11
A.-2
Enclosure No. 2. Sm,-- Downing Street, 12th April, 1898. I am directed by Mr. Secretary Chamberlain to acknowledge receipt of your letter of the 6th April, forwarding copies of the report of a Committee of the Eoyal Society on the subject of the preparation of an International Catalogue of Scientific Literature, and stating that it is proposed that an International Convention shall again meet for the purpose of considering the report. In reply, I am to state that on learning the date finally fixed for the assembling of the Convention proposed to be held this year, Mr. Chamberlain will be happy to forward a copy of your letter under acknowledgment, with copies of the report,.to the Governors of the colonies named, with a request to be informed whether their respective Governments will send delegates to the Convention. I am to add that Mr. Chamberlain considers that the 11th October would be a preferable date to the 12th July for the meeting of the Convention, looking to the shortness of the notice which could be given in the event of the earlier date being decided on. I am, &c, The Assistant Secretary, Eoyal Society. C. P. Lucas.
Enclosure No. 3. Sik, — The Eoyal Society, Burlington House, London, W., 20th April, 1898. Adverting to Mr. Lucas's letter (No. 7764/98) of the 12th April, on the subject of the proposed meeting of an International Convention to consider the report of the Eoyal Society's committee upon the preparation of an International Catalogue of Scientific Literature, I am desired by the President and Council to say that it is not possible to fix the date for the proposed meeting of the Convention until the Eoyal Society is in possession of the views of the foreign Governments with which Her Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs is in communication on the subject. In the meantime, the President and Council think it very desirable that the report of the Eoyal Society's committee under reference should be in the hands of all the Governments that participated in the Conference of 1896 as soon as possible, and they trust, therefore, that you will see your way to forward the copies of the report now in your hands to the colonial Governments concerned, leaving the question of the date of meeting to form the subject of a later communication. I am, &c, The Under Secretary of State, Colonial Office. ' M. Fostbe.
No. 10. (Circular.) Sir, — Downing Street, sth May, 1898. With reference to my circular despatch of the 20th August, 1897, respecting the termination on the 30th July next of the treaty of commerce between Great Britain and the Zollverein of 1865, I have the honour to transmit to you, for the information of your Government, a copy of a despatch addressed to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs by Her Majesty's Ambassador at Berlin, enclosing translation of a Bill introduced into the Eeichstag on the 21st April, empowering the Federal Council to extend most favoured nation treatment to Great Britain and her colonies up to the 30th July, 1899. I have, &c, J. CHAMBEELAIN. The Officer Administering the Government of New Zealand. [For enclosure, see New Zealand Gazette, 6th July, 1898, page 1108.]
No. 11. (Circular.) Sib,— Downing Street, 6th May, 1898. I have the honour to inform you that representations have been made to me by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty that non-commissioned officer pensioners of the Eoyal Marines, or non-commissioned officers about to be pensioned from the corps, are practically debarred from employment in the Permanent Defence Forces of the colonies, owing to the fact that candidates for such employment are only sought for from the army, although non-commissioned officers from the Eoyal Marine Artillery are, from their experience in naval gunnery and land-service methods of handling guns and ordnance material generally, eminently fitted for the training of coast defence artillery, and that those from the Eoyal Marine Light Infantry are equally well suited for giving instruction in infantry drill, and in a lesser degree in heavy gun drill.