October, 1908. 19 CHINA. Imperial edict stating that the government has abandoned its monopoly of the opium-selling business, and that a licensing system will be substituted. Times, October 20; Cd., 4316; The opium question, North China Herald, 89:433; China: The abolition of opium, Times, April 4, 1908. See March 22 and April 17, 1908. 19 First meeting of the council of the INTERNATIONAL ELECTRO-TECHNICAL COMMISSION at London. Times, October 8, 20, 28. A preliminary meeting of the international electro-technical commission was held in London in June, 1906. This commission was formed for the purpose of carrying out the resolution of the Chamber of Government Deputies at the International Electric Congress held at St. Louis in September, 1904. The resolution passed at the congress recommended that steps should be taken to secure cooperation of the technical societies of the world by the appointment of a representative commission to consider the question of the standardization of the nomenclature and ratings of electrical apparatus and machinery. 27 GERMANY-GREAT BRITAIN. Agreement and protocol signed at London with regard to sleeping sickness. Treaty ser., 1908, No. 28. Takes effect January 1, 1909, for three years and automatically for further periods of one year until denounced by one of the parties six months before the expiration of that year. Cooperation in combating the disease will take the form chiefly of exchanging reports of cases and in arranging for destruction when virus is transmitted by flies or mosquitoes. See March 9, 1908. 27 BULGARIA. France, Great Britain, and Russia present at Sofia an identical note expressing hope that Bulgaria will send to Constantinople an envoy to open negotiations with the end of securing ⚫ from Turkey an acknowledgment of independence and of coming to an agreement as to compensation to Turkey. The powers declare themselves ready to recognize fully at a conference such agreement. Mém. dipl.. November 1; Times, October 28. The German and Italian diplomatic representatives at Sofia informed Bulgaria, October 29, that their governments approve. Bulgaria replied, October 29, acceding to the recommendations. 29 NETHERLANDS-PORTUGAL. Ratifications exchanged at The Hague of treaty signed at The Hague October 1, 1904, fixing boundary October, 1908. of their possessions on the island of Timor. Nederlandische Staatscourant, No. 257. 29 NETHERLANDS-PORTUGAL. Ratifications exchanged at The Hague of treaty signed at The Hague October 1, 1904. Nederlandische Staatscourant, No. 257; Staatsb., 1906, No. 18. Arbitration. 30 CHINA-FRANCE. Chinese imperial decree respecting fracas between Chinese and French soldiers in Tonkin in June, 1908, which resulted in the loss of several French lives. Punishment of Chinese officers, North China Herald, November 7. China pays $100,000 indemnity, together with the assessed damage to the Yunnan railway. She will also renew the mining rights and allow an extension of the railway to Sianfu. November, 1908. 1 ABYSSINIA. Adhesion to universal postal union takes effect. 2 INDIA. Imperial message to the princes and peoples of India granting amnesty to prisoners and greater political rights to the native population, read by the viceroy in durbar at Jodhpur. Text of this message and of Queen Victoria's proclamation of November 1, 1858, transferring the government of India from the East India Company to the Crown, in Times, November 2, 1908. North American R., 188:938; Hubbard: The English in India, Atlantic Monthly, 101:835; Keene: The conflict of civilizations in India, Nineteenth Century, 63:1022; Parliamentary government and our Indian empire, Spectator, July 4; Times, April 11; Marchand: Le problème indien et les troubles de la frontière indo-afghane, Q. dipl., 25:757; The unrest in India, Quarterly R., 209:216; Mitra: Indian problems, London, 1908; Sunderland: The new nationalist movement in India, Atlantic Monthly, 102:526; Nisbet: India under crown government, 1858-1908, Nineteenth Century, 64:786; Cox: Danger in India, Nineteenth Century, 64:941; Tupper: Indian sedition, National R., 52:572; Rees: India in parliament in 1908, Fortnightly R., 84:937; Leygues: Le problème asiatique, Nouvelle R., 6:289; Times, October 31, November 2; Cd., 3912, 4426, 4435, 4436; Spectator, December 26. See September 7, 1907. 8 BELGIUM. Royal decree, under authority of articles 29 and 66 of the constitution, organizing the new ministry of colonies and pre November, 1908. scribing rules and regulations therefor. Monit., November 4; Arch. dipl., 107:338. 4 BELGIUM-KONGO. Belgian decree naming November 15, 1908, the date on which Belgium will extend her sovereignty over Kongo. Under article 4 of treaty of cession signed November 28, 1907. Monit., November 5; B. officiel de l'Etat independant du Congo, October, 1908; Times, December 23; Arch. dipl., 107:349. See October 18 and November 3, 1908. 4 INTERNATIONAL. Monetary convention signed, additional to the convention signed at Paris, November 6, 1885. The first clause provides that from the date of promulgation of the convention the amount of silver coin allowed for each country of the union shall be raised to 16f. per inhabitant. The Belgian, French, Swiss and Italian governments undertake to withdraw from circulation in their respective territories the Greek silver pieces of 2f., 1f., 50c., and 20c., and to restore them to the Greek government, which will reimburse them with gold. Greece will withdraw all one and two drachma notes, issuing silver instead. Times, December 18. The convention was laid before the Greek chamber December 17. 