Treatise on the Law of War

Bynkershoek, Cornelius van. DuPonceau, Peter Stephen, Editor and Translator. A Treatise on the Law of War: Being the First Book of His Quaestiones Juris Publici. Translated From the Original Latin with Notes, by Peter Stephen du Ponceau. Philadelphia: Published by Farrand & Nicholas [et al.], 1810. xxxiv, 218 pp. Reprint available July 2005 by The Lawbook Exchange. ISBN 1-58477-566-1. Cloth. $95. * "De Rebus Bellicus" addresses the customs of war on land and on sea. A notably humane work, it condemns actions against civilians and advocates the fair treatment of prisoners of war. DuPonceau's able translation is prefaced by a biography of the author, a table of cases, an index of citations from the Corpus Juris Civilis and an annotated bibliography of civil law treatises cited or referred to by the author. This latter item, which lists editions and translations, is interesting for its insights into the American reception of the civil law in the early 1800s. One of the most important jurists and international lawyers of his time, Bynkershoek [1673-1743] was an influential Dutch jurist who founded the positive school of international law, which held that usage and practice were more important than deductions drawn from natural law. Du Ponceau [1760-1844], who was Baron von Steuben's secretary during the revolutionary War, is an important figure in the early history of American Law and letters. He founded the Law Academy of Philadelphia in 1821, was the President of the American Philosophical Society and was a much-consulted expert on international relations and linguistics.Bynkershoek, Cornelius van is the author of 'Treatise on the Law of War', published 2007 under ISBN 9781584775669 and ISBN 1584775661.