File No. 763.72112/1803
The Ambassador in Great Britain ( Page ) to the Secretary of State
[Received 1.20 p. m.]
3104. Following is text of order in council dated October 20, 1915:1
Whereas by the Declaration of London Order in Council No. 2, 1914, His Majesty was pleased to declare that, during the present hostilities, the provisions of the said Declaration of London should, subject to certain exceptions and modifications therein specified, be adopted and put in force by His Majesty’s Government; and
Whereas, by Article 57 of the said declaration, it is provided that the neutral or enemy character of a vessel is determined by the flag which she is entitled to fly and
Whereas it is no longer expedient to adopt the said article:
Now, therefore, His Majesty, by and with the advice of his Privy Council, is pleased to order, and it is hereby ordered, that from and after this date Article 57 of the Declaration of London shall cease to be adopted and put in force.
In lieu of the said article, British prize courts shall apply the rules and principles formerly observed in such courts.
This Order may be cited as “The Declaration of London Order in Council, 1915.”
And the Lords Commissioners of His Majesty’s Treasury, the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, and each of His Majesty’s Principal Secretaries of State, the President of the Probate, Divorce, and Admiralty Division of the High Court of Justice, all other judges of His Majesty’s prize courts, and all governors, officers, and authorities whom it may concern, are to give the necessary directions herein as to them may respectively appertain.