understood that it will come into force as soon as your Excellency informs me that your Government is in agreement with the articles in question, and especially with the 4th and 5th Articles, as to which you have made reservations. In the event, which, however, I deem an improbable one, of His Majesty's Government not considering it possible to approve all or any of the above articles, the Government of His Majesty would have naturally to examine the new aspect which the question would then assume.

Awaiting a communication from you as to the attitude of your Government, I avail, &c.

COUNT OF ROMANONES.

(No. 3.)-The British Ambassador at Madrid to the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Your Excellency,

66

His Britannic Majesty's Embassy, Madrid, April 14, 1919. I HAVE the honour to inform you, in reply to your note of the 8th instant, that I am authorised by Earl Curzon of Kedleston to announce his acceptance of Article 4 of the proposed Commercial and Financial Agreement between our respective Governments, which I was only able to sign ad referendum, subject to the insertion of the word neutral" between the words most favoured" and "nation," with which the aforesaid article concludes. It must also be understood in connection with the market price of coal, to which Article 4 refers, that "the price of coal" mentioned in the last paragraph of Article 1 of the penultimate notes exchanged on the 6th December, 1917, between the Right Honourable Arthur Balfour and his Excellency Don Alfonso Merry del Val, and described as the price ruling in the open market for export," i.e., the minimum price fixed by His Majesty's Government, constitutes the market price of coal, except in so far as prices are increased above the minimum as a result of the market conditions.

Earl Curzon of Kedleston understands Clause 6 to imply that the terms of the loan to be made by His Catholic Majesty's Government to that of His Britannic Majesty will remain unaffected by the denunciation of the present Agreement or of that of the 6th December, 1917, that is to say, that the currency of the loan will not in any way depend on the life of these Agreements, and he accepts it on this understanding. Your Excellency has already been good

enough to assure me verbally that on this point your own interpretation of the article agrees with his.

I have the honour to request your Excellency to inform me if you accept these reservations, on your side, as forming integral conditions of the agreement.

I avail, &c.

ARTHUR H. HARDINGE.

(No. 4.) The Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs to the British Ambassador at Madrid.

(Translation.) Your Excellency,

Ministry of State,

Madrid, April 18, 1919. I HAVE received your note No. 69 of the 14th instant informing me that you are authorised by Earl Curzon of Kedleston to announce his acceptance of Clause 4 of the proposed Commercial and Financial Agreement between our respective Governments, signed by your Excellency ad referendum, subject to the insertion of the word neutral between the words "most favoured" and "nation" with which the aforesaid article concludes.

You further state that it must also be understood in connection with the market price of coal, to which Article 4 refers, that the price of coal" mentioned in the last paragraph of Article 1 of the penultimate notes exchanged on the 6th December, 1917, between his Excellency Don Alfonso Merry del Val and the Right Honourable Arthur Balfour, and described as " the price ruling on the open market for export," i.e., the minimum price fixed by His Majesty's Government, constitutes the market price for coal, except in so far as prices are increased above the minimum as a result of market conditions.

Finally, you informed me that your Government understands Article 6, inserted in the notes exchanged between your Excellency and my predecessor Count Romanones, to imply that the terms of the loan to be made by His Catholic Majesty's Government to that of His Britannic Majesty will remain unaffected by the denunciation of the present Agreement or of that of the 6th December, 1917, that is to say, that the currency of the loan will not in any way depend on the life of these Agreements.

His Catholic Majesty's Government having examined these proposals, and in consideration of the further fact that His Majesty's Government have accepted in its entirety the contents of the articles contained in the notes exchanged on the 8th instant, and especially Article 5, which had formed the subject of the reserve made in the last part of your note

above referred to and inspired, as is the Cabinet of Madrid, by the sincere desire to be agreeable to that of Great Britain, I have the honour to inform your Excellency that, in accordance with a decision of the Council of Ministers held in the afternoon of the day before yesterday, the above proposals are accepted, it being, however, understood by his Catholic Majesty's Government that the Agreement concluded by the exchange of notes of the 8th instant, to which I have referred above, together with the modifications and explanations contained in your Excellency's note of the 14th instant, to which I am now replying, shall come into immediate operation for all their purposes, with the substitution, as is logical in view of to-day's date, of the dates the 19th, 22nd and 28th April for the dates the 8th, 15th and 22nd April, provided for in Clause 2 of the memorandum annexed to the notes of the 8th instant.

I am gratified at the same time to learn by your letter of the 16th instant that His Majesty's Government have granted general licences for the importations of wine, brandy, bananas and fruit, canned and in pulp.

