grant of licences for exportation to Austria should be accompanied by certificates previously issued under the authority of the Federal Government, to the effect that the Federal Government are satisfied that the consignment is required exclusively for legitimate medical or scientific purposes and will not be re-exported.

The drugs for which certificates will be required are raw opium, morphine, cocaine, ecgonine and diamorphine (commonly known as heroin) and their respective salts, and medicinal opium and any preparation, admixture, extract, or other substance containing not less than one-fifth per cent. of morphine or one-tenth per cent. of cocaine, ecgonine or diamorphine. His Majesty's Government may, however, find it necessary to extend this list to include any new derivative of morphine or cocaine or of any salts of morphine or cocaine or any other alkaloid of opium or any other drug of whatever kind which may, in their opinion, be productive, if improperly used, of ill effects substantially of the same character or nature as, or analogous to those produced by, morphine or cocaine.

His Majesty's Government desire to know whether the Federal Government assents to the proposed arrangement and will be prepared to issue the necessary certificates in proper cases. If so, it would be convenient if the Federal Government could furnish me, for the information of the appropriate department, with a copy of the form of certificate which will be issued.

I have further the honour to say that His Majesty's Government have given most careful consideration to the request made by the Federal Government in their note of the 9th March for special concessions to meet the needs of the distributing firms in Vienna. They regret, after a full review of all the circumstances, that they cannot make the exception asked for. The Federal Government are aware that the main object of His Majesty's Government in making the arrangements now under consideration is to prevent narcotic drugs from reaching the Far East. While fully satisfied of the good faith and intentions of the Federal Government, they are doubtful whether the distribution of these drugs could, in practice, be so controlled as to ensure that drugs re-exported from Austria to the succession States would be used for the purpose for which they were guaranteed.

I should be grateful if the Federal Government would furnish me, for transmission to His Majesty's Government, with a statement of any further legislation they may have in contemplation for the restriction of the trade in narcotics.

I have, &c.

F. O. LINDLEY.

(No. 2.) The Austrian Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs to the British Minister at Vienna.

(Translation.)

WITH reference to the esteemed note of the 6th May of this year, I have the honour to inform his Excellency His Britannic Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, Sir [sic] Francis Lindley, that the Austrian Federal Government agrees with the proposals of His Majesty's Government with regard to the control of the import of opium and other narcotics from the United Kingdom. Austrians who desire to obtain from the United Kingdom raw opium, morphia, cocaine, ecgonine and diacethymorphine (heroin) and their salts, as well as medicinal opium and any kind of preparation, admixture, extract or other substance containing not less than one-fifth per cent. morphine or one-tenth per cent. cocaine, ecgonine or diacethymorphine, will be required to prove to the Federal Ministry for Social Administration (Public Health Department) that the articles imported by them are exclusively for legitimate medical or scientific objects and will not be re-exported.

The Federal Ministry for Social Administration (Public Health Department) will issue to such Austrian importers certificates in the following form:

The Federal Ministry for Social Administration (Public Health Department) herewith certifies that the [statement of articles, name and weight] which the firm desires to import from the firm are intended for medical (scientific) purposes only, and will not be re-exported."

I have further the honour to say that the arrangement for bringing The Hague Opium Convention into operation in Austria will shortly be published.

I avail, &c.

SCHOBER,

Head of the Federal Ministry
for Foreign Affairs.

Vienna, July 14, 1921.

EXCHANGE of Notes between Great Britain and Bulgaria relative to the Importation from Great Britain into Bulgaria of Opium and Similar Drugs.-Sofia, May 7 June 6, November 27, 1921, and April 5, 1922.

(No. 1.) The British Minister at Sofia to the Bulgarian Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Your Excellency,

Sofia, May 7, 1921.

I HAVE the honour to inform your Excellency that in pursuance of the steps which His Majesty's Government are taking to assist in preventing the improper consumption of opium, morphine, cocaine and similar drugs, they have prohibited the exportation from the United Kingdom to all destinations of the drugs specified below, except under licence. Application for the grant of licences for exportation to Bulgaria should be accompanied by certificates previously issued under the authority of the Bulgarian Government to the effect that the Bulgarian Government are satisfied that the consignment is required exclusively for legitimate medicinal or scientific purposes, and will not be re-exported.

The drugs for which certificates will be required are raw opium, morphine, cocaine, ecgonine and diamorphine (commonly known as heroin) and their respective salts, and medicinal opium, and any preparation, admixture, extract or other substance containing not less than one-fifth per cent. of morphine or one-tenth per cent. of cocaine, ecgonine or diamorphine. His Majesty's Government may, however, find it necessary to extend this list to include any new derivative of morphine or cocaine, or of any salts of morphine or cocaine, or any other alkaloid of opium: or any other drug of whatever kind which may, in their opinion, be productive, if improperly used, of ill-effects substantially of the same character or nature as or analogous to those produced by morphine or cocaine.

