Nr. 13008. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Der Gesandte in Brüssel an den Minister des Ausw. Unterredung mit dem belgischen Minister über die Kündigung.

Brussels, August 1, 1897. (August 2.)

(Extract.) In view of their importance, I took, myself, to the Foreign Department on the 29th ultimo the two notes which I addressed to M. de Favereau in compliance with the instructions in your Lordship's despatches of the previous day, and handed them to his Excellency. || As M. de Favereau showed some surprise at such a grave decision being communicated to him thus abruptly, I said the Belgian Government must have known, by what had been said in the British Parliament and in the London newspapers, that no other course lay open to Her Majesty's Government, and surely the most honest and straightforward course was for Her Majesty's Government to denounce a Treaty containing an engagement which they had no legal power to enforce. || M. de Favereau inquired whether your Lordship had also denounced the Treaty with Germany. I said that I had no information on this point, but I considered it certain that the corresponding Treaty with Germany had also been denounced, for the reasons which necessitated the abandonment of the Treaty with Belgium applied equally to that with Germany. || I impressed upon his Excellency your Lordship's readiness to enter at once on negotiations for a new Treaty of Commerce. || I have since seen his Excellency twice, and on receipt your Lordship's telegram of the day before yesterday informed him that the Treaty 1865 with the Zollverein had also been denounced. || M. de Favereau told me last night that M. Lorand has given notice of a question in the Chambers on the denunciation of Anglo-Belgian Treaty, and that he would reply the day after to-morrow.

Nr. 13009. DEUTSCHES REICH. Das Ausw. Amt an den englischen Botschafter in Berlin. Neue Vertragsverhandlungen.

Foreign Office, Berlin, July 31, 1897. (Translation.) || The Undersigned has the honour to express his thanks to his Excellency Sir Frank Cavendish Lascelles, Her Britannic Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, for his further note of yesterday, and to observe that he will submit the proposal made therein respecting the opening of negotiations for a new Treaty of Com

merce between Germany and Great Britain to the Imperial Government for their consideration. || At the same time the Undersigned avails, &c. Rotenhan.

Nr. 13010. BELGIEN. Der Minister des Ausw. an den englischen Gesandten in Brüssel. Neue Vertrags

verhandlungen.

Ministère des Affaires Étrangères, Bruxelles, le 2 Août, 1897.

M. le Ministre, | Votre Excellence, par sa lettre du 29 Juillet dernier, a dénoncé, au nom du Gouvernement de Sa Majesté Britannique, le Traité de Commerce et de Navigation conclu le 23 Juillet, 1862, entre la Belgique et la Grande-Bretagne. || J'ai l'honneur de lui donner acte de cette dénonciation. || En portant à ma connaissance les raisons qui engagent le Gouvernement Britannique à mettre fin à l'Acte International du 23 Juillet, 1862, votre Excellence a bien voulu me faire part du désir du Cabinet de Londres de voir s'ouvrir des négociations en vue de la signature d'un nouveau Traité. Ce désir est aussi celui du Gouvernement du Roi, et celui-ci forme des vœux pour qu'un Traité conclu sur des bases avantageuses pour les deux parties puisse être mis en vigueur lorsque prendra fin l'acte qui régit depuis trente-cinq ans les relations commerciales entre la Belgique et la Grande-Bretagne, et sous l'empire duquel ces relations ont atteint un si heureux développement.

De Favereau.

Nr. 13011. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Der Botschafter in Berlin an den Minister des Ausw. Unterredung mit Bülow über die Bedingungen eines neuen Handelsvertrags.

Berlin, March 25, 1898. (March 25.)

(Telegraphic.) I asked M. de Bülow to-day what the conditions were under which it is proposed that Great Britain and her Colonies should continue to receive most-favoured-nation treatment. || M. de Bülow read to me a Memorandum from the Minister of Finance, in which it was pointed out that there may be some danger in applying to the Reichstag for power to conclude a special arrangement with Great Britain, and he asks whether Her Majesty's Government would be disposed to temporary maintenance of the status quo in a form that would dispense the German Government from applying to the Legislature. || Her Majesty's

Government would only have to declare, for this purpose, that effect would not be given until some day later than the 30th July next (for instance, to 30th July, 1899) to the notice they gave to terminate the existing Treaty. || I told him I had little hope that Her Majesty's Government would be able to consent, but that I would at once telegraph to your Lordship.

Nr. 13012. GROSSBRITANNIEN. - Derselbe an Denselben. DasBerlin, March 31, 1898. (April 4.)

selbe.

