as ratification, within the meaning of Article 422 of the Treaty of Versailles and of the corresponding Articles of the other Treaties of Peace, of the above amendment, which will come into force in accordance with the provisions of the said Articles. A certified copy of the present Protocol will be transmitted by the Secretary-General to all members of the International Labour Organisation. Done at Geneva, on the 14th June, 1923, in a single copy, of which the French and English texts are both authentic, and which will be kept in the archives of the Secretariat of the League of Nations. ARTHUR FONTAINE, Pour la France. E. H. WALTON, High Commissioner for South Africa. ROBERT CECIL, For the British Empire. PHILIPPE ROY, Pour le Canada. JOSEPH COOK, Australia. J. ALLEN, New Zealand. HARDINGE OF PENSHURST, For India. COSME DE LA TORRIENTE, DECLARATION made by the Delegates of the Ethiopian Empire respecting Slavery and the Importation of Arms and Ammunition on the Occasion of its Admission to the League of Nations.-Geneva, September 27, 1923.(1) THE Empire of Ethiopia, following the example of other sovereign States which have given special undertakings on the occasion of their admission to the League of Nations, makes the following declaration : 1. Ethiopia adheres to the obligations formulated in Article XI, paragraph 1, of the Convention (2) signed at St. Germain-en-Laye, on the 10th September, 1919, revising the General Act of Berlin dated the 26th February, 1885, and the General Act and Declaration of Brussels dated the 2nd July, 1890. (1) Drawn up also in the French language. (2) Vol. CXII, page 901. 2. Ethiopia, recognising as binding the system at present established with regard to the importation of arms and munitions, undertakes to conform to the principles set forth in the Convention(3) and Protocol signed at St. Germain-enLaye on the 10th September, 1919, and in particular to the stipulations contained in Article VI of the said Convention. 3. Ethiopia declares herself ready now and hereafter to furnish the Council of the League of Nations with any information which it may require, and to take into consideration any recommendations which the Council may make with regard to the fulfilment of these obligations in which she recognises that the League of Nations is concerned. In faith whereof the representatives of the Empire of Ethiopia have signed the present declaration. Done at Geneva in two originals, of which one shall remain deposited in the archives of the Secretariat of the League of Nations and the other shall be handed to the representatives of the Empire of Ethiopia. September 27, 1923. (3) Vol. CXII, page 909. CORRESPONDENCE regarding the Modification of the Boundary between British Mandated Territory and Belgian Mandated Territory in East Africa.-April 27/ September 28, 1923.(1) (No. 1.)-The Belgian Ambassador at London to His Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. Milord, Ambassade de Belgique, Londres, le 27 avril 1923. CONFORMÉMENT aux instructions qu'il reçut de mon Gouvernement pendant mon absence M. le Tellier, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim, eut l'honneur de remettre le 26 janvier dernier au Foreign Office une note où il s'enquérait des intentions du Gouvernement de Sa Majesté britannique en vue d'aboutir à un arrangement entre les deux Gouvernements donnant satisfaction au vou formulé par la Société des Nations au sujet de la question du tracé de la frontière du Ruanda qui fit l'objet de la convention signée par Lord Milner et M. Orts. Par son initiative la Société des Nations a marqué nettement le désir de voir résoudre la question dont il s'agit dans le sens des revendications des populations indigènes. (1) Parliamentary Paper, Cmd. 1974. 2 G2 Le démembrement du royaume de Musinga, amené par l'Accord Orts-Milner, a causé aux populations intéressées une pénible impression et a provoqué dans leur sein de vives protestations en raison des graves inconvénients qui résultent pour elles du tracé actuel de la frontière. Les rapports que le pasteur protestant suisse, M. Anet, et le missionnaire catholique, Mgr. Classe, ont spontanément communiqués à la Société des Nations mettent singulièrement en lumière les graves conséquences que le morcellement du petit royaume dont il s'agit, lequel pendant une longue période formait un tout homogène, prospère et paisible, peut entraîner au point de vue de l'action civilisatrice des Blancs en Afrique. Des coloniaux britanniques distingués qui ont visité le Ruanda ont émis également l'opinion qu'il serait hautement désirable d'aboutir à un nouvel accord qui permit de conserver intacte l'entité politique si intéressante du royaume de Musinga. Au cours d'une conversation qu'à titre officieux j'ai eue récemment avec l'Honble. Mr. Ormsby Gore, j'ai appris que le Gouverneur du Tanganyika lui-même était d'avis que la situation actuelle ne pouvait être maintenue sans de sérieux inconvénients, même au point de vue de l'administration britannique dans cette région. Le Gouvernement belge serait très désireux de pouvoir annoncer à la prochaine réunion de la Commission des Mandats, qui s'occupera de cette question au mois de juillet prochain, qu'une décision, de principe tout au moins, a été prise au sujet de la frontière du Ruanda. Il est certain que si les Gouvernements