satisfaction at the orders which you inform me have been given in accordance with the rule of action laid down in that paper, notwithstanding the position falls so far short of that which The United States have confidently expected Holland would occupy on this question. "I pray, &c. "JAMES S. PIKE." I have had the honour to receive your despatch of the 4th of October, relative to the Sumter at Paramaribo, to which subject I have already given my attention. I have, &c. SIR, M. Van Zuylen to Mr. Pike. (Translation.) JAMES S. PIKE. The Hague, October 29, 1861. I HAVE had the honour to receive your letter of the 22nd of this month, relative to the affair of the Sumter, and it has been gratifying to me to learn from its tenor that you have received with satisfaction the information as to the measures adopted by the Government of the Low Countries to prevent the return or the prolonged stay in its ports of vessels which, like the Sumter, seemed to desire to use them as the base of their operations against the commerce of the adverse party. You regret only that the Government of the King should have adopted the same treatment towards the war vessels of the seceding States and those of The United States. Without entering here into an extended discussion, rendered, moreover, almost superfluous by my two preceding communications, I shall merely permit myself, sir, in referring to their contents, to cause you to observe that, agreeably to the doctrine of the best publicists, neutrality imposes upon those nations which desire to enjoy its benefits a complete abstention from all that could establish a difference of treatment between the belligerent parties, and that this principle applies as well to the case of civil war, or even of rebellion, as to that of an ordinary war. Your Government having desired that measures should be taken to prevent a prolonged stay in our ports of the Sumter, or of other vessels-of-war of the seceding States, we have admitted the justice of this claim. But these measures could not reach exclusively one of the two parties; they were to be general, and the consequence of it is that the new instructions given to the Governors of Curaçoa and of Surinam neither permit the vessels-of-war of The United States, except in the case of being compelled to put into a port, to sojourn in the ports of the Netherlands, in the West Indies, for a longer time than twice 24 hours (and not only for 24 hours, as you seem to believe). Nevertheless, the privateers, with or without their prizes, are, as heretofore, excluded from the Netherland ports, and it is by an oversight, which I hasten to rectify, that the words "and the privateers" have been introduced into that part of my communication of the 15th of this month which calls your attention to the instructions transmitted to the colonial authorities. Accept, &c. DE ZUYLEN DE NIJEVELT. BRITISH PROCLAMATION, for the Observance of Neutrality in the contest between The United States and the Confederate States of America.*-London, May 13, 1861. VICTORIA R. BY THE QUEEN.-A PROCLAMATION. WHEREAS we are happily at Peace with all Sovereigns, Powers, and States: And whereas hostilities have unhappily commenced between the Government of the United States of America and certain States styling themselves the Confederate States of America: And whereas we, being at Peace with the Government of The United States, have declared our Royal determination to maintain a strict and impartial neutrality in the contest between the said contending Parties: We, therefore, have thought fit, by and with the advice of our Privy Council, to issue this our Royal Proclamation: And we do hereby strictly charge and command all our loving subjects to observe a strict neutrality in and during the aforesaid hostilities, and to abstain from violating or contravening either the laws and statutes of the realm in this behalf, or the law of nations in relation thereto, as they will answer to the contrary at their peril : And whereas in and by a certain statute made and passed in the 59th year of His Majesty King George III [cap. 69], intituled "An Act to prevent the enlisting or engagement of His Majesty's subjects to serve in a foreign service, and the fitting out or equipping, in His Majesty's dominions, vessels for warlike purposes, without His Majesty's licence," it is, amongst other things, declared and enacted as follows: "That if any natural-born subject of His Majesty, his heirs and successors, without the leave or licence of His Majesty, his heirs or successors, for that purpose first had and obtained, under the sign manual of His Majesty, his heirs or successors, or signified by Order in Council, or by Proclamation of His Majesty, his heirs or successors, shall take or accept, or shall agree to take or accept, any military commission, or shall otherwise enter into the military service as a commissioned or non-commissioned officer, or shall enlist or enter himself to serve as a soldier, or to be employed or shall serve as a warlike or military operation, in the service of or for or under or in aid of any foreign Prince, State, Potentate, colony, province, or part of any province or people, or of any person or persons exercising or assuming to exercise the powers of Government in or over any foreign country, colony, province, or part of any province or people, either as an officer or soldier, or in any other military capacity; or if any natural-born subject of His Majesty shall, without such leave or licence as aforesaid, accept or agree to take or accept any commission, warrant, or appointment as an officer, or shall enlist or enter himself, to serve as a sailor or marine, or to be employed or engaged, or shall serve in and on board any ship or vessel-of-war, or in and on board any ship or vessel used or fitted out or equipped, or intended to be used for any warlike purpose, in the service of or for or under or in aid of any foreign Power, Prince, State, potentate, colony, province, or part of any province or people, or of any person or persons exercising or assuming to exercise the powers of government in or over any foreign country, colony, province, or part of any province or people; or if any natural-born subject of His Majesty shall, without such leave and licence as aforesaid, engage, contract, or agree to go, or shall go to any foreign State, country, colony, province, or part of any province or to any place beyond the seas, with an intent or in order to enlist or enter himself to serve, or with intent to serve in any warlike or military operation whatever, whether by land or by sea, in the service of or for or under or in aid of any foreign Prince, State, potentate, colony, province, or