CO129-295 - Public Offices - 1899 — Page 519

515

Since her conversion the "Tartar" plied on a

previous voyage from San Francisco to Manila, carry-

ing twelve hundred and nineteen men and officers, un-

der perfect sanitary conditions, with health and com-

fort to all on board and without a single death.

She is exclusively employed by the United

States War Department as a military transport, and is

now on her homeward voyage carrying but twelve hun-

dred and ten men and officers, which, as will be ob-

served, is below her full capacity.

My Government is at a loss to comprehend why it

is sought to apply British law to the "Tartar", un-

less it be on the assumption that she remains a Bri-

tish mercantile passenger steamship and is thereby

affected by the Merchant Shipping Act of 1894, under

her Board of Trade license, Section 279 of that Act.

In the opinion of my Government the employment of

the "Tartar* in the exclusively military service of

the United States should remove her from the category

of merchant shipping, and that while so employed, it

is conceived that she is fully assimilated to the

War Marine of the State, and as such entitled to the

treatment accorded to the troop ships of a friendly

Power and to exemption from the local port regula-

tions pertaining to Commercial passenger traffic.

I have therefore the honour to request most earn-

estly, as an act of comity to the Government of the

United States, that Your Lordship will be so good as

to cause instructions to be given looking to the im-

mediate release of the "Tartar*.

I have &c.,

(Signed)

John Ridgely Carter.

(For the Ambassador)

treatment