Thomas Wemyss Fulton

The Sovereignty of the Sea: an Historical Account of the Claims of England to the Dominion of the British Seas, and of the Evolution of the Territorial Waters, with Special Thomas Wemyss Fulton

Reprint edition. Originally published: Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons, 1911. With an extensive appendix of source readings. Fulton is interested in two related themes: claims made to the sovereignty of the British Seas in the past and the evolution of its territorial waters in recent times. Though concerned primarily with fishing rights and the naval salute, Fulton addresses broader issues related to the freedom of commerce. The book falls into two sections. The first consists of an historic account of pretensions to the dominion of the sea, with an emphasis on the English and Dutch. The second looks at their influence on the legal treatment of territorial waters, especially in relation to the Law of Nations and fishing rights.