84
85
like an explicit acquiescence in the rest of the Treaty, than if the present assurances were accepted as they stand, without any further negotiation.
(No. 582.) My Lord,
No. 87.
Lord Lyons to the Earl of Derby.-(Received July 10.)
Paris, July 9, 1875.
YOUR Lordship will not fail to observe that the note from the French Government, of which a copy is inclosed in my immediately-preceding despatch No. 581, of to-day, is in the main a transcript of the unsigned Memorandum respecting the Annam Treaties, which was given to me by the Duc Decazes on the 24th May last, and transmitted by me to your Lordship in my despatch No. 427, of the following day,
The observations, therefore, which I made in that despatch apply equally to the present note, and it is unnecessary to revert here to any other questions than those concerning the jurisdiction of French Agents over foreigners, and the interference of those Agents in the commercial transactions of foreigners.
So far as the present note differs from the Memorandum of the 24th May, it is more explicit on these points, for, in the note, the following explanation appears, which was not given in the Memorandum:-
"Vis-à-vis du Gouvernement Annamite la clause devait être absolue, car il s'agissait d'enlever ces étrangers à la juridiction locale; vis-à-vis des Gouvernements étrangers, au contraire, il était de toute évidence qu'elle constituait pour eux un avantage dont il leur serait loisible de profiter, mais qu'il n'entrait pas dans notre pensée de leur imposer; nous nous réservons d'ailleurs d'en faire ultérieurement l'objet d'un échange d'explications avec eux."
So far, indeed, as regards the questions of jurisdiction, the note appears to me to be satisfactory.
I should be inclined to say the same things respecting the Customs questions, if I were sure that the phrase respecting the functions of foreign consuls, when they should be established, applied to the obligations imposed by the XVth and XVIIth Articles of the Treaty. Your Lordship will remember that these are the Articles which require the masters of foreign vessels to report their arrival to the French Consul, and to place their ships' papers in his hands, and which also require foreign merchants to load or unload goods only through the agency of the French Consul.
The phrase in the note runs as follows:-
"Le Cabinet Français entend bien que les Consuls étrangers, dès qu'ils seront installés, auront la charge et le soin de pourvoir désormais par eux-mêmes à la protection de leurs nationaux dans les matières de Douanes aussi bien que dans les questions de juridiction."
I am not sure that the French Government would not admit that this clause implied that the intervention of the French Consuls in the matters which I have mentioned above, would be transferred, in the case of British vessels or British merchants, to the British Consul, as soon as one was established. Still the intervention of the French Consul seems so likely to have been insisted upon, with a view to the enforcement of the differential duties in favour of Saigon, that I cannot feel quite at ease upon the subject.
I suppose, however, that unless a trade of so much importance as to render it worth while to establish British Consuls should spring up, it might, in fact, be rather useful than detrimental to British subjects to be placed under the special protection and authority of French agents, instead of being entirely at the mercy of the native authorities.
As regards the present state of the communications between the British and French Governments, it must be remembered that the French Government has obtained from the National Assembly power to ratify both the political and commercial Treaties, that it is preparing to carry them into operation, and that it is plain that it will not be deterred from doing so by any representations from Her Majesty's Government which do not go beyond friendly remonstrances.
This being the case, if Her Majesty's Government be satisfied with the explanations given in the present French note on the Jurisdiction and Customs question, it may perhaps be well simply to accept and take note of those explanations in a communication confined to those questions, and thus, as it were, to establish at once the interpretation of the Treaty by an exchange of notes.
This would perhaps be the most certain and convenient way of establishing that interpretation.
But if Her Majesty's Government think that the assurances given in the present note require further elucidation, it might perhaps be possible to settle with the French Government beforehand the exact terms of notes to be exchanged.
It might possibly, however, be found more difficult in this way to avoid something
No. 88.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
LYONS.
Lord Lyons to the Earl of Derby-(Received July 12.)
(No. 585.) My Lord,
Paris, July 10, 1875.
I HAVE the honour to inclose herewith to your Lordship, extracted from the "Journal Officiel" of this day, the promulgation by the President of the Republic of the law authorizing the ratification of the Commercial Treaty between France and Annam, concluded at Saigon on the 31st August, 1874.
A note annexed to the promulgation of the law states that the Treaty itself will be promulgated as soon as the ratifications are exchanged,
The text of the Treaty was, however, annexed to the Bill when it was brought in by the Government, and I had the honour to transmit it to your Lordship with my despatch No. 557 of the 5th instant.
I have, &c.
(Signed)
LYONS.
Inclosure in No. 88.
Extract from the "Journal Officiel" of July 10, 1875.
Versailles, le 9 Juillet, 1875.
Loi portant approbation d'un Traité de Commerce conclu à Saigon, le 31 Août, 1874, entre la France et le Royaume d'Annam.
L'ASSEMBLEE Nationale a adopté la loi dont la teneur suit :--
Article unique. Le Président de la République Française est autorisé à ratifier et, s'il y a lieu, à faire exécuter le Traité de Commerce conclu à Saïgon, le 31 Août, 1874, entre la France et le Royaume d'Annam. Une copie authentique de ce Traité sera annexée à la présente loi.*
Délibéré en séance publique, à Versailles, le 6 Juillet, 1875.
Le Président, (Signé)
Les Secrétaires, (Signé)
FELIX VOISIN,
T. DUCHATEL.
E. LAMY.
LOUIS DE SEGUR.
Duc D'AUDIFFRET-PASQUIER.
Le Président de la République promulgue la présente Loi.
(Signé)
M. DE MACMAHON,
Duc de Magenta.
Le Vice-Président du Conseil, chargé par intérim du
Ministère des Affaires Etrangères,
(Signé) BUFFET.
* Le texte de ce Traité sera promulgué officiellement après l'échange des ratifications des Puissances Contractantes.
[81]
Z
384