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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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885

15 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

GENTLEMEN,

No. 31B.

(SOUTH AFRICA.)

FOREIGN OFFICE to LAW OFFICERS.

Foreign Office, April 3, 1900.

tion of

I HAVE the honour, by direction of the Marquess of Salisbury, to transmit to you Bridler & the correspondence, as marked in the accompanying list, respecting a claim for Co.'s claim compensation which has been put forward by the Swiss Minister at this Court on behalf for deten- of the Swiss firm of Messrs Bridler and Co., of Lourenço Marques, in respect of certain goods con- goods, estimated to be worth £920 88., which were being conveyed to them by British veyed in ships, and which were landed at various British ports in South Africa on suspicion of British their being destined for the enemy's territory.

vessels and destined

The particulars of the different cargoes in regard to the detention which forenemy's Messrs Bridler ask for compensation are, according to that firm's statement of the case, territory. as follows:--

1. The "Dunolly Castle." This vessel was obliged by the Customs authorities to unload 71 tons of : sugar at East London.

2. The "Gaika."

Twenty-five cases of condensed milk are said to have been seized

on board this vessel, but no particulars are furnished as to whether this happened at Durban or at East London, or by whose order they were so seized.

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3. The " Tintagel Castle was obliged by the Customs authorities to unload twelve cases of biscuits and one case of cigars at Durban.

4. From the "Umtali" thirty cases of condensed milk were unloaded and seized at Durban, but by whom they were unloaded does not appear.

5. From the "Inyati" were taken out at Durban, but by whom is not mentioned, twenty cases of barley, two cases of soap, five cases of preserved fish, five cases of macaroni, twenty cases of starch, five cases of tapioca, five cases of sago, twenty cases of Sunlight soap, one case of gelatine, five cases of marmalade.

6. From the "Clan Graham seventy-five cases of whisky were seized by the Customs authorities at East London, acting under the orders of the Commanding Officer of Her Majesty's ship " Barrosa."

On the 13th February a letter (Paper E) was received from the Colonial Office on the subject, from which it appeared that, so far at least as the Natal authorities were concerned, their action in the matter had been due to their having been informed by the High Commissioner that Messrs. Bridler and Co. were considered by Her Majesty' Consul at Lourenço Marques to be agents for the Transvaal.

On the 27th February a further letter was received from the Colonial Office (Paper F), to the effect that the gods er the steam-ship "Dunolly Castle" had been landed at East London by the agents of the vessel of their own motion. As for the whisky ee the "Clan Graham," the Customs had insisted on its being landed at the above-mentioned port, because most of it was destined for the South African Republic, and there was no proof that any was intended for Portuguese consumption. Further particulars as to the consignment from the two vessels will be found in the Colonial Office letter of the 16th March (Paper I).

On the 10th March (Paper G) M. Boureart was informed that, in the opinion of the Natal authorities, there had been reason for concluding that the ultimate destination of Messrs. Bridler's goods was the Transvaal, and that this being so, they could not lawfully be carried by British ships, which were prohibited from carrying gols destined for the enemy's territory. As M. Boureart had strongly insisted on the fact that all the vessels had sailed before the outbreak of war, and especially before the issue of the Queen's Proclamation of the 27th December, 1899, it was pointed out to him that this document was merely declaratory of the prohibition of trade with the enemy, and did not itself impose such prohibition.

Lord Salisbury went on to say that as M. Bourcart was enabled, under the instructions which he had received, to communicate the declaration of Mr. F. Bridler that the goods were in fact destinel for consumption in Portuguese East Africa, Her Majesty's Government felt that they could rely on that declaration as being supported and confirmed by the Swiss Government. Instructions would accordingly be given to the Colonial authorities at Natal to allow the goods to be carried forward to Lourenço Marques by British ship.

6317-26-7/1900 Wt 324 D & S

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