It shall remain in force for five years from that day, and, in case none of the High Contracting Parties shall have given notice, twelve months previously to the expiration of said period of five years, of its intention to cause its effects to cease, it shall continue in force for one year, and so on from year to year.

In case one of the Signatory Powers shall give notice of its desire for the cessation of the effects of the Convention, such notice shall be effective as regards that Power only.

ARTICLE XVII.

This Convention shall be ratified; its ratifications shall be exchanged at Paris as speedily as possible, and within one year at the latest.

In testimony whereof, the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed it, and have thereunto affixed their seals.

Done in twenty-six copies, at Paris, this 14th day of March, 1884.

[SEAL.] HENRY VIGNAUD.

L. P. MORTON.

The stipulations of the Convention concluded this day for the protection of submarine cables shall be applicable, according to Article I., to the colonies and possessions of Her Britannic Majesty with the exception of those named below," to wit:

Nevertheless, the stipulations of the said Convention shall be applicable to one of the above-named colonies or possessions, if, in their Tits?] name, a notification to that effect has been addressed by the representative of Her Britannic Majesty at Paris to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France.

Each of the above-named Colonies or possessions that shall have adhered to the said Convention, shall have the privilege of withdrawing in the same manner as the contracting powers. In case one of the colonies or possessions in question shall desire to withdraw from the Convention, a notification to that effect shall be addressed by Her Britannic Majesty's representative at Paris to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France.

Done in twenty-six copies at Paris, this fourteenth day of March, 1884.

DECLARATION RESPECTING THE INTERPRETATION OF ARTICLES II AND IV OF THE CONVENTION OF MARCH 14, 1884, FOR THE PROTECTION OF SUBMARINE CABLES.

Signed at Paris December 1, 1886; ratification advised by the Senate February 20, 1888: ratified by the President March 1, 1888; proclaimed May 1, 1888.

[Translation.]

The undersigned, Plenipotentiaries of the signatory Governments of the Convention of March 14, 1884, for the protection of submarine

cables, having recognized the expediency of defining the sense of the terms of Articles II and IV, of the said convention, have prepared by common accord the following declaration:

Certain doubts having arisen as to the meaning of the word "wilfully" inserted in Article II of the convention of the 14th of March, 1884, it is understood that the imposition of penal responsibility, mentioned in the said article, does not apply to cases of breaking or of injuries occasioned accidentally or necessarily in repairing a cable, when all precautions have been taken to avoid such breakings or damages.

It is likewise understood that Article IV of the convention has no other object and is to have no other effect than to charge the competent tribunals of each country with the determination, conformably to their laws and according to circumstances, of the question of the civil responsibility of the owner of a cable, who, by the laying or repairing of such cable, causes the breaking or injury of another cable, and also of the consequences of that responsibility, if it is found to exist.

Done at Paris, December 1, 1886, and March 23, 1887, for Germany.

PROTOCOL PROVIDING FOR THE SUBMISSION TO THE SIGNATORY POWERS FOR THEIR APPROVAL A DRAFT OF A DECLARATION INTERPRETING ARTICLES II AND IV OF THE CONVENTION OF MARCH 14, 1884, FOR THE PROTECTION OF SUBMARINE CABLES.

Signed at Paris, May 21, 1886.

The undersigned, representatives of the Argentine Republic, Autria-Hungary, Belgium, Brazil, Costa Rica, Denmark, the Dominican Republic, Spain, the United States of America, France, Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Roumania, Russia, Salvador, Servia, Sweden and Norway, Turkey, and Uruguay assembled at Paris on the 12th of May, 1886, for the purpose of examining the situation of the different signatory States of the convention of the 14th of March, 1884, for the protection of submarine cables, in respect to the execution of article 12 of the said convention.

• Translation. The protocol as signed was in the French language only. This draft was adopted by the signatory powers and signed by the plenipotentiaries December 1, 1886, and on the part of Germany March 23, 1887.

As the result of the examination to which they have applied themselves in concert, they have arranged a draft of a Declaration which is annexed to the present protocol and which they bind themselves to recommend for adoption to their respective governments.

Done at Paris, May 21, 1886.
Argentine Confederation:
José C. PAZ.

Austria-Hungary:

GOLUCHOWSKI.

Belgium:

Italy:

FINAL PROTOCOL OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND OTHER POWERS FIXING MAY 1ST, 1888, AS THE DATE OF EFFECT OF THE CONVENTION CONCLUDED AT PARIS MARCH 14, 1884, FOR THE PROTECTION OF SUBMARINE CABLES.

Signed at Paris July 7, 1887; ratification advised by the Senate February 20, 1888; ratified by the President March 1, 1888; proclaimed May 1, 1888.

[Translation.]

The undersigned, Plenipotentiaries of the Governments, parties to the Convention of March 14, 1884, for the protection of submarine cables, having met at Paris for the purpose of fixing, in pursuance of article 16 of that international instrument, a date for putting the said convention into execution, have agreed upon the following:

SUBMARINE CABLES-1887-EXCHANGE OF DOCUMENTS-1886.

1959

I. The International Convention of March 14, 1884, for the protection of submarine cables, shall go into operation on the 1st day of May, 1888, provided, however, that at that date those of the contracting Governments that have not yet adopted the measures provided for by article 12 of the said international instrument, shall have conformed to that stipulation.

II. The measures which shall have been taken by the said States in execution of article 12 aforesaid, shall be made known to the other contracting Powers through the French Government, which is charged with the examination of the said measures.

III. The Government of the French Republic is likewise charged with the examination of the similar legislative and reglementary provisions which are to be adopted, in their respective countries, in pursuance of article 12, by such States as have not taken part in the Convention, and as may desire to avail themselves of the privilege of accession, for which provision is made in article 14.

In testimony whereof, the undersigned Plenipotentiaries have adopted this final protocol, which shall be considered as forming an integral part of the International Convention of March 14, 1884. Done at Paris, July 7, 1887. ROBERT M. McLANE.

LEYDEN.

JOSÉ C. PAZ.

Hoyos.

BEVENS.

ARINOS.

MANUEL M. DE PERAALTA.
MOLTKE-HVITFELDT.
EMANUEL DE Almeda.

FLOURENS.

J. LUIS ALBAREDA.

LYONS.

CHRISANTO MEDINA.

N. S. DELYANNI,
L. L. MENABREA.
HARA.

H. MISSAK.
A. DE STUERS.
COMTE DE VALBOM.
V. ALECSANDRI.
N. DE GIERS.

J. F. MEDINA.
J. MARINOVITCH.
C. LEWENHAUPT.
JUAN J. DIAZ.

1886.a

CONVENTION FOR INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE OF OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS, SCIENTIFIC AND LITERARY PUBLICATIONS.

Concluded at Brussels March 15, 1886; ratification advised by the Senate June 18, 1888; ratified by the President July 19, 1888; ratifications exchanged January 14, 1889; proclaimed January 15,

1889.

(The text is reprinted from the translation made in the Department of State and proclaimed by the President with the original treaty, which is in the French language.)

"Adhered to by the Argentine Republic, Paraguay and Uruguay.