472
THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 17 SEPTEMBER, 1870.
And whereas in and by a certain Statute made and passed in the Fifty-ninth Year 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 equipping, in His Majesty's Dominions, "Vessels for Warlike Purposes, without His Majesty's Licence," it is amongst other Things declared and enacted as follows:-
"That if any person within any part of the United King- dom, or in any Part of His Majesty's Dominions beyond the Seas, shall, without the Leave and Licence 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 out, 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 cruize or commit Hostilities against any Frince, State, or Potentate, 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 in any Colony, Province, or Part of any Province or Country, or against the Inbabitants 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, Territory, 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 Misdemeanor, and shall, upon Conviction thereof, upon any Information or Indictment, be punished by Fine and Imprisonment or either of them, at the Discretion 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 em- powered to make Seizures for any Forfeiture incurred ander any of the Laws of Customs or Excise, or the Laws of Trade and Navigation, to seize such Ships and Vessels afore- said, 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 Frotection of the Revenues of Customs and Excise, or of the Laws of Trade and Navigation."
And it is in and by the said Act further 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 Licence 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 changing those on board for other Guns, or by the Addition of any Equipment for War, increase or augment, or procure 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 Cruizer, or other armed Vessel, which at the Time of her Arrival in any Part of the United Kingdom or any of His Majesty's Domi- nions was a Ship of War, Cruizer, 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 Colouy, 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 Misdemeanor, and shali, upon being convicted thereof, upon any Informa- tion 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.
An We do hereby further warn and admonish all Our loving Subjects, and all Persons what- soever entitled to Our Protection, to observe towards each of the aforesaid Sovereigns, their Subjects and Territories, and towards all Belligerents whatsoever, with whom we are at Peace, the Duties of Neutrality; and to respect, in all and each of them, the Exercise of those Belligerent Rights which We and Our Royal Predecessors have always claimed to exercise.
And We do hereby further warn all Our loving Subjects, and all Persons whatsoever 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 a War between other Sovereigns, or in violation or contravention of the Law of Nations in that Behalf, as more especially by breaking, or endeavouring to break, any Blockade lawfully and actually established by or on behalf of either of the said Sovereigns, by carrying Officers, Soldiers, Despatches, Arms, Ammunition, Military Stores or Materials, or any Article or Articles considered and deemed to be contraband of War according to the Law or modern Usages of Nations, for the Use or Service of either of the said Sovereigns, that all Persons so offending, together with their Ships and Goods, will rightfully incur and be justly liable to hostile Capture, and to the Penalties denounced by the Law of Nations in that Behalf.
And We do hereby give Notice that all Our Subjects and Persons entitled to Our Protection who may misconduct themselves in the Premises will do so at their Peril, and of their own Wrong; and that they will in nowise obtain any Protection from Us against such Capture, or such Penalties as aforesaid, but will, on the contrary, incur Our high Displeasure by such Misconduct.
Given at Our Court at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, this Nineteenth Day of July, in the Year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, and in the Thirty-fourth Year of Our Reigu.
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.