4 HONDURAS NICARAGUA. Treaty of commerce signed at Tegucigalpa. To take effect the date of exchange of ratifications, and to endure thereafter for ten years and for one year after either contracting party notifies the other of its intention to terminate it. 12 BRAZIL. Decree No. 7,172, proclaiming agreement signed at Rome December 9, 1907, for foundation at Paris of an international office of public hygiene. Brazil's ratification was deposited at Rome October 28, 1908. Takes effect November 15, 1908. Diario official, November 12. 12 AUSTRIA-UNITED STATES. Parcel-post convention signed at Washington; signed at Vienna October 9, 1908; ratified by the President November 12, 1908. Takes effect January 1, 1909. Stat. at L., vol. 35. 12 CHINA-JAPAN. Final agreement signed at Peking respecting the Kirin-Kwanchengtze branch of the Japanese South Manchurian Railway. Times, November 12. For the preliminary agreement signed at Peking April 15, 1907, see J. of American Asiatic Assn., July, 1907; North China Herald, 85:643, and • Official ga., Tokyo, May 4, 1907. See April 15, 1907. November, 1908. 13 BULGARIA-GREAT BRITAIN. Procès-verbal signed at Sofia repecting customs duties, supplementary to commercial convention signed at Sofia December 9, 1905. Treaty ser., 1908, Nos. 1 and 32. 13 INTERNATIONAL. Convention signed at Berlin for protection of lit erary and artistic property. ART. 25. The States outside of the union which assure legal protection of the rights which are the object of the present convention may accede to it upon their request. This accession shall be made known in writing to the Government of the Swiss Confederation and by the latter to all the others. Such accession shall imply full adhesion to all the clauses and admission to all the advantages stipulated in the present convention. It may, however, indicate such provisions of the convention of September 9, 1886, or of the additional act of May 4, 1896, as it may be judged necessary to substitute provisionally, at least, for the corresponding provisions of the present convention. ART. 26. The contracting countries have the right to accede at any time to the present convention for their colonies or foreign possessions. They may, for that purpose, either make a general declaration by which all their colonies or possessions are included in the accession, or name expressly those which are included therein, or confine themselves to indicating those which are excluded from it. This declaration shall be made known in writing to the Government of the Swiss Confederation, and by the latter to all the others. ART. 27. The present convention shall replace, in the relations between the contracting States, the convention of Berne of September 9, 1886, including the additional article and the final protocol of the same day, as well as the additional act and the interpretative declaration of May 4, 1896. The conventional acts above mentioned shall remain in force in the relations with the States which do not ratify the present convention. The States signatory to the present convention may, at the time of the exchange of ratifications, declare that they intend, upon such or such point, still to remain bound by the provisions of the conventions to which they have previously subscribed. ART. 28. The present convention shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged at Berlin, not later than the 1st of July, 1910. Signed by Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, Great November, 1908. to usage, the German government had invited to the conference the powers that do not belong to the Union. Delegates were sent by Argentine Republic, Chili, China, Colombia, Ecuador, United States, Greece, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Netherlands, Peru, Persia, Portugal, Roumania, Russia, Siam, Uruguay, Venezuela. Mém. dipl., November 22. See September 16, 1908. Delzons: L'œuvre de la conférence de Berlin sur la propriété littéraire et artistique, R. des deux mondes, 48:895; U. S. H. R. Doc., 1208, 60 Congress; for statement of international copyright relations of the United States, see Circulars Nos. 38 and 39 of the Copyright office, Library of Congress. 13 CHINA. Decree of the emperor in compliance with the command of the empress dowager appointing Prince Ch'un regent and ordering that Pu Yi (son of Prince Ch'un) be brought to the palace where he will be educated. North China Herald, November 21. Prince Ch'un is the third son of the late Prince Ch'un who had five sons. The eldest is dead; the second was Emperor Kuang Hsü. Prince Ch'un succeeded to his father's title in January, 1891. Prince Pu Yi was born February 11, 1906. See November 14. 14 FRANCE GERMANY. Exchange of notes at Berlin declaring accession of German protectorates to the international copyright convention signed September 9, 1886, to apply also to the FrancoGerman copyright convention signed at Paris April 8, 1907. Reichs-G., 1908, No. 57. The accession of the German protectorates takes effect January 1, 1909. Dr. d'auteur, 21:157. 14 CUBA. General election for president for term ending May 20, 1913. By virtue of Decree No. 900 of September 12, 1908, and in accordance with Decree No. 899, reenacting in revised and corrected form the electoral law of April 1, 1908, and its amendment, Decree No. 1,054. The electoral college on December 24 (Decree No. 1121, Ga. oficial, December 1) chose José Miguel Gomez president. Municipal and provincial elections had been held August 1, 1908. Ga. oficial, September 11, October 30, November 11. Informe de la administracion provisional, desde 13 octubre 1906 hasta el 1° de diciembre de 1907 por Charles E. Magoon, gobernador provisional, Habana, 1908; Conditions in Cuba, Nation, 86:346. |