Seas, Emperor of India, and the United States of America, being desirous of adopting effective measures for the preservation and protection of the fur seals, have resolved to conclude a Treaty for that purpose, and to that end have named as their plenipotentiaries:

His Britannic Majesty, the Right Honourable James Bryce, O.M., His Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Washington; and

The President of the United States of America, Philander C. Knox, Secretary of State of the United States;

Who, having communicated to each other their respective full powers, which were found to be in due and proper form, have agreed to and concluded the following articles :—

ART. I. The High Contracting Parties mutually and reciprocally agree that their subjects and citizens respectively, and all persons subject to their laws and Treaties, and their vessels shall be prohibited while this article remains in force from engaging in pelagic sealing in that part of the Behring Sea and North Pacific Ocean north of the 35th degree of north latitude and east of the 180th meridian, and that every such person or vessel offending against this prohibition may be seized and detained by the naval or other duly commissioned officers of either of the High Contracting Parties, but they shall be delivered as soon as practicable to the authorities of the nation to which they respectively belong; who alone shall have jurisdiction to try the offence and impose the penalties for the same, the witnesses and proof necessary to establish the offence being also sent with them, or otherwise furnished to the proper jurisdictional authority with all reasonable promptitude; and they agree, further, respectively, to prohibit during the same period the use of any British or United States port by any persons for any purposes whatsoever connected with the operations of pelagic sealing in said waters, and to prohibit during the same period the importation or bringing of any fur-seal skins taken in such pelagic sealing into any British or United States port, and by the necessary legislation and enforcement of appropriate penalties thereunder to make such prohibitions effective.

Such prohibitions, however, shall not apply to Indians dwelling on the coasts of the territory of Great Britain or of the United States, and carrying on pelagic sealing in canoes not transported by or used in connection with other vessels, and propelled wholly by paddles, oars, or sails, and manned by not more than five persons each, in the way hitherto practised by the Indians, without the use of firearms, provided such Indians are not in the employment of other persons, nor under contract for the delivery of the skins to any person.

II. The United States agrees that one-fifth in number and in value of the total number of sealskins taken annually upon the Pribilof Islands, or any other islands or shores of the waters above defined, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, to which the seal herd now frequenting the Pribilof Islands here

after resorts, shall be delivered at the end of each season to an authorized agent of the Canadian Government in the Pribilof Islands; Provided, however, that nothing herein contained shall restrict the right of the United States at any time and from time to time to suspend altogether the taking of sealskins on such islands or shores subject to its jurisdiction, and to impose such restrictions and regulations upon the total number of skins to be taken in any season, and the manner and times and places of taking them as may seem necessary to protect and preserve the seal herd or to increase its numbers.

III. It is further agreed that as soon as this article goes into effect the United States shall pay to Great Britain the sum of 200,000 dollars as an advance payment in lieu of such number of fur-seal skins, to which Great Britain would be entitled under the provisions of this Treaty, as would be equivalent to that amount reckoned at their market value at London at the date of delivery, before dressing or curing and less cost of transportation from the Pribilof Islands; such market value in case of dispute to be determined by an umpire to be agreed upon by the High Contracting Parties, which skins shall be retained by the United States in satisfaction of such payment.

The United States further agrees that Great Britain's share of the sealskins taken on the Pribilof Islands shall not be less than 1,000 in any year, even if such number is more than one-fifth of the number to which the authorized killing is restricted in such year, unless the killing of seals in such year or years shall have been absolutely prohibited by the United States for all purposes except to supply food, clothing, and boat skins for the natives on the islands, in which case the United States agrees to pay to Great Britain the sum of 10,000 dollars annually in lieu of any share of skins during the years when no killing is allowed, and Great Britain agrees that after deducting the skins of Great Britain's share which are to be retained by the United States as above provided to reimburse itself for the advance payment aforesaid, the United States shall be entitled to reimburse itself for any annual payments made as herein required, by retaining an additional number of sealskins from Great Britain's share over and above the specified minimum allowance of 1,000 skins in any subsequent year or years when killing is again resumed, until the whole number of the skins so retained shall equal, reckoned at their market value determined as above provided for, the entire amount so paid, with interest at the rate of 4 per cent. per annum.

If, however, the total number of seals frequenting the Pribilof Islands in any year falls below 100,000, enumerated by official count, then all killing, excepting the inconsiderable supply necessary for the support of the natives, as above noted, may be suspended without allowance of skins or payment of money equivalent until the number of such seals again exceeds 100,000, enumerated in like manner.

IV. The term "pelagic sealing," as used herein, is defined

to be the killing, capturing, or pursuing in any manner whatsoever of fur seals at sea, outside territorial waters.

V. The High Contracting Parties agree that they will each maintain a guard or patrol in the waters of the North Pacific Ocean and Behring Sea, so far as may be necessary for the enforcement of the aforesaid prohibitions.

VI. The foregoing articles shall go into effect as soon as, but not before, an international Agreement is concluded and ratified by the Governments of Great Britain, the United States, Japan, and Russia, by which each of those Powers shall undertake, by such stipulations as may be mutually acceptable, to prohibit for a period of not less than fifteen years, its own subjects or citizens, and all persons subject to its laws and treaties, from engaging in pelagic sealing in waters including the area defined in Article I, and effectively to enforce such prohibition.

