with the assent of the Bundesrat and of the Reichstag, for the period after the 31st December, 1907: The Bundesrat is authorized to grant to the subjects and products of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, as well as to the subjects and products of British colonies and foreign possessions, until the 31st December, 1909, such advantages as are granted by the Empire to the subjects or products of the most favoured nation. This law comes into force on the 1st January, 1908. Von BETHMANN-HOLLWEG. (L.S.) WILLIAM. GERMAN NOTICE respecting Commercial Relations with the British Empire.-Berlin, December 19, 1907.* (Translation.) [No. 3398.] By virtue of the above lawf the Bundesrat has decided to prolong the period of validity of the provisions contained in the notice of the 11th June, 1901, for the period after the 31st December, 1907, until further notice. Berlin, December 19, 1907. The Representative of the Imperial Chancellor, IMPERIAL ORDER respecting the Protection of Works of Literature and Art in the German Protectorates.-Berlin, October 15, 1908.§ (Translation.) WE, William, by the grace of God, German Emperor, King of Prussia, &c., issue, in the name of the Empire for the Protectorates, the following Order : SECT. 1. The provisions of the Convention concluded at Berne on the 9th September, 1886,|| respecting the formation of an International Union for the protection of works of literature and art, the provisions of the Agreements concluded in alteration "Reichs-Gesetzblatt " No. 51, December 20, 1907. § "Reichs-Gesetzblatt," No. 6, page 627. or completion of that Convention, as well as the regulations of the laws and orders for the carrying out of the Convention, are to be applied to the Protectorates. 2. The application of the provisions specified in 1, in as far as Treaties do not override them, is subject to the limitations laid down in 1 and 2 of the Order of the 11th July, 1888 ("Reichs-Gesetzblatt," p. 225). In so far as the date of the entry into force of the Berne Convention is fixed by the above regulations, the date of putting this Order into force applies instead. Counting from the latter date, the employment of appliances already in use ("Vorrichtungen "*) is permitted for four years and the stamping (" Abstempelung") of them is to be effected within three months. 3. This Order comes into force on the 1st January, 1909. Given under the Royal sign manual and seal at the New Palace on the 15th October, 1908. Prince von BÜLOW. (L.S.) WILLIAM. IMPERIAL DECREE sanctioning the Declaration of the Accession of German Protectorates to the International Union for the Protection of Works of Literature and Art. -Berlin, October 15, 1908. On your Report of the 14th October, 1908, I do hereby sanction that the accession of the German Protectorates be declared, in accordance with Article XIX of the Convention concluded at Berne on the 9th September, 1886,† respecting the formation of an International Union for the Protection of Works of Literature and Art. The New Palace, October 15, 1908. To the Imperial Chancellor, Prince von Bulow. WILLIAM. In the Decree of February 1888, Vorrichtungen are defined as "stereotypes, wood-blocks, engraved plates of every kind, and lithograph stones." + Vol. LXXVII, page 22. DECLARATION respecting the Accession of the German Protectorates to the International Union for the Protection of Works of Literature and Art.--Berlin, November 14, 1908. In accordance with the sanction contained in the Royal Decree of the 15th October, 1908,* the accession of the German Protectorates to the International Union for the Protection of Works of Literature and Art is declared. Berlin, November 14, 1908. PRINCE VON BÜLOW, Imperial Chancellor, EXCHANGE OF NOTES between the French and German Governments respecting the Accession of German Protectorates and French Colonies to the Franco-German Copyright Agreement of April 8, 1907. Berlin, November 13 and 14, 1908. (No. 1.)-Herr von Koerner to M. Jules Cambon. (Translation.) Foreign Office, Berlin, November 13, 1908. THE Undersigned has the honour to inform his Excellency M. Jules Cambon, Ambassador of the French Republic, as follows:: At the Berlin Conference for the revision of the Berne Convention of the 9th September, 1886,† respecting the formation of an International Union for the Protection of Works of Literature and Art, the Imperial Government made, through their delegate, the declaration that the German Empire, in accordance with Article XIX of the said Convention, adhere to the Berne Convention for their Protectorates, with effect from the 1st January, 1909, under reserve of the regulations to be issued regarding the adhesion. The Imperial Government is of opinion that the adhesion of the German Protectorates to the Berne Convention includes their adhesion to the Franco-German special Agreement of the 8th April, 1907, which was drawn up in accordance with Article II of this special Agreement as a supplement to the Berne Convention. The Undersigned would be grateful to the French Ambassador if his Excellency would inform him whether this view is shared by his Government, which adhered to the Berne Convention for + Vol. LXXVII, page 22. * Page 938. Page 314. the French Colonies in 1886, and, accordingly, whether the above-mentioned special Agreement is valid for the French colonies. The Undersigned avails, &c KOERNER. (No. 2.)