668638-1886-International-and-Colonial-Copyright-Act- — Page 50

1024 THE HONGKONG GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, 30TH OCTOBER, 1886.

Sir,

No. 60.

Mr. Trevor to Sir J. Pauncefote.-(Received November 6.)

Board of Trade, November 5, 1885.

I AM directed by the Board of Trade to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 19th ultimo, transmitting copy of a despatch from Her Majesty's Minister at Berne, relative to the recent Interna- tional Copyright Conference held in that city, together with printed copies of the proceedings of the Conference, and of the Report of the British Delegates.

In reply, I am to state that the Board of Trade concur in Lord Salisbury's proposal that the proceedings of the British Delegates should be approved.

No. 61.

I have, &c.

(Signed)

C. CECIL TREVOR.

Sir,

The Marquis of Salisbury to Mr. Adams.

Foreign Office, November 11, 1885.

I HAVE received your despatch of the 28th September last, in which you inclose a Report by yourself and Mr. Bergne of your proceedings as British Delegates to the International Copyright Con- ference held at Berne this year.

I have referred that despatch to the Board of Trade, and I have now to acquaint you that the proceedings of the British Delegates as reported therein are approved by Her Majesty's Government.

I am, (Signed)

&c.

SALISBURY.

My Lord,

No. 62.

M. Vernet to the Marquis of Salisbury.—(Received November 18.)

25, Old Broad Street, November 17, 1885.

I HAVE the honour to forward to your Lordship, together with a certain number of copies of the proceedings of the second International Copyright Conference, a Circular note from the Swiss Federal Council inviting the respective Governments to send their Representatives to a new Conference at Berne in September 1886 with a view to the Project of Convention then being transformed into a definite diplomatic act.

Excellency,

(Signed)

. Inclosure in No. 62.

I am, &c.

H. VERNET.

Agent and Consul-General for Switzerland.

The President of the Swiss Confederation to Marquis of Salisbury.

(Translation.)

Berne, November 6, 1885.

IN favourable response to the invitation which we addressed to you on the 24th April last, your Excellency was good enough to be represented at the Diplomatic Conference which met at Berne on the 7th September, with the object of drawing up the definitive text of the International Convention for the protection of literary and artistic works.

The countries represented at that Conference were sixteen in number, thirteen States only having taken part in the Conference of last year. The presence of several delegations, which did not assist in the deliberations of the Conference of 1884, led to the remodelling of many Articles of the Project, with the view to bring it as far as possible into harmony with the legislations of all the countries represented. The laborious work of the Conference resulted in a new draft Convention, in which the essential provisions of the Project of 1884 are maintained, but with various modifications which render them acceptable to a greater number of States.

Twelve delegations agreed upon a final procès-verbal, in which the Swiss Federal Council, is requested to take the necessary steps with the view to invite the Governments represented at the Conference to transform, at a Diplomatic Conference to be held within a year's delay, the draft Convention which had been elaborated, into a definitive Convention,