File No. 763.72112/1168
[Enclosure]
The British Secretary of State for Foreign
Affairs (Grey) to
the American Ambassador (Page)
No. 51431/15]
The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs presents his
compliments to the United States Ambassador, and, with reference
to his excellency’s memorandum of April 28 relative to the
detention of American ships and cargoes by the authorities of
His Majesty’s Government has the honour to express his sincere
regret, if, in the pressure of work arising out of the numerable
cases of this nature which have occurred of late, the Foreign
Office may not, in all cases, have been as prompt as might have
been desired in notifying his excellency of the detention of
ships and cargoes or part cargoes, arriving from the United
States, and more particularly of the five cases cited in the
memorandum now under reply.
Measures are being taken which, it is hoped, will secure that in
future, complete and timely notice shall be given to the United
States Embassy, of all such cases as they arise.
His excellency’s enquiry concerning the consignment of alundum on
board the steamer America has already
been answered in a communication from this Department dated the
4th instant. With regard to the case of the three vessels Marie, Livonia and Dicido mentioned in the third paragraph of his
excellency’s memorandum, Sir E.
Grey has the honour to submit the following
observations.
The Swedish steamer Marie, bound for Malmö
from Galveston, arrived at Kirkwall on or about the 8th of
April. She carried a cargo of 1,355 tons of cotton shipped by
Messrs. L. Wolff and Company for three consignees in Sweden.
This cotton was originally intended for Germany, but the
shippers subsequently decided to sell the cargo to Swedish
buyers. His Majesty’s Government have decided to acquire the
whole of the cotton at the contract price, under the terms of
the cotton arrangement, and steps are being taken for the
conclusion of the purchase. The vessel is now at Greenock to
discharge her cargo.
The steamer
Livonia
with 5,140 tons of cotton from Galveston for Aalborg
and Copenhagen, and the Swedish steamer Dicido with a cargo of cotton from Galveston for
Gothenburg, arrived at Falmouth and at Kirkwall respectively on
April 14. The cargoes of cotton on these vessels were shipped by
Messrs. L. Wolff and Company, and His Majesty’s Government have
after due consideration decided, as in the case of the steamer
Marie, to acquire the cotton on both
vessels at the contract price, in accordance with the terms of
the cotton arrangement, and both vessels have been directed to
suitable ports for the discharge of their cargoes.
As regards the steamer A. A. Raven, the
cargo consisted almost entirely of contraband articles consigned
to firms in Holland. It was intimated to the interested parties
on March 1 that these goods must be consigned to the Netherlands
Oversea Trust, but as no steps appeared to have been taken to
obtain reconsignment by March 30, it was decided to place the
goods in the prize court. As, however, a telegram was
subsequently received stating that the Netherlands Oversea Trust
had accepted consignment of the greater part of the cargo, the
vessel was permitted to proceed with her cargo on March 31.
