4 MARCH 1916, Page 3

We are glad to say that thirty-six German and Austrian

steamers which have been lying in the Tagus since the beginning of the war have been seized by the Portuguese Government. Those vessels should do a little to relieve the pressure upon the carrying capacity of the Allies. Portugal, as the ally of Britain, if not actually at war with Germany and Austria, must, from the point of view of public law, be very near it. It would have been absurd for the Portuguese Government to stand upon a punctilio in the circumstances—which are that Germany has deprived the Allies of many trading vessels by a wholly illegal and criminal method of warfare.