EXCHANGE OF NOTES between Great Britain and France Renewing for a further period of Five Years the Arbitration Agreement signed at London, October 14, 1903.* London, October 14, 1913.

No. 1.-The French Ambassador to Sir Edward Grey. M. le Secrétaire d'État,

Londres, le 14 octobre, 1913.

J'AI eu l'honneur de faire connaître à votre Excellence que mon Gouvernement était disposé à renouveler pour cinq années, à partir de la date de son expiration, la Convention d'Arbitrage conclue entre nos deux Gouvernements le 14 octobre, 1903, pour une durée de cinq ans. Votre Excellence a bien voulu me faire savoir que le Gouvernement de Sa Majesté était également prêt à accepter le renouvellement de cet accord dans les conditions indiquées par le Gouvernement Français.

Si cette manière de procéder convient à votre Excellence, il sera entendu que la présente note et la réponse que votre Excellence me fera parvenir serviront à constater l'entente intervenue entre nos deux Gouvernements.

Veuillez, &c.

PAUL CAMBON.

No. 2.-Sir Edward Grey to the French Ambassador.

Your Excellency,

Foreign Office, October 14, 1913.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your note of this day's date, informing me that the French Government are prepared to renew, for a further period of five years from the present date, the Arbitration Agreement concluded between the Governments of Great Britain and France on the 14th October, 1903, on the understanding that His Majesty's Government are equally prepared to agree to such renewal.

I have the honour to accept, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the proposal of the French Government that the Agreement in question should be renewed for a further period of five years from this date, and the present exchange of notes between your Excellency and myself is accordingly regarded by them as placing upon record the understanding arrived at between our respective Governments in the matter. I have, &c. E. GREY.

*See Vol. 23, page 492

For the previous exchange of notes of the 14th October, 1908, renewing the Agreement for five years, see Vol. 25, page 335.

AGREEMENT between Great Britain and France concerning the direct Exchange of Parcels by Parcel Post. Signed at Paris, November 22, 1913.*

THE Government of His Britannic Majesty and the Government of the French Republic, wishing to facilitate commercial relations between the two countries by means of an exchange of postal parcels, have determined upon signing an Agreement to that effect, and have agreed upon the following provisions, which shall be generally applicable, not only to parcels exchanged direct between the United Kingdom and France, but also to parcels sent in transit through the territory of one or other of the two countries.

ART. 1.-Purpose of the Agreement.

1. Parcels may be forwarded by Parcel Post from the United Kingdom to France, Corsica, and Algeria, up to the weight of eleven pounds English, and from France, Corsica, and Algeria, to the United Kingdom up to the weight of 5 kilogrammes.

2. To the Postal Administrations of the two countries is reserved the right to fix subsequently, by common consent, if their respective Regulations permit, the rates and conditions applicable to parcels exceeding 5 kilogrammes and up to 10 kilogrammes in weight.

3. The parcels thus exchanged may be insured up to the sum of 5,000 francs (£200 sterling).

4. To the Postal Administrations of the two countries is reserved the power of fixing subsequently, by common consent, if their respective Laws and Regulations permit, the rates and conditions applicable to postal parcels insured for sums exceeding 5,000 francs (£200 sterling).

ART. 2.-Transit of Parcels.

1. The two Postal Administrations guarantee the right of transit for parcels over their territory to or from any country with which they respectively have Parcel Post communication; and they undertake responsibility for transit parcels within the limits determined by Article 13 below.

2. In the absence of any arrangement to the contrary between the Administrations concerned, the transmission of parcels thus exchanged is effected in closed receptacles.

*Signed also in French

VOL. XXVII.

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ART. 3.-Prepayment Compulsory.

The prepayment of the postage on parcels shall be compulsory, except in the case of redirected parcels.

ART. 4.-Payments to Office of Destination. Charges and

Surcharges.

1. The Post Office of the country of origin shall pay to the Post Office of the country of destination the territorial postage and insurance fees, and, if occasion arises, the sea postage and sea insurance fees which are due to it, calculated in accordance with the following table :

2. The transmission between France, on the one part, and Algeria and Corsica, on the other, gives rise to a sea rate of 25 centimes for each parcel, to be paid by the sender.

