Proclamation Of Neutrality

London, April 26. - An extraordinary issue of the L.ondon Gazette, issued Tuesday morning, contained the customary royal proclamation of neutrality, deflning the attitude of British officials and British subjects during the war between Spain and the United States. It is identical with the proclamation issued at the time of the ChinoJapanese war. The instructions of the foreign office to the admiralty and colonial authorities regulating the belligerents' use of British ' ports is dated April 23, and gives the beligerents twenty-four hours to leave. Thia accounts for the departure of the Uniteil States squadron from Hong Kong and the orders given to the Spanish torpedo hoat Audaz to leave Queenstown. The proclamation fllls four pages of The Gazette and begins: "Victoria, R: Whereas, "We are happily at peace with all sovereigns, powers, and states, and whereas a state of war unhappily exists between his majesty's, the king of Spain, the queen regent of the kingdom, and the United States of America and between the respective subjects, citizens und other inhabitants within the countries, territoriês or dominions." Some of the newspapers here assert that the rule in regard to coal being contraband of war is new; but it is identical with Lord Granville's proclamation of 1S70, at the time of the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian war, and identical with the proclamation on the commencement of hostilities between China and Japan prohibiting supplies being furnished to belligerent ships, except. provisions and coal sufficient to carry a vessel to the nearest port of her own country, no coal to be again supplied to the same ship without special permission. within three months of the time she had previously been supplied.