Office of the Historian

Mr. Bayard to Mr. Gresham.

Embassy of the United States,
London, May 15, 1895 (Received May 27.)
No. 429.]

Sir: Referring to my previous correspondence on the subject, I have the honor to acknowledge your instructions, No. 617, of March 4, and No. 682,1 of April 30, with their respective inclosures, relating to the pending consideration by Her Majesty’s Government of the regulations proposed by the International Maritime Conference at Washington in October, 1889, for the prevention of collisions on the high seas.

I have the honor also to inclose herewith copies of correspondence I have subsequently had on this subject with the foreign office, being a note dated March 14 to Lord Kimberley, and his lordship’s reply thereto of the 21st of March and of May 4 instant.

It is not yet in my power to make adequate and definite reply to your latest instruction (April 30), because I am indirectly and informally apprised that evidence is at this time being taken by the committee of the House of Commons having the subject under consideration; and that the intention is to confine the attention of the committee to questions relating to sound signals in fog, assuming the new rules, as recommended by the Washington conference, and heretofore agreed to by Great Britain and the United States, to be in all other respects outside the scope of the present committee’s investigation.

The report of this committee may, as I am privately informed, be reasonably expected within a month, and although its conclusions can not [Page 685] be definitely predicated, yet I have received very positive assurances that Her Majesty’s Government feel very strongly the desirability of having uniform international regulations to prevent collisions at sea, and are doing everything in their power to secure so desirable an object.

No time shall be lost in transmitting to you the results of the action of the parliamentary committee referred to, and in the interim, with the above suggestion, you may possibly feel enabled to make a tentative reply to the communication of the German ambassador, a copy of which was inclosed in your instruction of April 30.

I have, etc.,

T. F. Bayard.
[Inclosure 1 in No. 429.]

Mr. Bayard to Lord Kimberley.

Embassy of the United States,
London, March 14, 1895.

My Lord: I have received to-day from my Government, and have the honor to inclose herewith, copies of an act of Congress approved February 23, 1895, entitled “An act to postpone the enforcement of the act of August 19, 1890, entitled ‘An act to adopt regulations for preventing collisions at sea,’” together with copies of the President’s proclamation of the 25th ultimo, issued in pursuance of said act revoking his prior proclamation.

In this connection I have also the honor to inclose, for your lordship’s consideration, copy of a communication from the Treasury Department of the United States, under date of February 27, 1895, inquiring the date at which Her Majesty’s Government will issue an order in council designating the date upon which the revised international regulations will be put in force by Great Britain.

Will your lordship, so soon as it is practicable, enable me to transmit to my Government the information asked for.

I have, etc.,

T. F. Bayard.
[Inclosure 2 in No. 429.]

Lord Kimberley to Mr. Bayard.

Foreign Office, March 21, 1895.

Your Excellency: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your excellency’s note of the 14th instant, in which you inquire the date on which it is proposed to issue an order in council for the enforcement of the revised regulations for preventing collisions at sea.

I beg to state that your excellency’s note shall receive the early consideration of Her Majesty’s Government.

I have, etc.,

Kimberley.
[Inclosure 3 in No. 429.]

Lord Kimberley to Mr. Bayard.

Foreign Office, May 4, 1895.

Your Excellency: With reference to my note of the 21st of March last on the subject of the proposed regulations for preventing collisions [Page 686] at sea, I have the honor to state that the provisions as to sound signals are about to be considered by a select committee of the House of Commons, and that it is impossible at present to fix the date of the issue of the order in council.

I have, etc.,

Kimberley.
  1. Not printed.↩