invaluable personal and material sacrifices they have made for our cause, which would all be worthless and vain with a peace whereby the independence of the Republics is given up; and, further, considering the certainty that the losing of our independence after the destruction already done and losses suffered will drag with it the national and material annihilation [?] of the entire people; and especially considering the spirit of unbending persistence with which the great majority of our men, women, and children are stili possessed, and in which we see with thankful acknowledgment the hand of the Almighty Protector, resolve that no peace will be made and no peace conditions accepted by which our independence and national existence, or the interests of our Colonial brothers, shall be price paid, and that the war will be vigorously prosecuted by taking all measures necessary for maintenance of independence and interests.

"S. BURGER and STEYN."

BRITISH ORDER IN COUNCIL, providing for the Surrender of Seamen Deserters from Honduranean Vessels.London, September 26, 1901.*

At the Court at St. James's, the 26th day of September, 1901.

PRESENT THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY IN COUNCIL.

WHEREAS by sub-section (1) of section 238 of "The Merchant Shipping Act, 1894," it is provided that where it appears to His Majesty that due facilities are or will be given by the Government of any foreign country for recovering and apprehending seamen who desert from British merchant-ships in that country His Majesty may by Order in Council stating that such facilities are or will be given declare that that section shall apply in the case of such foreign country subject to any limitations, conditions, and qualifications contained in the Order;

And whereas it has been made to appear to His Majesty that the Government of the Republic of Honduras gives and will give due facilities for recovering and apprehending seamen who desert from British merchant-ships in that country:

Now, therefore, His Majesty by virtue of the power vested in him by the hereinbefore recited sub-section (1) of section 238 of "The Merchant Shipping Act, 1894," and by and with the advice of his

"London Gazette," October 1, 1901.

Privy Council, is pleased to order and declare that the said section 238 of "The Merchant Shipping Act, 1894," shall apply in the case of the Republic of Honduras.

And the Right Honourable Charles Thomson Ritchie, the Right Honourable Joseph Chamberlain, and the Right Honourable Lord George Hamilton, three of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, are to give the necessary directions herein accordingly.

A. W. FITZROY.

BRITISH ORDER IN COUNCIL, applying the Patents, Designs, and Trade-marks Acts to Honduras. - London, September 26, 1901.*

At the Court at St. James's, the 26th day of September, 1901. PRESENT: THE KING'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY IN COUNCIL.

WHEREAS by the provisions of "The Patents, Designs, and Trade-marks Act, 1883," as amended by "The Patents, Designs, and Trade-marks (Amendment) Act, 1885," it is, amongst other things, provided :—

That if His Majesty is pleased to make any arrangement with the Government or Governments of any foreign State or States for mutual protection of inventions, designs, and trade-marks, or any of them, then any person who has applied for protection for any invention, design, or trade-mark in any such State shall, subject to the conditions further provided and set forth in the said Act, be entitled to a patent for his invention, or to registration of his design. or trade-mark (as the case may be) under the said Act, in priority to other applicants, and such patent or registration shall have the same date as the date of the application in such foreign State;

And whereas it pleased Her late Majesty Queen Victoria to make an arrangement with the Republic of Honduras of the nature contemplated by the caid Act by and in virtue of a Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation, signed and sealed by Her late Majesty's Minister Resident and Consul-General to the Republic of Honduras, and scaled by the Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of the said Republic at Guatemala, in the Republic of Guatemala, on the 21st day of January, 1887,+ ratifications whereof together with two explanatory Protocols, dated respectively the 21st day of January, 1887, and 3rd day of February, 1900, were duly exchanged at Guatemala, aforesaid, on the 3rd day of February, 1900;

* "London Gazette," October 1, 1901.

+ Vol. LXXXIX, page 1121.

And whereas it is provided by Article VIII of the said Treaty that the subjects or citizens of each of the Contracting Parties shall have in the dominions and possessions of the other the same rights as natives or as subjects or citizens of the most favoured nation in regard to patents for inventions, trade-marks, and designs, and the protection of industrial property upon the fulfilment of the formalities prescribed by law :

Now, therefore, His Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of his Privy Council, and by virtue of the authority committed to him by the said Act, doth declare, and it is hereby declared, that from and after the date of this Order the provisions of the said Act amended as aforesaid and herein before specified shall apply to the following country, viz. :

Republic of Honduras.

A. W. FITZROY.

DESPATCH from the British Ambassador at St. Petersburgh, respecting the Russo-Chinese Agreement as to Manchuria.February 6, 1901.

Sir C. Scott to the Marquess of Lansdowne.-(Received February 11.)

MY LORD,

St. Petersburgh, February 6, 1901.

