which arrives at its destination and discharges its cargo, should not be detained if, on a second voyage, it takes on board another cargo of similar nature, even if the other neutral port may be a base for the naval operations of a belligerent. (9.) The duty of preventing an unneutral act rests entirely upon the neutral State whose territory is being used as such a base. Even if the supplies were shipped directly to an established base in the territory of a belligerent or under his control, the Uruguayan Government would not be obliged by its neutral duty to limit such shipments or detain or otherwise interfere with the merchant vessels engaged in that trade. 2. Merchant ships flying the flag of a belligerent country lying in the ports of the Republic owing to their having interrupted their voyages on account of the state of war, or which arrive at a port from a cause connected with the state of war, cannot leave, even if there is no reason to suspect their intention to violate neutrality (as laid down in Article 1) without a declaration by the consular representative of their country indicating the ports of call and the destination, and giving an assurance that the voyage is for a purely commercial purpose. 3. When a merchant ship has left or leaves a port of the Republic, and it is proved that she has not followed the route declared by the Consul, she shall carry out no further operations in any port, and can only enter to remain in the spot indicated by the authorities until the end of the war, without prejudice to the other measures which may be taken (que procedan) in view of the false declaration of the Consul or the fault of the charterer or the captain. 4. In order to prevent the clandestine departure of merchant ships lying in the ports, the authorities shall take the following measures : (a.) They shall prevent them from beginning to load provisions before having furnished the declarations and guarantees provided in Article 2. (b.) They shall oblige them to unload all the coal and provisions which shall not be absolutely necessary for their stay in port. (c.) They shall prescribe an anchorage for them that shall enable the greatest vigilance to be exercised. (d.) Any other precaution shall be taken (such as to prevent the working of the engines) without affecting the safety or maintenance of the ship. 5. The provisions of this Decree shall be applied to the merchant ships which are lying in the port at this date, or which shall arrive in future up to the end of the war. 6. Let it be communicated, &c. BATLLE Y ORDOÑEZ. BALTASAR BRUM. JUAN BERNASSA Y JEREZ. DECREE of the Uruguayan Government relative to the Coaling of Belligerent Ships of War.-Montevideo, December 15, 1914.* (Translation.) ART. 1. Belligerent ships of war shall take on board in the ports of the Republic only enough coal to take them to the first coaling port of the country adjacent to Uruguay. 2. In order to determine the maximum amount of coal, the authorities shall take into consideration the normal consumption of the vessel in relation to the speed and the distance of the next port to which the vessel is going. 3. Paragraph 2 of Article 8 of the Decree of the 7th August, 1914,† is modified in accordance with the present Decree. 4. Let it be communicated, &c. BATLLE Y ORDOÑEZ. BALTASAR BRUM. JUAN BERNASSA Y JEREZ. DECREE of the Uruguayan Government relative to the Stay of Vessels of War of Belligerents in Ports, Ronds, or Neutral Waters.-Montevideo, December 15, 1914.* (Translation.) ART. 1. Ships of war of belligerents shall not stay in the ports, roads, or waters of the Republic for more than twentyfour hours, save in the exceptional cases stipulated in Convention XIII of The Hague, and in Articles 5, 7, and 12 of the Decree of the 7th August, in conformity with the provisions of that Convention. 2. Let it be communicated, &c. BATLLEY ORDOÑEZ. JUAN BERNASSA Y JEREZ. * For Spanish text, see official publication of the Uruguayan Govern. ment. + Page 857. Vol. C, page 448. NOTIFICATION of the Government of Venezuela relative to the Maintenance of Neutrality in the State of War existing between several Nations of Europe.-Caracas, August 8, 1914. (Translation.) Citizen Minister of Finance, Caracas, August 8, 1914. As there exists at present a state of war between several nations of Europe with which Venezuela maintains relations of friendship, the Government of the Republic being desirous of preserving its neutrality in this conflict, deems it necessary to make known the duties which, in accordance with the principles and practices of international law and with the obligations of diplomatic treaties, the Republic is called to carry out. To this effect I have the honour to accompany with this note, the instructions which in consequence with those principles, with the resolutions of the Second Peace Conference of The Hague of 1907, and with the rules adopted by Venezuela in regard to the armed merchantmen of the belligerents, the collectors of customs of the Republic may follow in the cases which may occur, so as to render effective the neutrality which the national Government is firmly decided to observe in the actual war. In any case not foreseen in these instructions, the Customs officials shall proceed immediately to communicate to this Department, through the respective channel, the necessary information in order to elucidate the character of the case, and with a view to its decision by the national Government. According to the information which has been obtained up to date confidentially, the belligerent nations are on the one side Germany and Austria, and on the other Russia, France, Great Britain, Serbia, and Belgium. Dios y Federacion, MANUEL DIAZ RODRIGUEZ. Instructions to