ABSTRACT
A Question, closely bearing upon harmonious international relations and the conditions of world peace, which Richard Cobden took up at a later stage of his public life, was the reform of the international law in relation to maritime usages in time of war. As was his custom in dealing with international questions, he based his demands mainly on practical considerations, though those of equity and philanthropy naturally weighed strongly with him. Cobden advocated the reform of sea law not merely in the interests of free commercial intercourse, but because he saw in its inequity an obstacle to international understanding. The common view that Great Britain maintains the right of blockade in violation of some existing international agreement is, of course, baseless. Nevertheless, remembering how directly such questions as right of search and blockade bear upon the problem of international peace, and how to preserve it, it would be wise to accustom ourselves to the expectation of early and important modifications.
