Section 2 Pacific Reprisals
The four letters next following were suggested by the ambiguous character of the blockades instituted by France against Siam in 1893, by the Great Powers against Crete in 1897, and by Great Britain, Germany, and Italy, against Venezuela in 1902. The object, in each case, was to explain the true nature of the species of reprisals known as “Pacific Blockade,” and to point out the difference between the consequences of such a measure and those which result from a “Belligerent Blockade.” A fifth letter, written with reference to the action of the Netherlands against Venezuela in 1908, emphasises the desirability of more clearly distinguishing between war and reprisals. On the various applications of a blockade in time of peace, see the author’s Studies in International Law, pp. 130-150.