Every parcel from or for Corsica or Algeria is subject, moreover, to a land rate of 25 centimes, payable by the sender.

Each insured parcel originating in or addressed to Corsica or Algeria is subject, as a sea and land insurance fee, to a tax of 15 centimes for each 300 francs or fractions thereof, in addition to that indicated in the last column of the above table.

3. The Postal Administration of Great Britain reserves the right to levy on insured parcels despatched rom the United Kingdom a fixed registration fee of 20 centimes per parcel.

4. The French Government reserves, on its side, the power to levy a surtax of 25 centimes in respect of parcels exchanged between France and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

5. The totals thus arrived at shall form the basis for determining the sums to be collected from the senders; but in fixing the rates of postage either Administration shall be at liberty to adopt such approximate amounts as may be convenient in its own currency.

ART. 5.-Payments to the Intermediate Office for Transit Parcels.

In the case of parcels forwarded by one of the two contracting countries in transit through the other, the forwarding Administration shall credit the Post Office of the intermediate country with the sums due for the conveyance and insurance of such parcels, in accordance with tables to be mutually communicated.

ART. 6.-Fees for Delivery and for Customs Formalities. The Post Office of the country of destination may levy from the addressees, for the delivery of the parcels and for the fulfilment of Custom-house formalities, a charge not exceeding 25 centimes for each parcel.

ART. 7.-Advices of Delivery.

1. The sender of an insured parcel may obtain an advice of delivery on prepayment of a fixed fee not exceeding 25 centimes. The same fee may be applied to requests for information about the disposal of an insured parcel made after it has been posted, if the sender has not already paid the special fee to obtain an advice of delivery. The whole of this fee is retained by the Administration of the country of origin.

2. As soon as the internal regulations of Great Britain permit, the system of advices of delivery shall be extended, by common consent, by the Administrations of the two Contracting Parties to uninsured parcels sent from one country to the other.

ART. 8.-Express Delivery.

1. The parcels shall, at the request o the senders, be delivered at the residence of the addressees by special messenger immediately after arrival at the office of destination if that office has a delivery service.

2. On these parcels, which shall be styled " express parcels and shall be marked as such by the senders, an express delivery fee of 50 centimes shall be payable by the senders in addition

to the ordinary postage. This fee shall be credited in the parcel bill to the Post Office of the country of destination.

3. When the residence of the addressee of an express parcel is at a distance from the office of delivery, that office may collect from the addressee for the delivery of the parcel or a notice of its arrival a supplementary charge not exceeding the fee fixed for such delivery by the inland regulations of the country of destination, less the equivalent of the special fee paid by the sender.

4. Only one attempt shall be made to deliver an express parcel or a notice of its arrival by a special messenger. After a fruitless attempt, such a parcel shall cease to be considered as an express parcel, and its delivery shall take place in the conditions fixed for ordinary parcels.

5. If an express parcel shall be redirected to another country before an attempt has been made to deliver it by special messenger, the express delivery fee shall be credited to the Post Office of the new country of destination, provided that this Office has consented to undertake express delivery. Otherwise the fee shall be retained by the Post Office of the country of the first destination; and this shall also be done in the case of parcels which cannot be delivered.

ART. 9.-Charges other than those prescribed by the Agreement not to be collected.

The parcels to which the present Agreement applies cannot be subjected to any postal charge other than those contemplated by the different Articles of this Agreement.

ART. 10.-Duty-free Parcels. Collection of Deposit.

1. The sender of a parcel may, if he makes application accordingly, take upon himself the payment of all charges due upon it in the country of destination, provided that he undertakes to pay the charges in question on demand. The office of posting may collect in advance such sums as it considers sufficient to meet the charges which become payable on arrival, and, in the case of parcels originating in the United Kingdom the British Post Office is authorised to collect a special fee for the work involved in the payment of the charges referred to. This fee may not exceed 6d. per parcel, and shall be retained by the British Post Office.

2. The Administration which arranges Customs clearance on behalf of the sender is authorised to collect for this service a special fee not exceeding 25 centimes for each parcel.