O ABAIXO ASSIGNADO, Plenipotenciario de Sua Magestade Fidelissima, teve a honra de receber a Nota data da de hoje, que Lord Howard de Walden, Plenipotenciario de Sua Magestade Britannica, The entregou na occasião da assignatura por ambos feita, do Tratado de Navegação e Commercio entre Portugal e a Gram-Bretanha, ficando o abaixo assignado devidamente inteirado das declarações que S. Sa. se serviu fazerlhe quanto a diversos Artigos do referido Tratado.

CORRESPONDENCE between Great Britain and Egypt, respecting the Suez Canal (Non-recognition of Jurisdiction claimed by French Consulate over the Canal Company).— 1875.*

Major-General Stanton to the Earl of Derby.-(Rec. November 28.)
MY LORD,
Cairo, November 21, 1875.

I HAVE the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship the copy of a letter which I have recently received from Nubar Pasha, inclosing, for my information, copies of a correspondence which has taken place between the Agent of the Suez Canal Company and the Egyptian Government, with reference to the renewed pretensions of the former to be subject to the jurisdiction of the French Consulate, and to their refusal to receive official communications through the Egyptian authorities; and I beg to inform your Lordship that I have called the attention of Her Majesty's Consular officers in Egypt to this renewed pretension on the part of the Canal Company, and have desired them to pay particular attention to the directions given them in the month of July, 1872, on this subject, when, in compliance with instructions received from Her Majesty's Ambassador at Constantinople, I warned them to take no step implying a recognition of the jurisdiction of the French Consulate over the Canal Company. I have, &c., The Earl of Derby.

EDWD. STANTON.

(Inclosure 1.)-Nubar Pasha to Major-General Stanton. MON CHER CONSUL-GÉNÉRAL,

Caire, le 16 Novembre, 1875.

À LA suite des explications et des communications auxquelles a déjà donné lieu la question de juridiction récemment soulévée par la Compagnie du Canal de Suez, je crois utile de vous transmettre copie des deux dernières lettres échangées à ce sujet entre le Ministère et la Compagnie afin que vous soyez bien au courant de la situation. Veuillez, &c.,

Major-General Stanton.

(Inclosure 2.)-M. Daubrée to Nubar Pasha.

NUBAR.

M. LE MINIstre, Alexandrie, le 14 Octobre, 1875. J'AI reçu la lettre que votre Excellence m'a fait l'honneur de m'adresser, sous la date du 10 de ce mois, au sujet de la transmission des actes judiciaires et extra-judiciaires par l'intermédiaire des autorités locales.

Je ne puis que confirmer entièrement la lettre que M. Lamarre a

* Laid before Parliament, with other Correspondence respecting the Suez Canal, in 1876.

eu l'honneur d'adresser, pendant mon absence, sous la date du 11 Juillet dernier, à son Excellence le Gouverneur de Suez.

Sans entrer dans la discussion même de la question, je me bornerai à rappeler à votre Excellence qu'il avait été convenu que, jusqu'à l'établissement des nouveaux Tribunaux, aucune modification ne serait apportée aux errements du passé.

Or, le fait de nous transmettre des actes judiciaires par l'intermédiaire des autorités locales, et de nous imposer de les recevoir, serait évidemment, suivant moi, une rupture au modus vivendi, qu'il a été mutuellement convenu de respecter. Je suis persuadé que ces explications paraîtront suffisantes à votre Excellence; j'aurai, d'ailleurs, soin de porter à la connaissance de M. le Président de la Compagnie les observations qui font l'objet de la lettre de votre Excellence. Je prie, &c.,

Nubar Pasha.

DAUBRÉE, l'Agent Supérieur.

(Inclosure 3.)-Nubar Pasha to M. Daubrée.

M. L'AGENT, Caire, le 28 Octobre, 1875. J'AI pris connaissance de la communication que vous m'avez fait l'honneur de m'adresser le 14 Octobre courant. J'avais d'abord attribué à votre absence la lettre envoyée par M. Lamarre au Gouverneur de Suez, relativement au Tribunal dont relèverait la Compagnie du Canal; mais je vois par vos explications, M. l'Agent, que l'idée de M. Lamarre, au lieu de provenir simplement de votre absence, comme je l'avais d'abord supposé, est le résultat des instructions de la Compagnie, que vous confirmez, d'ailleurs, entière

ment.

Dans un tel état de choses, M. l'Agent, je ne manquerais pas, s'il y avait lieu, de combattre la prétention à une Convention de la nature de celle dont vous parlez, et de rectifier l'erreur dans laquelle il me semble que la Compagnie est tombée.

