A.—2

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Government of Her Britannic Majesty, before the Ist March, if they give their adhesion to the principles of this draft Convention, which is subjoined to the present protocol. Every Government replying affirmatively will communicate to the British Government before the above-men-tioned date a draft statement indicating the bases of application of the system of taxation on the quantities of sugar produced. The draft shall state with what limitations and in what cases use would be made of saccharometry. Each Government will, at the same time, declare whether, for the sake of uniformity, it would be disposed to admit what is known as the French method, generally employed in the commerce of several nations. As regards Article 111. of the aforesaid draft Convention, the French delegates, being of opinion that the system proposed for Belgium does not present those guarantees for the suppression of bounties with which the high contracting parties are bound to protect themselves, accept this article with every possible reservation. The delegates of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, and Russia support the reservations made by the French delegates. Henry de Worms. Dv Jardin. T. Catalani. Onslow. D. de Sinet. Pistorius. C. M. Kennedy. Lange. G. Eschauzier. F. G. Walpole. Anto. Batanero. B. Reiger. Jordan. Dupuy de Lome. C. van de Yen. Jaehnigen. Ch. Sans-Leroy. G. Kamensky. Kuefstein. Florian. Robert Dickson. Guillaume. London, 19th December, 1887.

Annex to the Pkotocol of the 19th December, 1887. Draft of Convention. The high contracting parties, desiring to bring about the total suppression of bounties, open or disguised, on the export of sugars, have resolved to conclude a Convention to this effect, and have appointed, as their Plenipotentiaries the following, to wit: who, after having communicated to each other their Ml powers, found in good and due form, have agreed upon the following articles: — Aeticle I.—The high contracting parties engage to take, or to propose to their respective Legislatures, such measures as shall constitute an absolute and complete guarantee that no bounty, either open or disguised, shall be granted on the exportation of sugars. Article ll.—The high contracting parties engage to take, or to propose to their respective Legislatures, a system of duty on the quantities of sugar produced and delivered for home consumption, as the only system by which the suppression of the bounties in question can be attained, and to place under the same regime glucose factories and factories for the .extraction of sugar from molasses. Aeticle lII.—As Belgium is not in the same condition with regard to the application of the system of duty on the quantities of sugar produced, the existing regime established in that kingdom may be maintained, subject to the following modifications : The amount of the duty shall be reduced from 45fr. to 25fr. from and after the day when this Convention shall come into force. The legal yield of contract factories shall be raised from 1,500gr. to 1,700gr. Aeticle IV. —There shall also be admitted to this Convention all such States, or colonies and foreign possessions of the high contracting parties, which, though not adopting the system described in Article 11., do not impose duties on sugars, or who undertake not to accord to sugars for export, either raw or refined, any drawback, repayment, nor discharge of duties or quantities. Aeticle V. —In case any State which does not impose duties upon sugar should establish them, such State shall be bound to levy these duties upon the quantities of sugar produced and delivered for consumption, or to give no drawback, repayment, nor discharge of duties or quantities. Aeticle VI. —The high contracting parties shall communicate to one another the laws which may have been already passed, or may in the future be passed, in their respective States, in relation to the purpose of the present Convention. Aeticle VII. —The States which have not taken part in the present Convention are permitted to join in it on application. Their accession shall be announced through the diplomatic channel to Her Britannic Majesty's Government, and by it to the other signatory Powers. Aeticle VIII. —The stipulations of the present Convention shall be applicable to the colonies and possessions of Her Britannic Majesty, with the exception of those hereinafter named, to wit: India, Canada, Newfoundland, the Cape, Natal, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, and New Zealand. The stipulations of the present Convention shall, however, be applicable to any of the colonies or possessions above mentioned from the date at which the Government of Great Britain shall notify the accession of such colony or possession to the other contracting Powers. Any one of the colonies or possessions above-named which may have acceded to the present Convention retains the power of withdrawal in the same way as the contracting Powers. In the case of any one of the said colonies or possessions desiring to withdraw from the Convention, a notification to that effect will be made by the British Government to the contracting Powers. Aeticle IX.—The present Convention shall come into force on and after . It shall remain in force for ten years from that date; and in the event of no one of the high contracting parties having given notice, twelve months before the expiration of this period of ten years, of its intention to bring it to an end, it shall continue in force for another twelve months, and so from year to year. Should one of the signatory Powers denounce the Convention, its denunciation will affect only the Power making it.