I avail, &c.

ARTHUR PEEL.

(No. 2.) The Bulgarian Minister for Foreign Affairs to the British Minister at Sofia.

Note verbale.

SE référant à la note verbale de la Légation de Sa Majesté britannique du 7 mai dernier, le Ministère royal des Affaires étrangères a l'honneur de porter à la connaissance de cette Légation que le Gouvernement bulgare est d'accord de

s'associer pour empêcher la consommation illégale d'opium, morphine, cocaïne et les drogues analogues.

Le Ministère royal des Affaires étrangères envoie à la Légation, ci-joint, un exemplaire du certificat, qui sera délivré par la Direction de la Santé publique aux acheteurs, en Angleterre, des produits ci-dessus énumérés.

D'autre part, le Ministère croit utile de porter à la connaissance de la Légation qu'on produit en Bulgarie une quantité d'opium qui est suffisante pour les besoins du pays, et même on exporte le surplus en étranger.

Sofia, le 6 juin 1921.

MINISTÈRE DE L'INTÉRIEUR ET DE LA SANTÉ PUBLIque.
DIRECTION DE LA SANTÉ PUBLIQUE.

Certificat No.

Le présent certificat est délivré par la Direction de la Santé publique, à pharmacien à département de ... .., pour certifier que ledit pharmacien s'est engagé par écrit devant la même Direction et les autorités sanitaires respectives, que les médicaments, en quantités énumérées ci-après, notamment :

à

qu'il demande à se procurer directement de la maison... (Angleterre); il les emploiera exclusivement pour la préparation et l'expédition de médicaments prescrits par ordonnances de médecins pour le traitement des malades ou bien pour expériences scientifiques, et qu'en même temps il s'est engagé à ne pas faire exporter lesdits médicaments hors les frontières du Royaume de Bulgarie.

Sofia, le

19

Directeur :

Chef du Service de Pharmacie :
Secrétaire:

(No. 3.) The British Minister at Sofia to the Bulgarian Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs.

M. le Ministre,

Sofia, November 27, 1921.

IN the note verbale of the 6th June last the Royal Bulgarian Ministry for Foreign Affairs was good enough to inform His Majesty's Legation at Sofia of the Royal Bulgarian Government's agreement to collaborate with His Majesty's Government with a view to restricting the illegal consumption of opium, morphine, cocaine and analogous drugs, and to transmit, for the information of His Majesty's Government, copy of a certificate to be granted by the Directorate of Public Health to persons desirous of importing consignments of the drugs in question from the United Kingdom, to the effect that these would be exclusively used for medicinal or scientific purposes and would not be re-exported.

His Majesty's Government observe that the certificate in question does not contain a declaration to the effect that the import of the relevant consignment of drugs is approved by the Bulgarian Government, and instruct me to draw your Excellency's attention to the following recommendation made by the Advisory Committee on the Traffic in Opium at its meeting at Geneva, the 2nd-5th May last, a recommendation which was subsequently adopted by the Council of the League of Nations:

"Every application for the export to an importer of a supply of any of the substances to which the convention applies shall be accompanied by a certificate from the Government of the importing country that the import of the consignment in question is approved by that Government and is required for legitimate purposes. In the case of the drugs to which Chapter III of the Convention applies, the certificate shall state specifically that they are required solely for medicinal or scientific purposes.

In view of the terms of the above recommendation, I have been instructed to request your Excellency to be good enough to cause the certificate issued by the competent authorities, a specimen copy of which was forwarded in the note verbale under reference, to be amended so as to include a declaration to the effect that the importation of the consignment for which application is made is approved by the Royal Bulgarian Government.

I avail, &c.

WILLIAM ERSKINE.

(No. 4.) The Bulgarian Minister for Foreign Affairs to the British Minister at Sofia.

Ministère des Affaires étrangères et des Cultes,
Sofia, le 5 avril 1922.

Ex réponse à la lettre que son Excellence le Ministre de Grande-Bretagne a bien voulu adresser en date du 27 novembre passé à M. Oboff, Ministre des Affaires étrangères ad interim, le Ministère des Affaires étrangères a l'honneur de faire parvenir à la Légation de Sa Majesté britannique, jointe à la présente, copie d'un certificat de la Direction de la Santé publique en Bulgarie qui sera délivré à tout importeur d'opium, de morphine, &c., en Bulgarie et qui contient la déclaration demandée, à savoir que le Gouvernement bulgare autorise la commande des médicaments en question.