The Laws of War, Affecting Commerce and ShippingThomson, H. Byerley (Henry Byerley)
History
The Laws of War, Affecting Commerce and Shipping
Thomson, H. Byerley (Henry Byerley)
Maritime law; War (International law); War, Maritime (International law)
The judge should proceed, according to their form, to sentence with
all possible expedition. If on the preparatory examination there
arises a doubt in the breast of the judge, whether the capture is
prize or not, and further proof appears to be necessary, the ship and
cargo is appraised by persons named on the part of the captor, and is
delivered up to the claimants, on their giving good and sufficient
security to pay to the captor the full value, according to the
appraisement, if the ship is adjudged lawful prize by the judge; by
this the claimant is entitled to the immediate possession of the
subject in dispute, which the captor cannot obtain but on the refusal
of the claimant to give security for the appraised value. After a
sentence of condemnation, the captor has a right to the possession;
the execution of the sentence is not suspended by an appeal, but the
party appellant gives good and sufficient security to restore the
cargo, or its full value, in case the sentence is reversed.[103]
[Sidenote: Where Prize Courts can be held.]
Having explained shortly the operation of the Prize Courts, it must be
observed, that the Prize Court of an Ally cannot condemn. Prize or no
prize is a question belonging exclusively to the courts of the country
of the captor. The reason is, that the Sovran has a right and is bound
to inspect the conduct of the captors, for he is answerable to other
states for the acts of the captor. The Prize Court of the captor may
sit in the country of a co-belligerent or an ally, because there is a
common interest between such on the subject, and both governments may
be presumed to authorize any measures conducing to give effect to
their arms, and to consider each others ports as mutually
subservient.[104]
It is not lawful for such a court to act in a neutral territory; and
it was at one time even doubted, where property had been carried into,
and was lying in a neutral port, whether the validity of the capture
could be determined even by a Court of Prize established in the
captor's country; because it was thought that the possession in reach
of the court was essential to the exercise of a jurisdiction in a
proceeding _in rem_. The principle was admitted by Sir Wm. Scott to be
correct, in the case of the Henrick and the Maria;[105] but he
considered that the English Admiralty had gone too far in supporting
condemnations in England, of prizes abroad in neutral ports, to permit
him to recall the vicious practice of the Court to acknowledged
principle.
[Sidenote: Judgments of Prize Courts conclusive.]
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