1898, comes into force on the 1st October, 1899, as an Agreement between the Government of His Majesty the Emperor and that of the Republic of the United States of Brazil, after having received the assent of the Bundesrath and the sanction of the Reichstag. By virtue thereof, as has been ordained by a Decree of the President of the Brazilian Republic, No. 3358 of the 29th July last, from the 1st October of this year all successions left by Germans deceased in Brazil will be regulated by the provisions referred to (Articles 2 to 8, 11, and 24) of the Brazilian Decree No. 855 of the 8th November, 1851. By virtue of the Agreement similar treatment comes into force from the same date in the matter of the successions of Brazilians deceased in the German Empire.

A translation of the Articles 2 to 8, 11, and 24 of the beforementioned Decree No. 855 of November 8, 1851, is given below. Berlin, September 24, 1899.

FÜRST ZU HOHENLOHE, Imperial Chancellor.

Translation of Articles 2 to 8, 11, and 24 of the Brazilian Decree No. 855 of November 8, 1851.

ART. 2. When an alien resident in Brazil dies without having made a will, and without leaving husband or wife, as the case may be, resident in the country, or heirs, that is heirs present in the country, and on whom devolves, as heads of the family, the adminis tration of the estate, as regards the drawing up of an inventory and the duty of undertaking the distribution, or even when a foreigner resident in Brazil dies leaving a testamentary deposition, and his heirs are aliens, and are absent as well as the executors of the will, it then devolves on the Judge, whose duty it is to deal with the affairs of absent and deceased persons, to ascertain, in conjunction with the proper Consular Representative, the amount of the succession placed in the custody of the Consular Representative.

In a case where an heir is a Brazilian citizen, no such co-operation on the part of Consular Representative occurs, even should the above-mentioned heir be absent.

Art. 3. On the inventory being drawn up, the succession goes to the Consular Representative to be administered and liquidated; the latter has no powers of disposal, either over its several parts or over its revenues, nor may he surrender them to the legal heirs, until it has been established, by means of previous notices in the newspapers published immediately after the amount of the succession

has been ascertained, that no creditor of the estate has appeared within the space of a year. The same provision remains in force as long as the succession is involved in a law-suit, and as long as the death duties remain undischarged. In order to establish the fact whether a death duty is to be paid or not, it is the duty of the Consular Representative to show, by satisfactory and properly authenticated documents, the degree of relationship between the deceased and his heir or heirs.

Art. 4. If, on the expiration of the year mentioned in the preceding Article, no law-suit should be pending with regard to the succession, and if the legal succession dues have been discharged, or if it has been established that there are none to be paid, the Consular Representative is then in a position to dispose of the succession, and to deliver it to the heirs-at-law in accordance with the instructions given him.

Art. 5. In a case where debts exist or law-suits are pending which only affect a portion of the succession, the provisions of the preceding Article can be applied to the portion of the succession not encumbered with debts or not contested, on expiration of the year, and after the requirements of Article 3 have been fulfilled. A sum of money corresponding to the amount of the debt or to the contested value is then publicly deposited, or else the disputed portion itself is held back.

Art. 6. When a foreigner resident in Brazil dies under the circumstances related in Article 2 in a place where there is no Consular Representative of his own State, it devolves on the Judge, whose duty it is to deal with the affairs of deceased and absent persons, to ascertain the amount of, and to made an inventory of, the succession, in the presence of two trustworthy witnesses belonging to the same State as did the deceased, and failing them in the presence of two trustworthy merchants, or of two men possessing there land and property. The individuals in question then become the administrators or liquidators of the succession until a decision can be arrived at with regard to the disposal of the portion of the succession capable of being paid off and of the uncontested portion.

Art. 7. In the case provided for in the foregoing Article it is the duty of the Judge, after having received notice of the decease of a foreigner occurring within his district, and affected by the provisions of Article 2, to deliver, within a fortnight, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs a death certificate, and a statement with respect to the age, place of residence, place of birth, and profession of the deceased alien, and to everything with regard to his succession and relatives, so that the above-mentioned Minister may place himself in communication with the proper Legation or with the proper Consular Representative, with regard to the succession to be paid off.

Art. 8. Neither Consular Representatives nor administrators appointed according to the provisions of Article 6 have the right, without the authority of the Judge, to pay any debt of the deceased, and the Judge, on his side, may not order any payment before consulting with the Consular Representative or the administrator.

