THE NEUTRALITY PROCLAMATION.

(From the London Gazette of May 14.)

Vicronis R.—Whereas we are happily at peace with all sovereigns, powers, and states. And whereas hostilities have unhappily commenced between the Go- vernment 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 main- tain 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 fifty-ninth vear of his Majesty King George the Third, 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 equip- ping, in his Majesty's dominions, vessels for warlike purposes, without his Majesty's license, ' 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 license of his Majesty, his heirs or successors, for that. pur- pose first had and obtained, under the sign manual of his Majesty, his hens 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 enlist, or shall agree to enlist or to enter himself to serve in any 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 license as aforesaid, accept or agree to take or accept any commission, warrant, or appointment as an officer, or shall enlist or enter himself, or shall agree to enlist or enter himself, to serve as a sailor or marine, or to be employed, or en- gaged, 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 war- like 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 per- son 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 license 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 i or persons exercising or assuming to exercise the powers of govern-

ment n 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 and 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, settlement, 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 em- ployment as aforesaid, as an officer, soldier, sailor, ur 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 afore- said, or to go or to agree to go or embark from any part of his Majesty's domi- nions, for the purpose or with intent to be so enlisted, entered, engaged, or em- ployed 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 misdemeanour, 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 license 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 oat 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, or of any person or persons exercising or assuming to exercise any powers of government in or over any foreign state, colony, province, or part of any province or people, as a transport or store ship, or with intent to cruise or commit hostilities against any prince, state, or poten- tate, 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 m 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, terri- tory, 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 misdemeanour, and shall, upon conviction thereof, upon any information or in- dictment, be punished by fine and imprisonment, or either of them, at the dis- cretion 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 in the like manner, and in such courts as ships or vessels 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 farther 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 license of his Majesty for that purpose first had and obtained as aforesaid, shall, by adding to the number of the guns of such vessel, or by changing those on board for other guns, or by the addition of any equipment for war, increase or augment, or pro- cure 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 cruiser, 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, cruiser, 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 any 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 commit any act, matter, or thing whatsoever, contrary to the provisions of the said statute, upon pain of the several penalties by the said statute imposed, and of our high displeasure. And we do hereby farther warn all our loving subjects, and all persons what- soever entitled to our protection, that if any of them shall presume, in contempt of this our royal proclamation, and of our high displeasure, to do any acts in

derogation of their duty, as subjects of a neutral sovereign, in the said contest, or in violation or contravention of the law of nations in that behalf; as for

example and more especially by entering into the military service of either of the said contending parties as commissioned or non-commissioned officers or soldiers; or by serving as officers, sailors, or marines on board any ship or vessel of war or transport, of or in the service of either of the said contending parties; or by

serving as,pfficers, sailors, or marines on board any privateer bearing letters of marque of or from either of the said contending parties ; or by engaging to go or going

to any place beyond the seas, with intent to enlist or engage in any such service, or

by procuring or attempting to procure, within her Majesty's dominions at home or abroad others to do so; or by fitting oat, arming, or equipping any ship or vessel to be employed as a ship of war or privateer or transport, by either of the

said contending parties ; or by breaking or endeavouring to break any blockade lawfully and actually established by or on behalf of either of the said contending

parties; or by carrying officers, soldiers, despatches, arms, military stores, or

materials, or any article or articles considered and deemed to be contraband of war according to the law or modern usage of nations, for the use or service of

either of the said contending parties, all persons so offending will incur and be liable to the several penalties and penal consequences by the said statute, or by the law of nations, in that behalf imposed or denounced. And we do hereby declare that all our subjects, and persons entitled to our protection, who may misconduct themselves in the premises, will do scat their peril and of their own wrong, and that they will in •no wise obtain any protection from us against any liabilities or, enal consequences, but will, on the .00ntrary, incur our high displeasure by such misconduct. Given at our Court at the White Lodge, Richmond Park. this 13th day of May, in the year of our Lord 1861, and in the 24th year of our reign. God save the Queen.