—M. Jules Cambon to Herr von Kiderlen-Waechter. M. LE SECRÉTAIRE D'ÉTAT, Berlin, le 14 novembre, 1908. PAR Votre lettre du 13 de ce mois, vous avez bien voulu m'informer que, d'après une déclaration faite par la délégation allemande à la Conférence de Berlin pour la revision de la Convention de Berne du 9 septembre, 1886, concernant la création d'une Union internationale pour la protection des œuvres littéraires et artistiques, et conformément à l'article XIX de ladite Convention, l'Empire allemand adhère, en ce qui concerne ses colonies, à la Convention de Berne, et cela à partir du 1er janvier, 1909, sous réserve des dispositions transitoires. Vous avez ajouté à cette communication que le Gouvernement Impérial est d'avis que cette accession comprendrait, ipso jure, l'adhésion des colonies allemandes à la Convention spéciale franco-allemande du 8 avril, 1907, qui, selon son article II, n'est qu'un complément de la Convention de Berne. En même temps. vous m'avez demandé si le Gouvernement de la République partage cette manière de voir, et applique également la Convention spéciale susindiquée aux colonies françaises, après avoir accédé déjà en 1886 pour ces colonies à la Convention de Berne. En réponse à cette demande, j'ai l'honneur de vous informer que le Gouvernement de la République, partageant en effet l'opinion du Gouvernement Impérial à ce sujet, m'a autorisé à déclarer que ladite Convention spéciale est applicable aux colonies françaises. Il est entendu que la lettre de l'Office Impérial du 13 courant et la présente lettre tiennent lieu d'échange de notes entre les deux Gouvernements, pour constater l'accord en question. Agréez, &c. JULES CAMBON. TREATY between Germany and Salvador granting reciprocally Most-favoured-nation Treatment in matters of Commerce, &c.-Signed at San Salvador, April 14, 1908. [Ratifications exchanged at Guatemala, April 8, 1909.] (Translation.) His Majesty the German Emperor, King of Prussia, in the name of the German Empire, and his Excellency the President of the Republic of Salvador, impelled by the desire of conserving the good relations which happily exist between the two countries and of furthering the commercial traffic between them, have decided to conclude a Treaty for this purpose and have charged therewith: His Majesty the German Emperor, King of Prussia: His, Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary in the Republic of Salvador, Count Ulrich von Schwerin; His Excellency the President of the Republic of Salvador: the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Salvador Rodríguez González, who have agreed on the following Articles : ART. I. The Contracting Parties bind themselves to grant reciprocally most-favoured-nation treatment in commercial, maritime, and consular matters, by which it is understood that every right, freedom, or advantage which one of them grants to a third nation, must by reason of that fact be granted to the other contracting party. II. Every right, freedom, or advantage which Salvador has granted, or will in future grant, to the other republics of Central America or to any one of them, shall not be understood as being granted to the German Empire in virtue of the stipulations of Article I, unless it has also been granted to a third nation. III. The present Treaty shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged as soon as possible. The Treaty shall remain in force for ten years from the date of the exchange of ratifications, and if neither of the Contracting Parties announces its intention twelve months before the termination of that period of causing the effect of the Treaty to cease, it shall remain in force for another year, and so on until a year after the above-mentioned notice has been given. In witness whereof both representatives have signed the present Treaty and aflixed their seals. Done at San Salvador, in duplicate, in the German and Spanish languages, on the 14th April, 1908. (L.S.) SCHWERIN. (L.S.) SALVADOR RODRÍGUEZ. 1 TREATY of Commere: and Navigation between Brazil and Colombia.-Signed at Rio de Janeiro, August 21, 1908. [Ratifications exchanged at Bogotá, August 6, 1910.] (Translation.) THE Republic of the United States of Brazil and the Republic of Colombia, animated always by the desire to consolidate further their ancient relations of friendship and to promote and |