I avail, &c.

MANUEL GONZALEZ-HONTORIA.

EXCHANGE OF NOTES between Great Britain and Spain concerning the Denunciation and Termination of the Commercial Agreement of December 6, 1917, and the Commercial and Financial Agreement of April 8/18, 1919, between the two Countries.-London, May 15/21, 1920.

(No. 1.) The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to the Spanish Ambassador in London.

*

Your Excellency, Foreign Office, May 15, 1920. IT will be within your Excellency's recollection that, in deference to the wishes of the Spanish Government, His Majesty's Government last year agreed to retain in force the Anglo-Spanish Commercial Agreement of the 6th December, 1917, provided that the Spanish Government would not insist on the observance by His Majesty's Government of the provisions in respect of the shipment of fruit on British vessels loading ore in Spanish ports, and the monthly supply of a maximum of 3,000 tons of coal to Spanish vessels at overseas bunkering stations.

* Page 432.

2. His Majesty's Government fully appreciated the goodwill with which their desires were met at that time by the Spanish Government, but they now feel that no useful purpose would be served by a further retention of the Agreement, which was originally designed to meet the peculiar conditions arising out of the war.

3. In these circumstances, the Spanish Government will, I feel sure, accept in a friendly spirit this intimation of the desire of His Majesty's Government to terminate the Agreement after the expiry of one month from the date of the present note.

I have, &c.

CURZON OF KEDLESTON.

(No. 2.) The Spanish Ambassador in London to the
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.

(Translation.) My Lord,

Spanish Embassy, May 21, 1920. In reply to your note of the 15th instant denouncing the Commercial Agreement of the 6th December, 1917, in force between Spain and Great Britain, I have the honour to acquaint your Lordship that, notwithstanding the fact that, according to Articles I and VI of the arrangement concluded by the Exchange of Notes of April 1919,* the denunciation both of the Commercial Convention of December 1917 and of the arrangement mentioned should take place two months prior to the date on which it is desired they should cease to operate, the Government of His Majesty, desiring to raise no difficulties and in consideration of the fact that the British Government did not make use of the credit it had at its disposal at that time, takes note of the denunciation and agrees that both Treaties shall expire on the 15th proximo, both Governments being absolved from the obligations contracted in the notes exchanged in the said month of April. I have, &c.

ALFONSO MERRY DEL VAL.

* Page 437.

AGREEMENT between the Postal Administrations of Great Britain and Sweden additional to the Agreement for the Exchange of Postal Parcels, signed at Stockholm, May 10, and at London, May 26, 1904.*-Stockholm, March 3, and London, April 2, 1920.†

ART I. Parcels subject to the collection of trade charges can be exchanged between Sweden and the United Kingdom. II. (1.) The maximum amount of trade charge in the case of parcels for delivery in the United Kingdom is fixed at 401. per parcel, and, in the case of parcels for delivery in Sweden, at 720 kronor per parcel.

(2.) In calculating the amount of trade charge, fractions of a penny or of an öre are ignored.

III.-(1.) Each Administration fixes the special fee to be levied from the sender of a parcel subject to a trade charge. This fee must not exceed :

(a.) 2d. for each 11. or fraction of 11. to be collected, in the case of parcels posted in the United Kingdom.

(b.) 20 öre for each 20 kronor or fraction of 20 kronor to be collected in the case of parcels posted in Sweden.

(2.) Each Administration shall communicate to the other the special fee fixed in its service by virtue of the preceding paragraph, as well as any alteration subsequently made in it.

(3.) This fee is shared between the Administration of the country of origin and that of the country of destination in the manner prescribed in the detailed regulations.

IV.—(1.) In addition to the special fee fixed by the preceding article, the Post Office of the country in which a parcel subject to a trade charge is posted may collect a posting fee from the sender, and the Post Office of the country of destination of a parcel subject to a trade charge may collect a delivery fee from the addressee.

(2.) The posting fee must not exceed :

(a.) In the case of a parcel posted in the United Kingdom, 2d. per parcel.

(b.) In the case of a parcel posted in Sweden, 15 öre per parcel.

(3.) The delivery fee must not exceed : :

(a.) In the case of a parcel delivered in the United Kingdom, 4d. per parcel.

(b.) In the case of a parcel delivered in Sweden, 30 öre per parcel.

(4.) Each Administration shall communicate to the other the special fees fixed in its service by virtue of this article, as well as any alterations subsequently made in them.

* Vol. XCVII, page 81.

+ Signed also in the Swedish language.