britannique et belge pouvaient faire alors une telle communication, il en résulterait sur la Société des Nations une excellente impression, et la Grande-Bretagne, qui a justement acquis le renom de protectrice des populations indigènes, en aurait la plus grande part de mérite. En conséquence de ce qui précède mon Gouvernement m'a chargé de proposer au Gouvernement de Sa Majesté britannique de répondre à l'invitation de la Société des Nations en soumettant à un nouvel examen la question de la délimitation des mandats respectifs de la Grande-Bretagne et de la Belgique dans la région du Ruanda où règne le Roi Musinga. Je serais très reconnaissant à votre Seigneurie si elle voulait bien me faire connaître dans un délai rapproché, vu que la Société des Nations examinera déjà la question en juillet prochain, la suite que le Gouvernement de Sa Majesté britannique aura jugé pouvoir donner à la proposition de mon Gouvernement. Je saisis, etc. MONCHEUR. (No. 2.)-His Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs to the Belgian Ambassador at London: Your Excellency, Foreign Office, June 30, 1923. His Majesty's Government have given careful consideration to your Excellency's note of the 27th April last, on the subject of the settlement of the Ruanda frontier by His Majesty's Government and the Belgian Government. 2. As the Belgian Government are aware, the only reason for including under the British mandate a small strip of territory situated to the west of the River Kagera and forming part of the Kingdom of Ruanda was that, if this area (known as Kissaka) were placed under Belgian mandate, it would not be possible in the future to connect Uganda and the Tanganyika Territory by a railway through British mandated territory, since the only possible route for such a railway was on the west side of the river. The Belgian Government fully admitted the force of this contention and, in order to meet His Majesty's Governments legitimate requirements, agreed to the existing boundary, which was accordingly laid down in the British and Belgian mandates. 3. Nevertheless, the Belgian Government subsequently invited His Majesty's Government to agree to a modification of the Milner-Orts Agreement, and in support of their request urged the desirability of not dividing the domain of Musinga, the Sultan of Ruanda, the advantages of the river boundary and the importance of avoiding local troubles on an artificial frontier following no marked geographical features. 4. In the light of these arguments and in order to give a tangible proof of their friendly interest in Belgian colonial development His Majesty's Government, although they still attach importance to the possibility of connecting Uganda and Tanganyika by railway in future, are prepared to waive this consideration and to allow the question of such connection to be no longer the ruling factor in their examination of the question. They are accordingly willing to join the Belgian Government in a request to the League of Nations to amend the boundary laid down in the mandates so as to make it run as follows: "The mid-stream of the Kagera River from the Uganda boundary down to the point where the Kagera River meets the western boundary of Bugufi; thence this boundary to its junction with the eastern boundary of Urundi; thence the eastern and southern boundary of boundary of Urundi to Lake Tanganyika." I have, &c. (For the Secretary of State), [CXVIII] 2 G 3 (No. 3.)-His Majesty's Foreign Office to the SecretaryGeneral of the League of Nations. Sir, Foreign Office, August 3, 1923. IN a letter of the 20th September, 1922, his Excellency M. D. da Gama, President of the Council, brought, on behalf of the League of Nations, to the notice of the Governments of Great Britain and Belgium the observations which the Permanent Mandates Commission had made in the course of its last session regarding the boundary between the territory of Ruanda, under Belgian mandate, and the Tanganyika Territory. He expressed, further, the hope that the two Governments would find it possible to take account of these observations. 2. In deference to this wish, and desiring only to assure the interests of the native populations, the British and Belgian Governments have examined the possibility of fixing a more suitable frontier, and have agreed to request the Council of the League of Nations to amend the British and Belgian mandates for this portion of Africa so as to extend to the Kagera River the boundaries of the territory in respect of which a mandate is held by His Majesty the King of the Belgians. 3. The new limits of the Belgian mandate would be as follows: The mid-stream of the Kagera River from the Uganda boundary to the point where the Kagera River meets the western boundary of Bugufi; thence this boundary to its junction with the eastern boundary of Urundi; thence the eastern and southern boundary of Urundi to Lake Tanganyika. 4. The territory affected by the change in the boundary is marked in red on the attached map. (2) 5. The British and Belgian Governments have the honour to submit this proposal to the League of Nations and request the League to be so good as to examine it as soon as possible. It is important to lose no time in bringing to the native population concerned the benefits of the change. I am, &c. CHARLES TUFTON. (2) Map not reproduced. |