Privateer on shipping of a nation at war with France, on behalf of the French Crown. Seized vessels and cargo were sold at auction, with the corsair captain entitled to a portion of the proceeds. Although not French Navy personnel, corsairs were considered legitimate combatants in France (and allied nations), provided the commanding officer of the vessel was in possession of a valid Letter of Marque (fr. "Lettre de Marque" or "Lettre de Course"), and the officers and crew conducted themselves according to contemporary admiralty law. By acting on behalf of the French Crown, if captured by the enemy, they could
Proposed cession of the Gambia to France although it was short-lived. On 15 July 1870, in the House of Lords, the Duke of Manchester put a question to the Secretary of State for the Colonies on the proposed cession. He said that the matter appeared to involve the "undue exercise of the Prerogative of the Crown." He said that it would be a breach of neutrality to hand over a "seaport of great capacity" that was "advantageously situated" to a nation that was at war with one of the UK's allies. He argued that "if the French thought it desirable to obtain it, it must be equally