(Extract.) In an interview which I had with M. de Bülow yesterday, I asked his Excellency whether he could now inform me of the conditions under which it was proposed to temporarily extend most-favoured-nation treatment to Great Britain and her Colonies, after the existing Commercial Treaty should have terminated. | M. de Bülow replied that it appeared to him that the simplest way of arranging the matter would be for Her Majesty's Government to agree to the suggestion made by Count Posadowsky, that Her Majesty's Government should declare that the notice they had given of the termination of the Treaty should not take effect until some date later than the 30th July, 1899. || M. de Bülow said this suggestion had been put forward purely for Parliamentary reasons. The Reichstag was about to adjourn for the Easter holidays, and there would be considerable difficulty in inducing the Members to return after Easter for the conclusion of absolutely necessary business. A provisional arrangement to continue most-favoured-nation treatment to Great Britain and her Colonies would give rise to discussion and might be rejected. If this should be the case it would be impossible to avoid the application of the Autonomous Tariff to English goods, which would cause great disturbance to trade. The present Treaty had existed for upwards of thirty years, and he hoped that, under the circumstances, Her Majesty's Government might consent to its continuance. for one year more. His Excellency added that he had telegraphed to Count Hatzfeldt in this sense, but had not yet received a reply. || I said that I had not failed to report to your Lordship, both by telegram and despatch, the suggestion which he had made to me on the 25th instant, and I reminded him that I had expressed the opinion that Her Majesty's Government might find it very difficult to postpone the termination of the Treaty for another year. I would, however, not fail to report what he said to your Lordship.

Nr. 13013. GROSSBRITANNIEN.

Derselbe an Denselben.

Hat der deutschen Regierung mitgeteilt, daß England die Wiederherstellung der alten Bedingungen ablehnt.

Berlin, April 1, 1898. (April 4.)

My Lord, On the receipt this afternoon of your Lordship's telegram of to-day, I called upon Baron von Richthofen to inform him that in no circumstances could Her Majesty's Government renew the engagements contained in Article VII of the Treaty of 1865 which grant to Germany the same treatment as the United Kingdom in regard to import and export duties in the Colonies. || Baron von Richthofen said that he regretted this decision of Her Majesty's Government, although he had been prepared for it by what I had said to him yesterday, as reported in my despatch of yesterday's date. | In reply to my inquiry whether his Exellency could now inform me on what conditions the German Government would be prepared to extend temporarily most favoured treatment to British goods after the 30th July next, Baron von Richthofen said that he did not think that these conditions had as yet been specified as it had been hoped that Her Majesty's Government would have consented to the prolongation of the existing Treaty. He seemed to think that the German Government would be able to obtain from the Reichstag the necessary power to enable the Federal Council to grant mostfavoured-nation treatment. Frank C. Lascelles.

Nr. 13014. GROSSBRITANNIEN.

Der Minister des Ausw. an den Botschafter in Berlin. Nähere Darstellung der englischen Politik.

Foreign Office, April 9, 1898.

Sir, I instructed your Excellency by telegram on the 1st instant to inform the German Government that Her Majesty's Government could not in any circumstances agree to the renewal of Article VII of the Treaty at present in force between the two countries. || The reasons which led Her Majesty's Government to denounce this Treaty were fully explained in my despatch of the 28th July, 1897, in which it was pointed out that the provisions of Article VII were not only entirely unusual in Commercial Treaties, but opposed to the complete Tariff autonomy which has for some years past been enjoyed by the self-governing Colonies, and inconsistent with the close ties of commercial intercourse between the mothercountry and the Colonies which it is the most earnest desire of Her

Majesty's Government to secure and to consolidate. In these circumstances, it is the fixed policy of Her Majesty's Government not to conclude in the future any Treaty engagements which would interfere in any way with such fiscal or Tariff arrangements as may be determined on between the different parts of the British Empire. || Your Excellency should explain to the German Government that it would be incompatible with this determination to renew even for a time the provisions of Article VII of the existing Treaty, which would limit and restrain the freedom of the Colonies in this respect. || In view, however, of the disadvantage of leaving the commercial arrangements of the two countries unregulated by any Agreement, Her Majesty's Government would be prepared to conclude a temporary arrangement applicable to the United Kingdom only, guaranteeing in all matters of tariff, commerce, and navigation the treatment accorded to the most favoured foreign nation, with a reservation as to bounties. ' To this arrangement the Colonies would be invited to adhere, but would be free to accept or decline up to the 30th July next. || The arrangement would be concluded for one year, unless a new Treaty should be negotiated before the expiration of that period. || Your Excellency should propose to the German Government the conclusion of an Agreement of this nature. You are at liberty to inform them that Her Majesty's Minister at Brussels has been instructed to make a similar proposal to the Belgian Government. Salisbury.

Nr. 13015. GROSSBRITANNIEN. Der Botschafter in Berlin an den Minister des Ausw. Unterredung mit Richthofen über die künftigen Handelsbeziehungen.

Berlin, June 3, 1898. (June 6.)

My Lord, || I have the honour to report that I took an opportunity of speaking to Baron von Richthofen this morning on the subject of the proposal as to a provisional commercial arrangement.*) || Baron von Richthofen said that the German Government were not prepared to make any further proposals with regard to a provisional commercial arrangement. The German Government had proposed the prolongation of the existing Treaty for a year, but Her Majesty's Government had declined this

*) Am 11. Mai war ein Gesetz publiziert worden, wonach der Bundesrat bevollmächtigt wird, die Bestimmungen des gekündigten Handelsvertrags vorläufig bis zum 30. Juli 1899 auf die Einfuhr aus England von seinen Kolonien anzuwenden. Vgl. SchultheB Europ. Geschkal. 1898. Red.