14

A.—2

Akticle XX. The stipulations of the present treaty shall be applicable to the colonies and foreign possessions of Her Britannic Majesty, so far as the laws for the time being in force in such colonies and foreign possessions respectively will allow. The requisition for the surrender of a fugitive criminal who has taken refuge in any of such colonies or foreign possessions may be made to the Governor or chief authority of such colony or possession by any person authorised to act in such colony or possession as a consular officer of the Principality of Monaco. Such requisitions may be disposed of, subject always, as nearly as may be, and so far as the law of such colony or foreign possession will allow, to the provisions of this treaty, by the said Governor or chief authority, who, however, shall be at liberty either to grant the surrender or to refer the matter to his Government. Her Britannic Majesty shall, however, be at liberty to make special arrangements in the British colonies and foreign possessions for the surrender of criminals from Monaco who may take refuge within such colonies and foreign possessions, on the basis, as nearly as may be, and so far as the law of such colony or foreign possession will allow, of the provisions of the present treaty. Requisitions for the surrender of a fugitive criminal emanating from any colony or foreign possession of Her Britannic Majesty shall be governed by the rules laid down in the preceding articles of the present treaty. Akticle XXI. The present treaty shall come into force ten days after its publication, in conformity with the forms prescribed by the law of the high contracting parties. It may be terminated by either of the high contracting parties at any time on giving to the other six months' notice of its intention to do so. The treaty shall be ratified and the ratifications shall be exchanged at Paris as soon as possible. In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the same, and have affixed thereto the seal of their arms. Done at Paris, this 17th day of December, 1891. (1.5.) Edwin H. Egeeton. (1.5.) Le Bacon dv Chabmel. And whereas the ratifications of the said treaty were exchanged at Paris on the seventeenth day of March, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-two : Now, therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice of her Privy Council, and in virtue of the authority committed to her by the said recited Acts, doth order, and it is hereby ordered, that from and after the twenty-third day of May, one thousand eight hundred and ninety-two, the said Acts shall apply in the case of Monaco, and of the said treaty with His Serene Highness the Prince of Monaco. Provided always, and it is hereby further ordered, that the operation of the said Extradition Acts, 1870 and 1873, shall be suspended within the Dominion of Canada so far as relates to Monaco and to the said treaty, and so long as the provisions of the Canadian Act aforesaid of 1886 continue in force, and no longer. Heebeet M. Suft.

No. 9. (Circular.) My Lobd, — Downing Street, 4th June, 1892. I have the honour to transmit to you for your information and for that of your Government an extract from a memorandum by the Minister of Defence of Victoria respecting the relative local rank of Imperial military and naval officers serving in colonial forces. It is pointed out in this memorandum that, whilst officers seconded from the Imperial army for service in colonial forces usually receive a step of local rank, officers of the Royal navy who accept service similarly receive no such step. I enclose a copy of Article 112 aof the Eoyal warrant of the 22nd February, 1890, which regulates the precedence as regards officers of the army. Under the present practice it is left to the discretion of colonial Governments to confer such local rank, except in the case contemplated by the last paragraph of the article in question—viz., that of an Imperial officer assuming the chief command of the forces of a colony, or proceeding to a colony for special service (which would not be ordinary colonial employment), when local and temporary rank would be conferred by the Queen, which would give the officer holding it precedence over all colonial officers of equal rank. As the navy has no system of brevet rank like the army, the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty find it difficult to give local rank to the naval officers serving in colonial forces (such as granted to officers of the army), without prejudice to those engaged in Imperial service, and they would have preferred that the relative rank of officers of the navy and regular army employed with colonial forces should have remained unchanged by any local rank