# The Griffin: Martime/Salvage Law Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 31, 2009, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-griffin-martime-salvage-law-question/483811 "2009-01-31T01:11:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-griffin-martime-salvage-law-question/483811/21 "2009-01-31T13:32:12Z")
Excuse me…but exactly what is left of this 300+ year old wreck-a few ribs? Wat is the big fuss over? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2009, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-griffin-martime-salvage-law-question/483811/22 "2009-01-31T13:46:58Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > So the Pope gave up his claim? 😉 “His Christian Majesty” was one of the formal ways that the Kings of France were referred to; not a reference to the Pope. > [@ZenBeam](#): > > Actually, wouldn’t those claims have continued to the U.S. following one of our wars with England? I could see that argument, but the counter-argument is that the Griffon was part of the King of France’s sovereignty in relation to the French colony of Canada. The King of France surrendered that claim to the King of Great Britain. Although the King of Great Britain abandoned all claims to sovereignty over the 13 colonies by the [Treaty of Paris, 1783](http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/paris.asp), he did not cede any of his sovereignty over Canada to the United States. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-griffin-martime-salvage-law-question/483811/23 "2009-02-02T21:05:38Z")
> [@Billdo](#): > > [in joke for lawyers/law students] Property ownership – it all starts with unsportsmanlike fox hunting in Queens [[ijfl/ls] You saucy intruder, you! ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2009, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-griffin-martime-salvage-law-question/483811/24 "2009-02-02T21:29:59Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > But did His Most Christian Majesty, of whom the current French Republic is the successor in international law, surrender his claim to the wreck This is an interesting point. Were I counsel for France, I suppose I’d argue that the grant gives title to real property but not personal property. I haven’t done any research on the issue though, so I’m not sure how much support there is in the cases. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2009, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-griffin-martime-salvage-law-question/483811/25 "2009-02-03T03:16:35Z")
Except France is making the claim that the ship was carrying out a Crown function, and that’s why its claim is still good. The King of France surrendered all claims to sovereignty to the King of Great Britain. I don’t think that Crown sovereignty would be dependent on whether a particular piece of property was real or personal (or in this case, meuble or immeuble). I would also imagine that all the meubles/personal property of the Crown in the Governor’s mansion were also turned over to the British by the Treaty. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-griffin-martime-salvage-law-question/483811.md?page=1)