The British Note in reply to the American protest of
March 30th against the British blockade has reached Washington. It maintains that Britain has held steadfastly to the broad principles of international law, and that if a neutral country is aggrieved remedies exist in the Courts and in arbitration. When a neutral country is made a base of operations by one belligerent it is justifiable for another belligerent to blockade that country. A precedent is cited from the American Civil War. Then the United States blockaded Bermuda. First the blockade was on the west side, and when this was not enough American ships of war were stationed also on the east side. Thus no goods could reach Bermuda which might have been transhipped to the Southern States. The British Government consider that the only way to ascertain the real destination of goods consigned to neutral countries bordering on Germany is to compare the normal imports of these countries with their present imports. The neighbours of Germany are in fact so much intimidated that they fail to prevent goods from passing into Germany.
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