As before stated, further legislation has been proposed, and the Report of a Commission of Deputies presented to the Proposed Chamber by M. Jacques Piou in February 1889 legislation. contained the text of a proposed new law, by which the Commission proposed that the existing mining law should be codified, a variety of alterations being at the same time introduced, such alterations having been principally suggested by four projets de loi submitted to the consideration of the Commission. The following are the principal alterations which were proposed by the Commission, viz. :

The suppression of the class of minières, and the practical fusion of the substances now belonging to that class into the category of mines which are the subject of concessions. The reason for the existence of minières as a separate class is stated by the Commissioners to have disappeared on the passing of the law of 1866, which put an end to the servitude which such minières were previously under with respect to the Stateauthorised ironworks. Provision is proposed to be made for the protection of the proprietors of subsisting minières by entitling them to concessions on application within two years, and for cases in which a minière lies above a mine, when, if the concession is made to the owner of the mine, he must before taking it over pay an indemnity to the owner of the minière.

The recognition of the right to the concession of the discoverer, who proves the existence of a bed of mineral substance, is proposed. This is practically an adoption of the German system of institution of ownership, and is intended to meet the objections which are raised against the present system of granting concessions at the goodwill of the Government.

It is proposed to give the right of search to the first comer who complies with the regulations and gives security against damage to the surface. It is proposed, however, to accord to the owners of the surface for six months a right of preference to the permissions to search for minerals on their own land.

It is proposed to limit the extent of concessions to a maximum of 2,000 hectares for mines of combustible substances, and of 800 hectares for mines of other descriptions, and no two points of the area are to be further from each other than 5 kilometres in the case of combustible substances, or than 3 kilometres in the other cases.

It is proposed to abrogate the present fixed rate of indemnity for land occupied, and in each case to leave it to a jury to fix the amount of compensation to be paid.

It is proposed to raise the fixed rent payable to the Government from 10 cents to 50 cents per hectare, and (confirming the present practice) to define the proportional rent as 5 per cent.

of the net profit calculated on the results of the previous year's raisings.

It is also proposed to confine the power of forfeiture to the single case where a mine continues unworked for two years and the proprietor fails, for six months after notice from the Prefect, to continue working, in which case he may be cited before a civil tribunal, which may order the sale of the mine, and, on failure to sell, the mine may become forfeited. The concessionnaire is no longer to have power to renounce his concession.

The redevances trefoncières payable under old concessions are to be confirmed, but the concessionnaires are to have the right to buy them up (in cases where they are fixed at 20 years' purchase, and in other cases at a sum to be fixed by the tribunal having regard to the value of the minerals). It would appear that the proposed law does not contemplate the reservation of any rents to the owners of the surface in future concessions; but the right of preference to a permission of research accorded to the owner of the surface during the space of six months (available afterwards for two years and renewable by the Prefect) appears to be intended to have the practical effect, if it is exercised, of securing to him the right to a concession of the minerals under his land.

The Commissioners remark that the main object of legislation should be to assimilate mining property to ordinary property, to secure entire freedom of contract and the independence of the mine-owner; and they say that when such legislation is attained the law as to mining will be confined to some regulations for the security of workmen and of the dwellers on the surface, and some rules as to the institution of the property and the right of inclosure. They also remark that England and the United States are almost in complete possession of a law as wise in its simplicity as that which they indicate as the perfection of mining law; that everywhere the regalien right is being assailed; that everywhere the power of the State in such matters is being restrained; and that everywhere greater belief is being placed in private enterprise and in industrial liberty, and that it is a remarkable fact that the more this faith increases the more mineral wealth is developed.

It is understood that no change of the law has yet been made in accordance with the report of the Commissioners, and that no such change is likely to be made for some time to come at least, the general feeling being that complications and difficulties would result if any such change were made.

Import duties.

Coal and coke 11 d. per ton, foundry iron and forge pig, containing less than 25% of manganese, 74d. per cwt. (Return of Foreign Import Duties, presented to Parliament September 1893).

CHAPTER IV.

FRANCE.

FORM OF ACT OF CONCESSION.

1st Part.-DECREE OF CONCESSION.

(Adopted in 1882.)

NOTICE. (General clauses, letters A B C, &c.; special clauses, same letters with a number placed on the right, as B', B2.)