the Collectors of Customs of the Republic relating to the Neutrality of Venezuela in the present European War. You will permit the warships of the belligerents to make use of the pilots officially appointed. You will prevent warships of the belligerents from remaining in the port or anchorage or in the waters of your jurisdiction for more than twenty-four hours, except in the cases foreseen in these instructions. The sojourn of a warship of a belligerent in a neutral port can be prolonged more than the duration aforesaid only in case of damage or on account of the state of the sea. The vessel must be forced to depart as soon as the cause of the delay has ceased. The rules on the duration of the stay in the port, harbour, or neutral waters do not apply to ships of war exclusively destined for religious, scientific, or philanthropic missions. You will not permit more than three ships of war of a belligerent to be anchored simultaneously in the port, harbour, or territorial waters. When ships of war of the belligerent parties are found simultaneously in the port or harbour, at least twenty-four hours must elapse between the departure of the ship of one belligerent and the departure of the ship of the other. The order of the departures must be determined by that of the arrivals, unless the ship which first arrived be in the case that the prolongation be admitted beyond the legal duration of the stay. A ship of war of a belligerent shall not leave the port or harbour until the lapse of twenty-four hours after the departure of a ship of commerce carrying the flag of its opponent. You will not permit the ships of war of belligerents to repair their damages in the port or harbour save as may be strictly necessary for the security of their navigation, nor to augment in any manner whatsoever their military force. You will inform the Executive immediately of the repairs to be effected. You will not permit the ships of war of belligerents to use the port, harbour, or territorial waters so as to increase or augment their military provisions or munition, as also to complete their crew. You will inform the Executive immediately of such pretension. You will not permit the ships of war of belligerents to provide themselves with provisions, but they may complete their normal provisions as in time of peace. You will not permit such ships to take coal save what may suffice for their arrival at the nearest port of a neutral country. If the ship cannot take coal until twenty-four hours after its arrival it shall be permitted to remain twenty-four hours beyond the legal duration. You will not permit ships of war of the belligerents to renew their provisions of coal save after the lapse of three months from the time at which they took coal in that same port or in any other port of the Republic. You will not permit any prizes to be taken to the port save on account of innavigability, of the state of the sea, of want of fuel or of provisions. You must inform the Executive immediately to that effect, supplying at the same time all the necessary information. You will advise the Executive immediately if a ship of war of a belligerent refuses to leave the port where it has no right to remain. In the Cases of Foreign Privateers. Foreign privateers shall not be permitted to arm, equip, or complete their crews in the ports of the Republic. Neither privateers nor ships of war shall be allowed to enter therein with the prizes they may have captured. Shelter shall not be granted to privateers save in the case of damage or want of provisions, when they shall be obliged to seek refuge in the ports of the Republic; but in the first instance the duration of their stay must not be allowed for a longer period than that strictly necessary to repair the damage; and in the second, they shall not be permitted to remain in the port for more than twenty-four hours, nor to purchase a larger quantity of provisions than that necessary to enable them to go to the nearest port of another neutral country. In no case shall the sale or exchange, either total or partial, of prizes be permitted under any pretext within the ports of Venezuela. If ships of war enter any port of the Republic without prizes or privateers in the circumstances described, they shall not be able to sail, as long as any other ship that has sailed previously is still in sight. PROTOCOL between the Consular Representatives of Great Britain, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Russia, and the United States and the Director of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs of the Government-General of Chosen, relating to the Abolition of the System of Foreign Settlements in Chosen.Seoul, April 21, 1913. [British ratification notified to Japanese Government, March 29, 1914.] I. THE foreign settlements in Chosen, namely, Chemulpo, Chinnampo, Kunsan, Mokpo, Masampo, and Songchin, shall be incorporated with the respective newly-organized communes of Chosen to which they appropriately belong. II. When such incorporation takes place the competent local authorities shall assume all the duties and obligations of local administration hitherto performed and incurred by the Municipal Councils of the said foreign settlements, including public works, sanitation, &c. III. The common funds and property, if any, belonging to the Municipal Councils of the said foreign settlements shall be transferred to the local authorities concerned. IV. The holders of leases in perpetuity of land within the circumscriptions of the said foreign settlements shall be allowed the option of converting the said leases in perpetuity to actual ownership. Such ownership shall be on the same basis as that of Japanese subjects in Chosen. [1914. CVIII.] 3 K |