Mr. Choate to Mr. Hay.
[Mr. Choate reports that it appears from cable advices received by Lord Salisbury from Sir A. Milner under date of January 23, that large quantities of the goods carried by the Beatrice, principally flour, were destined for the South African Republic, and these were required to be landed at East London by the customs authorities there, doubtless for the reason that, being a British ship, she was, by carrying goods destined for the enemy’s territory, illegally engaged in trade with the enemy, in contravention of Her Majesty’s proclamation of December 27, 1899; that the whole of the cargo had been stored by the customs authorities at East London because the masters and agents preferred to land the whole of the cargo there, inasmuch as it was stored in such a manner as to make impossible a landing of the goods destined for the South African Republic without also discharging goods intended for Portuguese East Africa; but that from time to time the removal of large quantities of the goods for the purpose of local and bona fide Portuguese consumption had been permitted.
The Beatrice, on December 11, sailed for Calcutta in ballast.]