monarchical or republican, may 
require all foreign veflels, whatever be their number or 
their quality, x. To falute with cannon and flag, as well 
before they enter their ports, as in palung under the can¬ 
non of their fortrefles. In the latter cafe the fortrefles 
return gun for gun ; or elfe, after the falute is finilhed, 
fire a lalute adapted to the quality of the veflels, or that 
of the commander. 2. Being on the feas under their do- 
sninion, to lalute their fhips of war with cannon, and even 
with flag; thefe points are generally acknowledged. Eng¬ 
land, and, after her example, France, will not give this 
mark of honour to republics, but require the republics to 
falute their admirals firH. 
On the parts of the fea acknowledged to be free, or be¬ 
longing to a third power, there is not, generally fpeaking, 
any obligation for veH'els of war to falute each other; there¬ 
fore it often happens that the falute is entirely omitted, 
However, 1. It is cuflomary for a veflel that carries no more 
than a pendent (for inHance a captain’s veflel) to lalute 
a veflel carrying an admiral’s flag; and, when the lalute 
is linilhed, lor the admiral to return him fix guns lefs than 
he has received, the vice-admiral four lefs, and the rear- 
admiral two lefs. a. A detached veflel falutes a fquadron 
or a fleet. 3. Royal veflels require republican fliips to 
lower their flags or pendents, at the fame time that they 
falute. 4. England, as the firH and moH difiinguilhed 
maritime power, requires that her admirals lhall always 
receive the firH falute from all foreign velfels whatever, 
as well with cannon as with the flag; and, following the 
example of England, fo did France previous to the late re¬ 
volution. 
Sometimes the honour of the firH falute with cannon is 
given to perfons of diflinftion who happen to be on-board 
the foreign veil'd ; as, to a fovereign, a prince of the 
blood, or an ambaflador. 
Merchant-fhips, even when they are unarmed, are 
obliged to lalute all veflels of war, fortrefles, and ports, 
as well with their cannon as with their merchant-flag 
and their fails. 
3. Amicable Arrangements. It is cuflomary with 
princes to announce to each other every important even', 
whether of an agreeable or difagreeable nature, that hap¬ 
pens in,their family; fuch as the death of the fovereign, 
his confort, the princes or'princefles of the blood, the ac- 
ceflion to the throne, marriages, pregnancies, births, vic¬ 
tories, or the like. Their notifications are made in writ¬ 
ing, or by an ordinary or extraordinary minifler. They 
are anlvvered by a compliment, conveyed, between equals, 
in the lame manner. Sometimes fuch notifications pro- 
duce other marks of refped, fuch as that of a court go¬ 
ing into mourning for i'ome time after having received the 
notification of the deceafe of one of another royal fa¬ 
mily ; or thefe notifications are fometimes followed by fo- 
lemn devotional obfervances, and fometimes by public 
thankfgivings, according to the importance or the nature 
of the event announced. 
Amicable negotiations are alfo frequently opened and 
carried on between fovereign Hates, touching matters of 
dilpute arifing between them ; and fometimes with the af- 
fiflance of a third power, who has interpofed its good of¬ 
fices, or itB mediation, or which has been fixed on as an 
intermediator. In both thefe cafes, the negotiation may 
be carried on verbally (by the lovereigns themfelves, or 
their miniflers,) or in writing. This lafl courfe is ob- 
ferved, where negociation is'out of the queflion, and 
where the objedt is to make known the rights or the will 
of a fovereign, or to perpetuate the remembrance of what 
has been Hipuiated for or agreed on between lovereigns 
and Hates. 
The letters made ufe of in diplomatic or Hate corref- 
pondencies are letters of council, letters of cabinet, or 
letters in the fovereign’s own hand. 
Letters of council, of ceremony in chancery, are thofe in 
which all the points of the ceremonial are molt rigoroully 
obferved. 1. They are often written in the Hate-language 
of the power that writes. 2. They begin, if written to 
equals or inferiors, with the titles of him who writes, 
which are followed by thofe of him who is written to, or 
by the vocative: as, for inHance, “ Geo. III. by the grace 
of God king, &c. to the mofl high and mighty prince, See. 
by the lame grace king, See. our good brother, friend, 
coufin, (and ally perhaps,) mofl high, mofl excellent, 
and mofl mighty, prince, &c.” 3. In the body of the let¬ 
ter the writer Ipeaks of himfelf in the plural number, J-Ve, 
giving to the other the title ot “majefiy, highnefs,” or the 
like, or iiinple “you,” according to the relative dignity 
of him who writes, and of him who is written to. 4. 
The letter doles with a falutation in form, fuch as “We 
pray God, mofl high, mofl excellent, and molt mighty, 
prince, that he will take you into his holy keeping ;” 
then follows, feparated from the body of the letter, the 
date, mentioning the place, the day, the month, the year, 
x and 
