“International Law does not require of the neutral sovereign that he should keep the citizen or subject within the same strict lines of neutrality which he is bound to draw for himself.”--_Introduction to the Study of International Law_, 2d edition, p. 270. That is, a citizen may sell ships and arms to a belligerent and take the penalty, but the Government cannot do any such thing. Another authority of considerable weight, Bluntschli, the German, lays down the rule as follows:-- “The neutral State must neither send troops to a belligerent, nor put ships of war at its disposal, nor furnish subsidies to aid it in making the war. “In coming _directly_ to the aid of one of the belligerent powers by the sending of men or war material, one takes part in the war.”--_Droit International Codifié_, tr. LARDY, art. 757, p. 381. There is the true principle: “By the sending of men or war material one takes part in the war.” * * * * * But the most important illustration of this question, and the only case bearing directly on this point, which, according to my recollection, has ever been diplomatically discussed, is one somewhat famous at the time, known as that of the Swedish Frigate, which will be found in the second series of “Causes Célèbres,” by Baron Charles de Martens. It seems that in 1825, after ten years of peace, the Swedish Government conceived the idea of parting with ships, some of them more than twenty years old, as comparatively useless. A contract for their sale was made with a commercial house in London. The Spanish Government, by their minister at Stockholm, protested, on the alleged ground, that, though nominally sold to merchants, they were purchased for the revolted colonies in Mexico and South America, and in his communication, dated the 1st of July, 1825, used the following energetic language, which I translate:-- “And what would his Majesty the King of Sweden think, on the supposition of the revolt of one of his provinces,--of the kingdom of Norway for example,--if friendly and allied powers furnished the rebels with arms, munitions, a fleet even, through intermediate speculators, and under pretence of not knowing the result-- I translate literally,--