Reference to:

1st. Law of 21 April 1810, modified by the Law of 27 July 1880;

or for the concessions of Iron mines,

Law of 21 April 1810, modified by the Laws of 9 May 1866 and 27 July 1880.

2nd. Decree of 18 November 1810.

3rd. Decree of 6 May 1811, modified by Decree of 11 February 1874.

4th. Decree of 3 January 1813.

5th. Law of 27 April 1838, and Ordinance of 23 May 1841. 6th. Ordinance of 18 April 1842.

7th. Ordinance of 26 March 1843, modified by Decree of 25 September 1882.

8th. Decree of 23 October 1852.

NOTE. In addition, when for concessions of salt mines and saline springs or wells,

Law of 17 June 1840, and Ordinance of 7 March 1841, and also Ordinance of 26 June 1841.

NOTE.-But in such case the Decrees of 6 May 1811 and of 11 February 1874 must be excluded.

Art. B.-This concession, which shall take the name of Concession of is limited in accordance with the plan annexed to this Decree as follows:

the said limits include a surface of

hectares.

square kilometres

Art. B1.-(Special to concessions of iron mines, not including iron ore in seams, in beds, or alluvial ore, which are workable as minières or some of these classes.) (a) (In certain cases two articles, B1 and B2, may be included together in the Decree.)

This concession does not apply to iron ore in seams, or in beds, or alluvial ore, (b) (in accordance with the cases the three sorts of ore may be kept in, or some of them may be excluded), which may be worked as minières and remain at the disposal of the owners of the said minières in accordance with the terms and conditions of Articles 57, 58, 68, 69, 70, of the Law of 21 April 1810, modified by the Laws of 9 May 1866 and 27 July 1880.

Art. B.-(Special for concessions of iron mines, including iron in seams, in beds, or alluvial ore, workable as minières, or including at least some of them.) (Notice (a) of Art. B1.)

Are now joined to the concession, without prejudice to the rights given to the owners of minières by paragraph 3 of the Law of 21 April 1810, modified by the Laws of 9 May 1866 and 27 July 1880, the iron ore in seams, or in beds, or alluvial ore (note (b) of Art. B1), which may be worked as minières.

The limits between the iron ore included in the concession and the ore of the minières joined to the concession which cause an indemnity to be paid to the owners of the said minières are fixed as follow:

Art. C.-Nothing is now decided as to the deposits of any other mineral

the concession of these deposits of mineral may be henceforth granted, if there be reason for it, in the usual forms either to the Concessionnaire of the mines of

or to any other person,

Art. D.-The rights given to surface-owners by Articles 6 and 42 of the Law of 21 April 1810, modified by the Law of 27 July 1880, on the produce of the mines of which concession is granted, are fixed at

Art. D1.-(a) (Special in case there is a rent to pay to the discoverer.)

The Concessionnaire shall pay to

in accordance to Article 16 of the Law of 21 April 1810, and as an indemnity for the discovery of

the sum of

Note (a) of D1.—As agreed with the Council of State, this Article since the adoption of the form has been worded as follows:

The indemnity given in accordance of Article 16 of the Law of 21 April 1810, to for the discovery of the

deposits (state names of deposits) is fixed at the sum of

Art. E.-The Concessionnaire shall comply with the provisions of the conditions of grant annexed to this Decree, and which is considered as being an essential part thereof.

Art. F-If the Concessionnaire wish to renounce the whole or part of the Concession he shall apply, by means of petition to the Prefect, six months at least before the time at which he intends to cease the working of his mines, and he shall join to the said petition:

1. The plan and description of the working.

2. A certificate delivered by the Registrar of Mortgages showing that there are no indorsements of mortgages on the Concession, or, if it be not the case, a list of such as may have been taken, together with the deed of removal of such indorsements, at least for the portion of the deposit which he intends to renounce.

When such documents have been furnished the petition shall be published and posted up for two months in the places and in accordance with the forms fixed by Articles 23 and 24 of the Law of 21 April 1810, modified by the Law of 27 July 1880, for the applications for Concessions of Mines.

The oppositions, if there should be any, shall be received and notified in the forms fixed by Article 26 of the same Law.

The renunciation shall only be effectual when it shall have been accepted, if there be ground for such acceptation, by a Decree debated in the Council of State.