Office of the Historian

No. 228.
Mr. McLane to Mr. Bayard.

Legation of the United States,
Paris, December 2, 1886. (Received December 17.)
No. 317.]

Sir: The conference for the protection of submarine cables met yesterday at the foreign office, and it was agreed informally that to enable the states which have not yet conformed to Article 12 of the convention, it would be put in operation on October 1, instead of January. If at that date there are states unprepared to enforce the convention, it will be applicable to them as fast as they adopt the legislation required by said Article 12; each state giving notice of its action to the other contracting [Page 279] parties through the French Government. At our nest meeting this understanding will he put in regular shape.

I inclose herewith a printed copy* of the laws passed by Great Britain, Salvador, and Servia to enforce the convention, and beg leave to suggest the propriety of taking some means for securing similar legislation without further delay.

I have, etc.,

Robert M. McLane.
  1. Not printed herewith.↩