THE TREATY WITH JAPAN.
[TO THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOR.") SIR,—To your list of material objections to the above Treaty in the Spectator of February 15th permit me to add a formal one,—that of bad draughtsmanship. On the first page of your current issue you discuss the contingency of Japan attacking two Powers jointly. It is not a little curious that the actual text of the Treaty does not provide either for that contin- gency, or for its opposite, namely, that of Japan being attacked by two Powers jointly; though I am aware that those cases would be covered by the scope of the Treaty, as according to Vattel and other authorities the interpretation is extensive rather than restrictive where such is the inten- tion of the parties. Article 2 provides : "If either Great
Britain or Japan should become involved in war with another Power " and Article 3 provides : "If in the above event [i.e., only in the case where the ally is already at war with one other Power] any other Power or Powers should join ' in hostilities • "—I am, Sir, &c., Beciland, Stratford-on-Avon. G. R. TALBOT, LL.B.
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