CO885-(11-13) — Page 556

1581.

PUBLIC RECORD

3

السياسيا

OFFICE

19

CO.

Reference :-

885

12 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO

3

MY LORD,

No. 271.

(GENERAL.)

LAW OFFICERS to FOREIGN OFFICE.

We were honoured with your Lordship's commands signified in Sir Julian

Temple, 14th January 1882. Pauncefote's letter of the 21st December last, stating that the question of the terms in which the most-favoured-nation Article in future Treaties of Commerce and Navigation between this country and foreign Powers should be worded had been lately under con- sideration, and that your Lordship would be glad to be favoured with our advice

on the matter.

That Sir Julian Pauncefote enclosed, in connexion with that subject, the following papers, namely

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1. A list of the Treaties of Commerce and Navigation between Great Britain and foreign Powers containing most-favoured-nation clauses, stating the period when they were terminable, and showing whether they applied to the British Colonies (“ Com- mercial No. 27, 1879 ").

2. The Treaty of Friendship and Commerce between Her Majesty and the Prince of Servia (7th February 1880).

3. The Treaty of Commerce and Navigation between Her Majesty and the Prince of Roumania (5th April 1880.)

4. The Report from the Select Committee on Sugar Industries, with the proceedings of the Committee, more particularly pp. 23 and 24.

5. A letter from Mr. Bateman, one of the Joint Secretaries to the Royal Commission for the French Commercial Treaty negotiations, enclosing correspondence on the subject of duties on sugar and the most-favoured-nations clause, as affecting bounties on the export of sugar.

6. The Treaties recently concluded by France with Belgium, Italy, Austria, and the Netherlands.

7. A Memorandum on the most-favoured-nation Article in Commercial Treaties, with a draft of proposed form of Article annexed to it.

That Sir Julian Pauncefote was to request our attention to the statement of the case contained in the Memorandum fast mentioned, and to the proposed form of Article; and he was to ask whether, in our opinion, the proposed Article, either as it was then drafted, or with amendments which we might suggest, was sufficient to secure to this country the benefits which it was intended to provide, or whether we would recommend any other form.

That Sir Julian Pauncefote was also to request that we would favour your Lord- ship with any remarks which we might have to offer on the question generally, and especially as to what form of stipulation, if any, could be proposed to foreign Govern- ments which would meet the case of the shipping and sugar bounties, which formed the subject of our reports of the 12th and 23rd July 1880, copies of which were enclosed.

That under that head Sir Julian Pauncefote was to refer again to Mr. Bateman's letter of the 10th November, and likewise to the Articles relative to drawbacks contained in the recent Freach Treaties (Enclosure No. 6), which were also quoted in the Memorandum.

That, with regard to the position of the Colonies, and to the statement contained at p. 5 of the Memorandum, it was conceived that the most-favoured-nation clause did not affect the right of this country to extend to the produce of its Colonies more favourable treatment than it accords to the produce of foreign countries, and that the question of admitting Colonial produce on more favourable terms than similar produce of foreign countries with which Great Britain had entered into most-favoured-nation stipulations, under the Treaties referred to or set out in Enclosures Nos 1, 2, and 3, was entirely a question of policy.

That Sir Julian Paunceforte was to request that we would inform your Lordship whether we concurred in that view; and he was to state in conclusion that, as the

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