CO885-(11-13) — Page 505

14,892.

TITT

T?། །

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

CO.

Reference :-

885

12 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

No. 237.

(STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.)

LAW OFFICERS to FOREIGN OFFICE.

MY LORD,

Temple, 13th September 1880. We were honoured with your Lordship's commands, signified in Sir Julian Pauncefoto's letter of the 23rd August last, stating that he was directed by your Lordship to transmit to us therewith a letter from the Colonial Office,* enclosing copies of two despatches from the Governor of Singapore in regard to the appointment of a Chinese Consul to reside in that Colony, and Sir Julian was to call our attention to the question raised in the earlier of Sir F. Weld's despatches as to the duties assigned to the Chinese Consul at Singapore in connexion with the issue by him of certificates of registry for vessels to trade under the Chinese flag in and out of the ports of the C'olony.

That Sir Julian Pauncefote was to request that we would take these papers into our consideration and favour your Lordship with our opinion as to whether the grant of Chinese registers to vessels owned by Chinese, by the Chinese Consul at Singapore, could be objected to in point of international law.

露

Merchant Shipping Act, 1873,"

That Sir Julian was to observe that, under the the power to declare foreign ports to be ports of registry was limited to ports in which Her Majesty exercises ex-territorial jurisdiction. That, on the other hand, as pointed out by the Chinese Consul in his letter of the 19th September, British Consuls at all foreign ports were authorised by section 54 of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1854," under certain circumstances, to grant provisional certificates of British registry to foreign vessels transferred to British subjects.

"

That in obedience to your Lordship's commands we have the honour to

Report

That from the information contained in Sir F. Weld's despatches, we do not gather with so much distinctness as we could wish the nature of the certificates, or of the ships or vessels to which certificates are granted by the Chinese Consul at Singapore.

If these certificates are merely provisional, the practice followed by British Consuls under the Merchant Shipping Act would prevent Her Majesty's Government from objecting to the use of similar documents by the Chinese.

If these certificates are intended to be not merely provisional, but in substitution of the regular certificate of registration, the practice of the Chinese Government in this respect may properly be objected to as inconsistent with and going beyond the usage of nations.

We have, &c.,

(Signed)

The Earl Granville, K.G.,

&c. &c.

&c.

• August 6, 1880.

HENRY JAMES: FARRER HERSCHELI.. J. PARKER DEANE.

▲ 19916-223. 25.-19/84.

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