17. _Exceeding the Speed Limit._
In 1904 Mr. Gurney, secretary of the British Legation at Washington,
was brought before the police magistrate at Lee, Massachusetts, on the
charge of having driven a motor car to the public danger. The charge
being proved, he was fined.
18. _A New-born Island._
An island rises in the sea on the boundary line of the territorial
maritime belt of another island in the possession of state A. A portion
of the new-born island stretches into the maritime belt surrounding the
previously existing island, and the remainder into the open sea. A
man-of-war of state B lands a non-commissioned officer and three men on
the part of the island which stretches into the open sea, with the
order to hoist the flag of state B and to take possession of it by
occupation.
Is this occupation valid?
19. _An Irate Queen._
Queen Christina of Sweden abdicated her throne in 1654, and, after
having spent some time first in Brussels and later in Rome, where she
embraced the Roman Catholic faith, in 1656 took up her residence in
France. Here she discovered that her grand equerry and favourite,
Monaldeschi, was betraying her personal secrets. She therefore on the
10th November sentenced him to death, and caused the execution to be
carried out on the spot by soldiers of her bodyguard, under the command
of Count Lentinelli, the captain of the guard.
20. _An Incident in the Black Sea._
The following appeared in the papers dated St Petersburg, August 11th,
1907:
"A telegram from Sochi, in the Caucasus, states that last night the
steamer _Tchernomor_, while on a trip from Tchubgia to Tuapse on the
Black Sea, was plundered on the high seas by robbers, who forced the
passengers to deliver up their money and valuables. One passenger was
wounded by a revolver shot. The robbers, who numbered 15, took
possession of the ship's safe and forced the captain to stop the ship
and to land them. They further ordered him not to stop at Tuapse, but
to proceed direct to Sochi, threatening him with murder if he
disobeyed.
"A later telegram from Sochi states that the passengers were robbed of
10,000 roubles (L1,000), and that 1,700 roubles (L170) were stolen from
the ship's safe."