641467-1895-C-O-Cir--Commercial-Agreement-Great-Britain-and-Spain — Page 1

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THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 16TH MARCH, 1895.

GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.-No. 103.

With reference to Government Notifications Nos. 350 and 384 of the 11th September and 10th October, 1894, the following Circular Despatch and its enclosure are published.

By Command,

Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 11th March, 1895.

J. H. STEWART LOCKHART, Acting Colonial Secretary.

CIRCULAR.

DOWNING STREET,

15th January, 1895.

SIR, With reference to my Circular despatches of the 25th July and 15th August last, I have the honour to transmit to you, for the information of the Colony under your Government, an extract from the London Gazette containing notes exchanged between Her Majesty's Ambassador at Madrid and the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs confirming the commercial Agreement now existing between Great Britain and Spain.

I have the honour to be,

Sir,

Your most obedient, humble Servant,

The Officer Administering the Government of

HONGKONG.

RIPON.

Foreign Office, January 7, 1895.

COMMERCIAL RELATIONS WITH SPAIN.

The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs has received the following Despatch from Her Majesty's Ambassador at Madrid :—

MY LORD,

Madrid, January 2, 1895.

I have now the honour to inclose a copy of my note to the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs confirming the commercial agreement between the United Kingdoin and Spain, together with a copy and translation of His Excellency's reply.

The original note from Señor Groizard will be forwarded to your Lordship by the first safe opportunity.

I have, &c.,

The Earl of Kimberley, K.G., &c., &c., &c.

(Signed)

H. DRUMMOND WOLFF.

Enclosure 1.

MONSIEUR LE MINISTRE,

Madrid, December 28, 1894.

Circumstances having impeded the further negotiations for a definite Commercial Treaty, the Government of Her Majesty, my August Sovereign, are prepared to record in a more formal manner the understanding now existing* between the United Kingdom and Spain for the regulation of their mutual commercial relations. They understand that this course will for many reasons be convenient to the Government of His Catholic Majesty.

It is therefore understood between the two Governments that they maintain the agreement entered into between them in the month of June last, by the note addressed by me to Your Excellency's predecessor on the 20th of June, 1894, and the note I had the honour to receive from Señor Moret under date of the 29th of the same month. Such agreement shall remain in force until a permanent Treaty be concluded, or unless it be terminated by one of the parties, who shall with this object give the other a notice of six months.

* The following is the understanding now existing between Great Britain and Spain referred to in Sir H. Wolff's above despatch and made public in July, 1894.

"Under the provisions of an Act recently passed by the Spanish Certes, goods arriving in Spain and r hColonies from the United Kingdom and the British Colonies will continue to receive the same treatment as heretofore, namely, in the Peninsula and the adjacent islands the Minimum Tariff, together with the advantages conceded by Treaty to Switzerland, Sweden and Norway, and the Netherlands, or other European States, except Portugal.c

"In the Spanish Colonies, such goods will continue to be treated under the Minimum Column of the Colonial Tariff. "Ibis treatment will be maintained until a permanent Commercial Treaty is concluded between the United Kingdom and Spain, or until the negotiations now pending for the conclusion of such a Treaty are formally broken off.”