Thomas Erskine Holland: “Towns, agglomerations of houses, or villages which are open or undefended cannot be attacked or bombarded.”

The Declaration of London has, most fortunately, never been ratified by the Government of Great Britain.

I would submit that such a Report as that which accompanies the Declaration of London has no claim to the sort of interpretative authority which has been attributed to it; nor is it desirable that the requisite steps should be taken for…

Either let its place be taken by some clear and simple statement of unquestioned prize law, for the use of commanders and Officials, ... or established principles take care of themselves, certain doubtful points only being dealt with from…

It is surely notorious that the delegates of a Power, by agreeing to the draft of a treaty, give to it no international validity, which results only when the treaty has been ratified by their Government.