Now available as an ebook for the first time, this 2000 title in the Melland Schill Studies in International Law series is a survey of the history of law of neutrality from its mediaeval roots to the end of the twentieth century. The theme is the eternal clash between the rights of neutrals and belligerents - between the right of belligerents to defeat their enemies, and the right of neutrals to trade freely with all parties. Over the centuries, belligerent powers have devised various legal means of restricting neutrals from trading with their enemies, such as the law of blockade and contraband carriage. At the same time, neutral traders have done their best to evade and circumvent these restrictions. This book traces the evolution of state practice, together with the debates over the relevant doctrinal issues and the various attempts to reform and codify the law of neutrality.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1874.