Mr. Brun to Mr. Day.

[Translation.]

The undersigned envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of His Majesty the King of Denmark has just received instruction to bring to the knowledge of his excellency the Secretary of State of the United States, that the Government of His Majesty the King of Denmark, desiring to conserve his relations of friendship and of good understanding with the two belligerent parties, will observe, during [Page 857] the war which has broken out between Spain and the United States, a strict and impartial neutrality. The remoteness of the theater of strife will hardly permit its effects to be felt in the territorial waters of the realm, properly so called, but the same is not true with respect to the Danish possessions in the Antilles, and for the purpose of preventing these islands from becoming a base of military operations, contrary to the laws of neutrality, the Government of the King deems it his duty to announce beforehand to the parties belligerent the conditions under which their vessels of war wiH be permitted to enter and sojourn in the territorial waters of the Danish Antilles.

  • First. Vessels of war of either belligerent or transport boats belonging to their fleets will be permitted to enter the ports and territorial waters of the islands, but to remain there only during twenty-four hours, except in case they find themselves in distress caused either by bad weather, lack of provisions, accident, or other cause. The sojourn of twenty-four hours will be counted from the moment when the cause of distress shall have ceased to exist and the necessary repairs or replenishment of stores have been made. An interval of twenty-four hours should in all cases intervene between the time of departure of the war ship or merchantman of one of the belligerent parties and the departure of a war ship of the other. Privateers will not be admitted into the ports or territorial waters except in case of manifest distress.
  • Second. Vessels belonging to the fleets of the belligerent parties will be permitted to provide themselves in the ports and territorial waters with all necessaries and merchandise of which they may have need, with the exception of articles which are contraband of war. Nevertheless, they shall not be able to provision themselves beyond the quantity necessary for the use of the vessel’s crew, nor to take coal in greater quantity than is necessary to enable the vessel to arrive at the nearest port of its own country, or to some other destination nearer by. This privilege of coaling in a port or in the territorial waters of the islands shall be accorded to the same vessel only once in three months, except in case of special authorization of the governor.
  • Third. The ports and territorial waters of the islands shall be closed to the prizes of either belligerent, except when they are found in cases of distress.

Such are the rules which the Government of the King purposes to follow during the present war, and he trusts that the Government of the United States will enjoin upon its vessels and commanders to conform to the same.

The undersigned seeks this occasion, etc.,

C. Brun.