654673-1890-Declaration-England-and-France-Disposal-of-Wrecks--c- — Page 1

72

THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 18TH JANUARY, 1890.

GOVERNMENT NOTIFICATION.-No. 36.

The following Circular Despatch with its enclosure is published for general information.

By Command,

Colonial Secretary's Office, Hongkong, 18th January, 1890.

CIRCULAR. (2)

F. FLEMING, Colonial Secretary.

DOWNING STREET,

19th November, 1889.

SIR, I have the honour to transmit to you, for publication in the Colony under your Govern- ment, a copy of a Declaration between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Government of the French Republic, signed at Paris, on the 23rd of October, 1889, with reference to the disposal of the proceeds of wrecks on their respective coasts.

I have the honour to be,

糖

The Officer Administering the Government of

HONGKONG.

Sir,

Your most obedient humble Servant,

KNUTSFORD.

Declaration between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Government of the French Republic, with reference to the Disposal of the Proceeds of Wrecks on their respective Coasts.

The Government of Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India, and the Government of the French Republic, desiring to regulate by a new Agree- ment questions relative to the disposal of the proceeds of wrecks on the coasts of the two States, have agreed to replace the Declaration signed at London on the 16th June, 1879, by the following arrange-

ments:-

ARTICLE I.

When any ship belonging to the subjects of one of the two Contracting States is wrecked or, stranded on the coast of the other, the competent local authorities shall, with as little delay as possible, bring the fact to the knowledge of the Consul-General, Consul, Vice-Consul, or Consular Agent nearest to the spot where the wreck or stranding has taken place.

ARTICLE II.

All operations relative to the salvage of British ships which may be wrecked or stranded on the coasts of France shall be directed by the Consuls-General, Consuls, Vice-Consuls, or Consular Agents of Great Britain, and, reciprocally, the French Consuls-General, Consuls, Vice-Consuls, and Consular Agents shall direct all operations relative to the salvage of ships of their nation wrecked or stranded on the coasts of Great Britain.

ARTICLE III.

If the owners of the ship and cargo, or their duly authorized representatives, shall be present and shall claim it, the Consuls-General, Consuls, Vice-Consuls, and Consular Agents shall hand over to them the conduct of the salvage operations after requiring the deposit of the ship's papers, as well as the reimbursement of the expenses already defrayed, and a sufficient guarantee for those incurred before the operations were handed over, and which may not have been already settled.

ARTICLE IV.

purpose

The intervention of the local authorities shall only take place in the two countries for the of assisting the Consular authority, of maintaining order, of securing the interests of the salvors if they are strangers to the shipwrecked crews, and of assuring the due execution of the arrangements to be carried out for the entry and departure of the merchandize saved.

In the absence, and until the arrival of the Consuls-General, Consuls, Vice-Consuls, or Consular Agents, the local authorities shall, moreover, take all necessary measures for the protection of the persons, and for the preservation of the articles which shall have been saved from the wreck.