I HAVE the honour to report that I found an opportunity to-day, whilst avoiding any appearance of asking explanations of Russia's proceedings in Manchuria, to ascertain from Count Lamsdorff what might be stated as the actual facts with regard to the alleged Agreement between Russia and China as to Southern Manchuria in case interpellations were addressed to His Majesty's Government in Parliament on this subject.

Count Lamsdorff gave me the true version of what had taken place very readily.

He said that as far as he had read the allegations in the Press which would probably give rise to questions in Parliament, they had asserted that Russia had concluded, or was engaged in concluding with China, a Convention or permanent arrangement which would give Russia new rights and a virtual Protectorate in Southern Manchuria.

This was quite untrue, and the only ground for the rumour must have been the fact that the Russian military authorities who had been engaged in the temporary occupation and pacification of that province had been directed, when reinstating the Chinese authorities in their former posts, to arrange with the local civil authorities the terms of a modus vivendi between them for the duration of the

simultaneous presence of Russian and Chinese authorities in Southern Manchuria, the object being to prevent the recurrence of disturbances in the vicinity of the Russian frontier, and to protect the railway from the Russian frontier to Port Arthur.

Some of the details of the proposed modus vivendi had been sent for consideration to St. Petersburgh, but no Convention or arrangement with the Central Government of China or of a permanent character had been concluded with regard to Manchuria, nor had the Emperor any intention of departing in any way from the assurances which he had publicly given, that Manchuria would be entirely restored to its former condition in the Chinese Empire as soon as circumstances admitted of it.

Russia was in the same position with regard to fixing a final date for evacuating Manchuria as the Allies found themselves with regard to the evacuation of Peking and the Province of Pechili.

When it came to the final and complete evacuation of Mauchuria the Russian Government would be obliged to obtain from the Central Government of China an effective guarantee against the recurrence of the recent attack on her frontier and the destruction of her railway, but had no intention of seeking this guarantee in any acquisition of territory or of an actual or virtual Protectorate over Manchuria, the object being to simply guarantee the faithful observance in the future by China of the terms of the Agreement, which she had been unable to fulfil during the disturbances.

The terms of this guarantee might possibly form the subject of conversation here between Count Lamsdorff and the Chinese Minister, or be left for discussion at Peking.

Meanwhile, it might be confidently stated that any arrangements which may have given rise to the allegations in the Press were purely of the temporary character of a modus vivendi between the Russian military authorities and the local civil authorities in Southern Manchuria, that no Convention or arrangement had been. concluded with the Central Government of China in contemplation of any alteration of the former international status of that province, which would be restored to China when all the temporary measures taken by the Russian military authorities would cease, and everything at Newchwang and elsewhere be replaced in its former position. I have, &c.,

The Marquess of Lansdowne.

CHARLES S. SCOTT.

NOTE.-His Majesty's Ambassador, in a telegram dated the 27th February, 1901, stated that Count Lamsdorff had no objection to the publication of this despatch as an accurate report of the language held by him in conversation with Sir C. Scott.

CORRESPONDENCE respecting the Insurrectionary Movement and Disturbances in China (The “Boxers"; Murder of British Missionaries; Decrees naming heir to Throne of China, and suppressing Secret Societies; International Force for Protection of Life and Property; Question of Mandate to Japan to send Troops to China; Russian views; Messages from Emperor of China to President of United States and Emperor of Germany; Appointment of Count Waldersee to command of Expedition; Siege and Relief of Legations at Peking; Bombardment of Newchwang and Occupation by Russians; &c.)—January-September, 1900.

Sir C. MacDonald to the Marquess of Salisbury.—(Received February 19.) MY LORD, Peking, January 5, 1900. FOR several months past the northern part of the Province of Shantung has been disturbed by bands of rebels connected with various Secret Societies, who have been defying the authorities and pillaging the people. An organization known as the "Boxers" has attained special notoriety, and their ravages recently spread over a large portion of Southern Chihli, where the native Christians appear to have suffered even more than the rest of the inhabitants from the lawlessness of these marauders. The danger to which, in both provinces, foreign missionary establishments have been thus exposed has been the subject of repeated representations to the Chinese Government by others of the foreign Representatives-especially the German and United States' Ministers-and myself.

Early last month the Governor of Shantung, Yu Hsien, was ordered to vacate his post and come to Peking for audience, and the General Yuan Shih K'ai was appointed Acting Governor in his place.

In Southern Chihli the task of dealing with the disturbances was intrusted to the Viceroy at Tien-tsin. Her Majesty's Consul at Tien-tsin has had repeatedly to complain to the latter of the inadequacy of the protection afforded to British life and property in the districts affected by the rebellion; and in consequence of these representations, and of my own communications to the Tsung-li Yamên, guards of soldiers have been stationed for the special protection of the missionary premises which were endangered. Ou the 29th ultimo I took occasion to warn the Yamên by letter that if the disorder were not vigorously quelled, international complications were likely to ensue.

Being well aware, therefore, of the condition of things in