HAGUE CONFERENCES, the two international confer ences held at The Hague in 1899 and 1907, and known as Peace Conferences. Both were organized at the instance of the emperor Nicholas II. of Russia. The chief object of the first conference, as set out in the note of Count Mouraviev, the Russian minister of foreign affairs (Jan. 11, 1899), was to arrive at an "under standing not to increase for a fixed period the present effectives of the armed military and naval forces, and at the same time not to increase the budgets pertaining thereto; and a preliminary ex amination of the means by which even a reduction might be effected in future in the forces and budgets above mentioned." The conference, which was attended by representatives of 26 states, sat from the 18th of May to the 29th of July, When the subject of excessive armaments came up for dis cussion, the objections of the German military delegate led to its abandonment. Three momentous conventions were adopted, I. for the pacific settlement of international disputes ; II. in rela tion to the laws and customs of war by land ; III. for the adapta tion to maritime warfare of the principles of the Geneva Con vention (q.v.) of the 22nd of August, 1864.
Three declarations on the following matters were also adopted: a. Prohibition of the launching of projectiles and explosives from balloons or by other similar new methods. b. Prohibition of the use of projectiles the only object of which is the diffusion of asphyxiating or deleterious gases. c. Prohibition of the use of bullets which expand or flatten easily in the human body, such as bullets with a hard envelope, of which the envelope does not en tirely cover the core, or is pierced with incisions.
Great Britain signed and became a party to the three Conven tions. Other resolutions having for their object the promotion of international peace and the humane conduct of war were also passed.
The Conference of 1907, which was attended by representatives of 44 States, sat from June 15 to Oct. 18. In spite of the resolu tion and voeu on armaments handed down from the Conference of 1899 this subject was waived, but still more important conven tions than in 1899 were adopted on other matters. These were in reference to the following questions: I. the pacific settlement of international disputes; II. the limitation of the employment of force for the recovery of contract debts; III. the commencement of hostilities; IV. the laws and customs of war on land; V. the rights and duties of neutral powers and persons in war on land; VI. the status of enemy merchant-ships at the outbreak of hos tilities; VII. the conversion of merchant-ships into war-ships; VIII. the laying of automatic submarine contact mines; IX. bombardment by naval forces in time of war; X. the adaptation of the principles of the Geneva Convention to maritime war; XI. restrictions on the exercise of the right of capture in mari time war; XII. the establishment of an international prize court; XIII. the rights and duties of neutral powers in maritime war;Xiii. the rights and duties of neutral powers in maritime war; XIV. declaration prohibiting discharge of projectiles, etc., from Xiv. declaration prohibiting discharge of projectiles, etc., from balloons.
A draft Convention relative to the creation of a judicial arbi tration court was also drawn up in connection with the first of the four following voeux: I I. The Conference calls the attention of the signatory powers to the advisability of adopting the annexed draft convention for the creation of a judicial arbitration court, and of bringing it into force as soon as an agreement has been reached respecting the selection of the judges and the constitution of the court.
2. The Conference expresses the opinion that, in case of war, the responsible authorities, civil as well as military, should make it their special duty to ensure and safeguard the maintenance of pacific relations, more especially of the commercial and industrial relations between the inhabitants of the belligerent states and neutral countries.
3. The Conference expresses the opinion that the powers should regulate, by special treaties, the position, as regards military charges, of foreigners residing within their territories.
4. The Conference expresses the opinion that the preparation of regulations relative to the laws and customs of naval war should figure in the programme of the next conference ; and that in any case the powers may apply, as far as possible, to war by sea the principles of the Convention relative to the laws and customs of war on land. (See LONDON, CONFERENCES OF BLOCKADE; CON TRABAND; INTERNATIONAL LAW.)