Funeral expenses are excepted; for payment of which authority is obtained, if possible at once, either from the Judge or from the police authorities of the district, taking into consideration the amount of the succession in question.

Art. 11. When a foreign Consular Representative dies, his succession is taken charge of in the same way as in the case of the successions of members of the Diplomatic Corps, with the exception that when a Consular Representative is engaged in industrial pursuits in the country, the general rule takes effect.

Art. 24. Articles 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 11 come into force for Consular Representatives and for members of their State when reciprocity has been established on the basis of an Agreement by exchange of notes, and in virtue of which the fulfilment of reciprocity has been decreed by the Government in question.

UNITED STATES' CIRCULAR empowering Collectors of Customs in Territory under Military Government to perform Consular Duties.-Washington, May 11, 1899.

War Department, Washington, May 11, 1899. THE following is published for the information and guidance of all concerned :

COLLECTORS of Customs appointed by the military authorities of the United States at ports in territory under military government are hereby directed to perform the duties formerly belonging to United States' Consuls or Consular officers in such territory, so far as concerns seamen, vessels, clearances, &c.

Official fees or dues collected by United States' Consuls under similar circumstances shall be collected by such Collectors of Customs, and all moneys collected under the provisions of this Order shall be deposited and accounted for as prescribed for Customs collections.

In order to comply with the provisions of Section 2844, United States' Revised Statutes, the certification of invoices of goods shipped to the United States from territory under the military

government of the United States shall be executed by a Consul of a friendly nation or by two resident merchants of good reputation.

G. D. MEIKLEJOHN,

Assistant Secretary of War.

CUSTOMS REGULATIONS and Tariff of the British East Africa Protectorate.-Mombasa, September 13, 1899.

NOTICE.

THE following Regulations, made by Her Majesty's Commissioner and Consul-General, with the approval of the Secretary of State, are published for general information.

Mombasa, September 13, 1899.

CLIFFORD H. CRAUFURD, Her Majesty's Acting
Commissioner and Consul-General.

Queen's Regulations under Article 45 of "The East Africa Order in Council, 1897."*

CUSTOMS.

THE Customs Regulations hitherto in force in the East Africa Protectorate are hereby annulled without prejudice to anything done, or to be done, thereunder, and the following Regulations substituted therefor :

Imports.

1. Commanders of all ships arriving in harbour are required to deliver to the custom-house within twenty-four hours after their arrival a true and full manifest of all merchandize and treasure to be landed or transhipped, and no goods shall be landed until such manifest has been delivered.

2. There must be sent with each boat-load or other dispatch of cargo sent from on board any vessel a boat note specifying the number of packages, and the marks or numbers, and other description of the goods.

This boat note is to be signed by a responsible officer of the vessel.

• Vol. LXXXIX, page 357.

Exports.

3. No goods are to be taken on board any vessel unless accompanied by a shipping order issued from the agent's office, and duly visé at the custom-house.

In the case of dhows the usual pass note is sufficient.

Landing Cargo.

4. All boats, lighters, &c., used in landing cargo from vessels, or shipping cargo to vessels, must be properly registered and marked in such manner as may from time to time be prescribed by the port authority.

5. All merchandize and goods must be landed at the customhouse only, except coal and kerosene oil, for which other stores are provided, unless permission has been previously obtained from the Customs authorities to land elsewhere, and then in the presence of a custom-house officer only.

6. The custom-house is open daily for the landing of goods from 7 A.M. to 5 P.M., and for delivery of goods from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M.

The custom-house is open daily to the public for paying duty, making declarations, applications for passes, and general business, from 8 A.M. to 12 noon, and 2 P.M. to 4 P.M.

Saturday afternoons and public holidays are excepted, when landing only will be allowed in the case of cargo from mail-steamers, on special application being previously made in writing to the Chief of Customs.

Imports.

7. All goods imported shall be declared on a prescribed form to be obtained at the custom-house.

8. Importers and exporters are required to produce their original invoices in support of their declarations.

9. The value of all goods and merchandize upon which duty is leviable ad valorem shall be either

(a.) The wholesale cash price, less trade discount, for which goods of the like kind and quality are sold, or are capable of being sold, at the time and place of importation or exportation, as the case may be, without any abatement or deduction whatever (except in the case of goods imported) of the amount of the duties payable on the importation thereof; or

(b.) Where such price is not ascertainable, the cost at which goods of the like kind and quality could be delivered at such place, without any abatement or deduction, except as aforesaid.