part of any province or people, or in the service of or for or under or in aid of any person or persons exercising or assuming to exercise the powers of government in or over any foreign country, colony, province, or part of any province or people, either as an officer or a soldier, or in any other military capacity, or as an officer or sailor, or marine, in any such ship or vessel as aforesaid, although no enlisting money or pay or reward shall have been or shall be in any or either of the cases aforesaid actually paid to or received by him, or by any person to or for his use or benefit; or if any person whatever, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, or in any part of His Majesty's dominions elsewhere, or in any country, colony, settle ment, island, or place belonging to or subject to His Majesty, shall hire, retain, engage, or procure, or shall attempt or endeavour to hire, retain, engage, or procure any person or persons whatever to enlist, or to enter or engage to enlist, or to serve or to be employed in any such service or employment as aforesaid, as an officer, soldier, sailor, or marine, either in land or sea service, for or under or in aid of any foreign Prince, State, potentate, colony, province, or part of any province or people, or for or under or in aid of any person or persons exercising or assuming to exercise any powers of government as aforesaid, or to go or to agree to go or embark from any part of His Majesty's dominions, for the purpose or with intent to be so enlisted, entered, engaged, or employed as aforesaid, whether any enlisting money, pay, or reward shall have been or shall be actually given or received, or not; in any or either of such cases, every person so offending shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon being convicted thereof upon any information or indictment, shall be punishable by fine and imprisonment, or either of them, at the discretion of the court before which such offender shall be convicted." And it is in and by the said Act further enacted, "That if any person, within any part of the United Kingdom, or in any part of His Majesty's dominions beyond the seas, shall, without the leave and licence of His Majesty for that purpose first had and obtained as aforesaid, equip, furnish, fit out, or arm, or attempt or endeavour to equip, furnish, fit out, or arm, or procure to be equipped, furnished, fitted out, or armed, or shall knowingly aid, assist, or be concerned in the equipping, furnishing, fitting out, or arming of any ship or vessel, with intent or in order that such ship or vessel shall be employed in the service of any foreign prince, state, or potentate, or of any foreign colony, province, or part of any province or people, as a transport or store ship, or with intent to cruize or commit hostilites against any prince, state, or potentate or against the subjects or citizens of any Prince, State, or potentate, or against the persons exercising or assuming to exercise the powers of Government in any colony, province, or part of any province or country, or against the inhabitants of any foreign colony, province or part of any province or country, with whom His Majesty shall not then be at war; or shall, within the United Kingdom, or any of His Majesty's dominions, or in any settlement, colony, territory, island, or place belonging or subject to His Majesty, issue or deliver any commission for any ship or vessel, to the intent that such ship or vessel shall be employed as aforesaid, every such person so offending shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and shall, upon conviction thereof, upon any information or indictment, be punished by fine and imprisonment, or either of them, at the discretion of the Court in which such offender shall be convicted; and every such ship or vessel, with the tackle, apparel, and furniture, together with all the materials, arms, ammunition, and stores, which may belong to or be on board of any such ship or vessel, shall be forfeited; and it shall be lawful for any officer of His Majesty's Customs or Excise, or any officer of His Majesty's navy, who is by law empowered to make seizures, for any forfeiture incurred under any of the laws of Customs or Excise, or the laws of Trade and Navigation, to seize such ships and vessels aforesaid, and in such places and in such manner in which the officers of His Majesty's Customs or Excise and the officers of His Majesty's navy are empowered respectively to make seizures under the laws of Customs and Excise, or under the laws of Trade and Navigation: and that every such ship and vessel, with the tackle, apparel, and furniture, together with all the materials, arms, ammunition, and stores which may belong to or be on board of such ship or vessel, may be prosecuted and condemned for any breach of the laws made for the protection of the Revenues of Customs and Excise, or of the laws of Trade and Navigation." And it is in and by the said Act further enacted, "That if any person in any part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, or in any part of His Majesty's dominions beyond the seas, without the leave and licence of His Majesty for that purpose first had and obtained as aforesaid, shall, by adding to the number of the guns of each vessel, or by changing those on board for other guns, or by the addition of any equipment for war, increase or augment, or procure to be increased or augmented, or shall be knowingly concerned in increasing or augmenting the warlike force of any ship or vessel of war or cruizer, or other armed vessel, which at the time of her arrival in any part of the United Kingdom, or any of His Majesty's dominions, was a ship of war, cruizer, or armed vessel in the service of any foreign Prince, State, or potentate, or of any person or persons exercising or assuming to exercise any powers of Government in or over any colony, province, or part of any province or people belonging to the subjects of any such Prince, State, or potentate, or to the inhabitants of the colony, province, or part of any province or country under the control of any person or persons so exercising or assuming to exercise the powers of Government, every such person so offending shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanour, and shall, upon being convicted thereof, upon any information or indictment, be punished by fine and imprisonment, or either of them, at the discretion of the Court before which such offender shall be convicted." Now, in order that none of our subjects may unwarily render themselves liable to the penalties imposed by the said statute, we do hereby strictly command, that, no person or persons whatsoever do |