Mr. Grip to Mr. Gresham.

[Translation.]

Mr. Secretary of State:

Referring to your excellency’s last letter, dated the 25th of last month, on the subject of tonnage certificates of Norwegian vessels, I have the honor to inform you that I have just received the order of my Government [Page 643] to express the hope that the Treasury Department, which has had the kindness to again accept the former Norwegian tonnage certificates, will, pending the discussion of the question in regard to steamships, also accept the new certificates of Norwegian sailing vessels.

As your excellency will see by the copies of tonnage certificates which accompanied my letter of 22d December last the spaces which are exempt in Norway, while they are reckoned in the United States, are indicated in the certificate itself by the letters c and d. If, then, the Government of the United States is not willing to accept the net space (capacité) of the Norwegian certificates, I am pleased to hope that the calculation of the space may be made without new admeasurement and by adding to the net tonnage the spaces above mentioned.

I take the liberty to add that all the maritime powers have exempted from new admeasurement Norwegian sailing vessels provided with new tonnage certificates, and that in Norway the certificates of American sailing vessels, as well as those of all other nations, are accepted.

Accept, etc.,

A. Grip.