Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, With the Annual Message of the President Transmitted to Congress December 7, 1909

File No. 21274/9–14.

The Acting Secretary of State to Minister Brown.

Department of State,
Washington, October 16, 1909.

Sir: The department has received your dispatch No. 126, of the 15th ultimo, in which, referring to previous correspondence concerning the application of the Honduranean laws of navigation,¹ enacted by the last National Congress, you inclose copies of telegraphic correspondence between you and the consular agent at Trujillo in relation to the detention of the American schooner George A. Lawry, by the comandante of that port.

The schooner George A. Lawry is regularly registered as an American vessel, under the number 85944, signal letters KDNG.

While the vessel might, under general practice, take on cargo at two or more ports of a foreign country, that would not give a right to carry cargo between such ports if, as in the present case the law of Honduras (like that of the United States) prohibits foreign vessels from engaging in the coasting trade.

I am, etc.,

Alvey A. Adee.

1. Not printed.