Mais je crois que cette prétention se détruit d'elle-même, par le fait de son impossibilité, et qu'il n'y a pas lieu de la discuter.

Je me bornerai donc à constater que le refus de la Compagnie de recevoir par l'entremise des Gouvernorats les pièces judiciaires ou autres est un fait dont les conséquences, judiciairement parlant, retombent sur la Compagnie.

Quant au Gouvernement, je crois superflu de vous dire que la police exécutera toutes les sentences que les tribunaux locaux pourraient prononcer par défaut contre la Compagnie.

M. Daubrée.

Veuillez, &c.,

NUBAR.

SIR,

The Earl of Derby to Major-General Stanton.

Foreign Office, December 11, 1875. HER Majesty's Government have had under their consideration your despatch, with its inclosures, dated the 21st ultimo, relative to the jurisdiction under which the Suez Canal Company stands in Egypt; and I now have to state to you that, in the opinion of Her Majesty's Government, the pretension of the Company to be considered a French Company, under the jurisdiction of the French Consulate, is entirely inadmissible, and opposed both to the letter and the spirit of the Contract and Firman which regulate its relations with Egypt. Article XVI of the Convention or Contract of the 22nd of February, 1866,* which is textually embodied in the Firman of the 19th of March, 1866,† clearly establishes that the Suez Canal Company is Egyptian.

It fixes the exceptional case of suits between members of the Company as subject to French law, and therefore to be tried in France; but it specifies unmistakably that all disputes in Egypt between the Company and the Egyptian Government, or between the Company and individuals, shall be judged by the local tribunals.

The Company appear to set up the argument that, because the word "Treaties" is employed in Article XVI of the Convention, by "the local tribunals" is meant the French Consulates. Her Majesty's Government cannot, however, admit that this by any means follows.

On the contrary, Her Majesty's Government maintain that any suit between the Suez Canal Company-that is to say, an Egyptian Company-and Europeans, must be tried according to the Treaties which regulate the relations of foreigners with the inhabitants of Egypt. When, in the following clause of the Convention, disputes between the Company and the Egyptian Government are provided for, it is noteworthy that no mention is made of Treaties, but that only the laws of the country are spoken of, because in that case both parties to the suit would be Egyptian.

I have, in conclusion, to acquaint you that Her Majesty's Government approve your proceedings, as reported in your abovementioned despatch, in having, under the circumstances therein stated, again called the attention of Her Majesty's Consular Officers in Egypt to the instructions which were issued to them in the month of July, 1872, with respect to the non-recognition of any jurisdiction which might be claimed by the French Consulate over the Canal Company. I am, &c., Major-General Stanton.

DERBY.

* Vol. LVI. Page 277.

+ Vol. LVI. Page 293.

VENEZUELAN DECREE, declaring the Blockade of the Coasts of the States of Cumaná and Maturin.-Caracas, April 14, 1871.

(Translation.)

I, ANTONIO GUZMAN BLANCO, Provisional President of the Republic, in virtue of the powers invested in me by the Congress of Plenipotentiaries, decree :

ART. 1. The coasts of the States of Cumaná and Maturin, from the Port of Rio Caribe to the mouth of the Guarapiche in the Gulf of Paria, are declared to be closed and in a state of blockade.

2. In order to render effective the blockade referred to in the foregoing Article, a flotilla, composed of 1 steamer, 2 schooners, and 4 cutters ("flecheras ") is for the present stationed.

3. The commanders of the blockading vessels shall proceed with respect to vessels detained for violation of the blockade, in the manner and form prescribed by the Ordinance on Cruizers of the 30th of March, 1822, it being their duty to send them under custody to the respective station ("apostadero ").

4. The present Decree shall be communicated to whom necessary; and the Minister of War and Marine is charged with its publication and fulfilment.

Given at Carácas on the 14th of April, 1871, in the 8th year of the Constitution and the 13th of the Federation.

GUZMAN BLANCO.

JOSÉ IGNACIO PULIDO, Minister of War and Marine.
CARLOS FERRERO, Secretary of Marine.

BRITISH NOTIFICATION of the Venezuelan Blockade of the Coasts of the States of Cumaná and Maturin.-London, July 6, 1871.*

Foreign Office, July 6, 1871.

Ir is hereby notified that the Right Honourable Earl Granville, K.G., Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, has received from Her Majesty's Chargé d'Affaires at Caracas, a copy of a Decree of the Provisional President of the Republic of Venezuela,† declaring the coasts of the States of Cumaná and Maturin, from the Port of Rio Caribe to the mouth of the Guarapiche, in the Gulf of Paria, to be in a state of blockade.

* "London Gazette," July 7, 1871.

† April 14, 1871.