The foregoing articles of this Treaty shall continue in force during the period of fifteen years from the day on which they go into effect and thereafter until terminated by twelve months' written notice given by either Great Britain or the United States to the other, which notice may be given at the expiration of fourteen years or at any time afterwards.

VII. The High Contracting Parties engage to co-operate with each other in urging other Powers whose subjects or citizens may be concerned in the fur-seal fisheries to forgo, in virtue of appropriate arrangements, the exercise of the right of pelagic sealing, and also to prohibit the use of their ports and flag in the furtherance of pelagic sealing within the areas covered by such arrangement.

VIII. This Treaty shall be ratified by His Britannic Majesty and by the President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate thereof; and ratifications shall be exchanged in Washington as soon as practicable.

In faith whereof the respective plenipotentiaries have signed this Treaty in duplicate and have hereunto affixed their seals. Done at Washington the 7th day of February, 1911.

(L.S.) JAMES BRYCE.

(L.S.) PHILANDER C. KNOX.

DECLARATION between Great Britain and Zanzibar abrogating, so far as regards Zanzibar, the Treaty of May 31, 1839, between the United Kingdom and Muscat. -Signed at Zanzibar, April 3, 1911.*

ON proceeding to the exchange of the ratifications of the Treaty between His Britannic Majesty and His Highness the

"Treaty Series No. 7 (1911)."

Sultan of Zanzibar, signed on the 4th November, 1908,* the undersigned hereby declare that the provisions of the Treaty between Her late Majesty Queen Victoria and His Highness the Sultan of Muscat, signed on the 31st May, 1839,† in so far as they affect Zanzibar, are and remain abrogated.

Done in duplicate at Zanzibar on the 3rd day of April in the Christian year 1911, corresponding with the 3rd day of Rabi'ulAkhir of the year of the Hejira 1329.

(L.S.) (Signature of His Highness Seyyid Ali-bin-Hamoud),

(L.S.) JOHN H. SINCLAIR,

Sultan of Zanzibar.

Acting British Agent and Consul-General.

ACT of the British Parliament to provide for the Protection of the Public against Dangers arising from the Navigation of Aircraft.

[1 & 2 Geo. V, c. 4.]

[June 2, 1911.]

BE it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

1.-(1.) A Secretary of State may, for the purpose of protecting the public from danger, from time to time by order prohibit the navigation of aircraft over such areas as may be prescribed in the order, and, if any person navigates an aircraft over any such area in contravention of any such order, he shall be guilty of an offence under this Act, unless he proves that he was compelled to do so by reason of stress of weather or other circumstances over which he had no control.

(2.) Any such order may apply either generally to all aircraft or to aircraft of such classes and descriptions only as may be specified in the order, and may prohibit the navigation of aircraft over any such prescribed area either at all times or at such times or on such occasions only as may be specified in the order, and either absolutely or subject to such exceptions or conditions as may be so specified.

2.-(1.) If any person is guilty of an offence under this Act he shall be liable on conviction on indictment or on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or to a fine not exceeding 2007., or to both such imprisonment and fine.

(2.) Any person aggrieved by a summary conviction under this Act may, in England or Ireland, appeal to a Court of

* Vol. CII, page 346.

+ Vol. XXVIII, page 1080.

Quarter Sessions, and in Scotland in like manner as in the case of a conviction under "The Motor Car Act, 1903," as provided by section 18 of that Act.

3. This Act may be cited as "The Aerial Navigation Act,

1911."

BRITISH PROCLAMATION for the Observance of Neutrality in the War between Italy and Turkey.London, October 3, 1911.†

WHEREAS we are happily at peace with all Sovereigns, Powers, and States:

And whereas a state of war unhappily exists between His Majesty the King of Italy and His Imperial Majesty the Sultan of Turkey, and between their respective subjects, and others inhabiting within their countries, territories, or dominions:

And whereas we are on terms of friendship and amicable intercourse with each of these Powers, and with their several subjects, and others inhabiting within their countries, territories, or dominions:

And whereas great numbers of our loyal subjects reside and carry on commerce, and possess property and establishments, and enjoy various rights and privileges, within the dominions of each of the aforesaid Powers, protected by the faith of Treaties between us and each of the aforesaid Powers:

And whereas we, being desirous of preserving to our subjects the blessings of peace, which they now happily enjoy, are firmly purposed and determined to maintain a strict and impartial neutrality in the said state of war unhappily existing between the aforesaid Powers:

We therefore have thought fit, by and with the advice of our Privy Council, to issue this our Royal Proclamation:

And we do hereby strictly charge and command all our loving subjects to govern themselves accordingly, and to observe a strict neutrality in and during the aforesaid war, and to abstain from violating or contravening either the laws and statutes of the realm in this behalf, or the law of nations in relation thereto, as they will answer to the contrary at their peril :

And whereas in and by a certain statute made and passed in a Session of Parliament holden in the 33rd and 34th years of the reign of Her late Majesty Queen Victoria, intituled "An Act to

* Vol. CIII, page 333.

+ "London Gazette," October 3, 1911.